Before You Write a Single Word

Several years ago, I sat through a webinar that left me depressed.

I had just become a certified coach, trainer and speaker with the John Maxwell Team, and I joined Michael Hyatt’s Platform University to help me build my coaching business. Michael Hyatt, a former CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers, gave a webinar on traditional book publishing. By the end, I had decided I would never even try to publish a book with a traditional publisher.

Yet people kept nudging me. My pastor often said, “You should write a book.” Patients in my chaplaincy care asked, “Chaplain, are you going to write a book to share your experiences and help other chaplains?” I did have a book in mind, but life was full, and I knew it wasn’t time yet.

So I kept listening and reading about how books are written and published. In the meantime, I wrote a weekly blog for pastors, ministers and leaders for two to three years, which reached a few hundred readers by email. Looking back, all of that was preparation, long before I wrote a single page of my manuscript. Your preparation can be much shorter than mine, but the important thing is not to blindly enter the process.

I see why that mattered every time I meet with my writers’ community. Some members have been writing for years and have pages and pages of material, but they are stuck. They don’t know how to shape it into a book, or they can’t afford an editor.

In Part 1, I asked why you want to write a book. Your why gives you the dream. But bringing a book to publication is challenging, and the industry is complicated and changing fast. You will learn as you go, but preparing ahead can spare you a lot of discouragement and help you manage your expectations.

I’m not an expert, but I have learned some things. Here are three steps I recommend before you start writing.

Step 1: Decide How You Will Publish

Thankfully, publishing is far more open today than it was when I watched that webinar. But you need to understand the differences between traditional publishing, self-publishing and assisted (or “hybrid”) publishing, and what each one requires of you. Here is how I decided.

Traditional publishing: a narrow door

I didn’t pursue this route. Only about 1–2% of authors make the cut with traditional publishers, according to ForbesBooks. You usually need a literary agent to pitch your work. The publisher pays you an advance and handles editing, design and distribution, but you give up some control over your content, title and cover. It often takes one to two years for the book to come out, and you receive no royalties until your advance has been earned back. Publishers increasingly want authors who already have a large online following.

The upside is real: you pay nothing up front, and there is visibility and prestige in publishing with a well-known house. But I was a new writer without a big platform. I didn’t want my work changed, and I didn’t want to wait two years. I simply didn’t fit what they were looking for. It was a reality check.

Self-publishing: freedom, but you pay the costs

Self-publishing has opened the door for many authors. I learned that I could have my book out in under a year, keep control of my material, and earn higher royalties.

However, I would also carry the up-front costs: a whole line of professional editors (developmental, line and copy editing), proofreaders and cover designers. Then I would have to wrestle with the technical work of getting the book onto platforms like IngramSpark and Amazon. I was willing to pay for independent editing to produce a professional manuscript, but I needed help with the rest. So I turned to a third option.

Assisted or “hybrid” publishing: help, at a price

I take a deep breath here.

I started looking at self-publishing companies. One company, whose owners had written good books on self-publishing and ran webinars on it, connected me with one of their coaches. I was told that if they provided the editing and brought my manuscript to publication, it would cost $7,000 up front (or on a payment plan). If I hired my own editors, it would be $4,000. I said no.

I went with another company that offered me a discounted rate. Even so, between that company’s fee and my independent editors, the book cost me several thousand dollars. And the company takes a significant share of the royalties. Still, they handled cover design, formatting and distribution, and my book would not have been published without them.

One caution: the word “hybrid” is used loosely. The Independent Book Publishers Association has published criteria for reputable hybrid publishers that are worth checking any company against.

Keep reading: there is good news

Many companies promise to help writers self-publish but turn out to be money-making machines with subpar service. They take a large chunk of the royalties and leave authors holding the bag, often unable even to recover what they spent. Before you sign anything, check a resource like Writer Beware, which tracks publishing scams.

The good news is that the landscape is changing. Many authors now use AI tools to help with organizational and line editing, which can reduce the number of expensive editing rounds. Independent cover designers are available at reasonable prices, and platforms like Amazon have made it much easier to format and upload a manuscript yourself.

My advice: do your homework, start saving now for up-front costs if you plan to self-publish, and beware of scams.

Step 2: Read Like a Writer

Educate yourself through webinars, books and courses on writing. Joining a writers’ community led by experienced authors has been invaluable for me. If you work and can’t attend live sessions, many communities record them so you can learn at your own pace. There are also communities for specific genres, such as fiction. One book that was especially useful to me as a guide is Kelly Notaras’s The Book You Were Born to Write.

Above all, read. Read books in the genre you plan to write in, and outside it too. My writers’ community recommended many books, and I bought and read them over time, paying attention to how each author structured the book. I especially love memoirs that teach me something, so I read more of those, watching closely how they were built. Good examples of these are books by Elizabeth Gilbert (Big Magic), Dani Shapiro (Still Writing), Jennifer Leigh Selig, PhD (Deep Memoir) and Mel Robbins (The Let Them Theory).

Four years ago, I also joined a monthly fiction book club. This was new for me. I usually read nonfiction and serious material like medicine and theology. To my surprise, reading and discussing great fiction, especially historical and narrative fiction, helped me tremendously in organizing my own writing. I paid attention to how the authors developed each character’s journey, and that shaped how I told my own.

Step 3: Build Your Framework Before You Write

Start with an outline

An outline became my saving grace. Once I had that framework, writing came much more easily. I didn’t have to sit for hours in some faraway place waiting for inspiration, and I didn’t have to write in order. I could work on any section or chapter, knowing I would rearrange things later.

List 100 meaningful moments

One exercise from my writers’ group was to list 100 moments in my life that held meaning for me. It helped me see patterns and themes I could write about, and it brought back stories I would otherwise have forgotten. Together with what I had noticed in other writers’ books, it helped me begin organizing my material into sections and chapters.

Capture every idea

Ideas don’t wait for writing time, so be ready for them. Many of mine come on my walks, and I type or dictate them into my iPhone. I keep a small notebook and pen in my purse for ideas that come while I’m waiting in line, and paper and pen on my nightstand because I often wake up with clarity. All of these notes go into one dedicated folder.

All of this happened before I wrote a single line of my manuscript.

The Cost Is Worth It

Writing a book is challenging, from keeping a consistent writing life to marketing the finished book. However, I believe if you educate yourself, and do some foundational work, writing the manuscript and publishing your book becomes a real possibility. Once I started writing the manuscript, I was able to publish my book in under a year. Every accomplishment comes with a cost. But if you have a book inside you, the benefits will far outweigh the cost.

For now, I invite you to do the work of preparation.

Reflect

• What, if anything, surprised you in this article?
• How can you lay the groundwork to bring your dream of writing to life?
• What is one practical step you can take today?

I’d love to hear from you. Share your reflections with me in the box below.