Write and publish your first article.
Write (almost) every day for three years.
Setup a newsletter using MailChimp.
Include an email capture form at the end of each post using Upscribe.
Create a book outline using posts from your blog.
Send your outline to a group of potential readers (and your email list)
Update it based on their feedback.
Spend at least one hour each day writing your first draft.
Finish your first draft and take a week off.
Print your first copy out on actual paper ($14 at FedEx).
Read through it once to get the feel for the overall flow.
Read through it again, making any edits with a red pen.
Transfer these edits to a new draft in Google Docs.
Decide that this idea wasn’t as valuable or marketable as you thought.
Shelf this manuscript and repeat steps 7–15.
OK, now that you’re back on track, share this second book concept with a diverse group of early readers.
Don’t forget to also send a survey that helps organize the feedback and makes it more useful. It also makes each reader’s life a little easier.
While you wait for feedback, hire a development editor who will help sift through all of the feedback and improve the overall flow of your book.
Become impatient, feel the need to do something “productive, and start an Instagram account for your book.
Start sharing lessons and snippets from the book in formatted posts.
After a month, second-guess yourself, delete all of the posts, and start from scratch.
Become impatient, feel the need to do something “productive”, and start designing concepts for the book cover.Narrow it down to three digital concepts.
Post these three book covers and have potential readers vote.
Realize you’re just wasting time and do something that’s actually productive: create a monthly newsletter that will help build a community around your book.
Decide that this idea also wasn’t as valuable or marketable as you thought.
Shelf this manuscript, combine the first two concepts into a third, repeat steps 7–15. Again. Only this time, the outline is divided into five chapters: Eating Sh!t — Working in customer service, Studying Hard — Working through college, Flying Solo — Working as a freelancer, Teaming Up — Working with business partners, $elling Out — Working in corporate America
OK, now you’re really on track, but you realize half the stories are no longer relevant so you have to rewrite half of them.
Reach back out to that editor and set a deadline to finish writing the full first draft.
While you working on it, decide there’s no turning back and announce the book online.
Start marketing it with a new Substack.
Start sharing a new book update every Friday.
For one of these updates, share a step-by-step guide that breaks down how to write your first book.
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Billy is a principal experience designer, writer, and leader who’s fumbling forward through a creative career while helping others do the same. Subscribe for updates on his first book!