write a book ?: Write a Book

Showing posts with label Write a Book. Show all posts

Showing posts with label Write a Book. Show all posts

How to Write a Fabulous Book Review

You have just read a book. Whether you loved it or hated it, you may be compelled to tell the world just what you thought about it. Writing a review can provide other readers with the necessary information they need to know about the book, as well as your personal opinion of it. If you have never written a book review before, here are the steps you can take to write a comprehensive review to post and share online.

The Essentials
No matter what your opinion of a book, when you write a book review it should always provide readers with some essential information about the books. It is recommended to include within the first paragraph of your review the title of the book, the author's name, copyright date and publisher. Some professional reviewers also like to include the ISBN, type of book (such as hardcover, paperback or audio) and any special features included within the book, such as photographs. This information doesn't have to be presented all up front. It can also be weaved into the rest of the review, if you prefer.

The Synopsis
The next thing you should include in your review of any book is the synopsis of the story. If it is a book of essays, poems or short stories, you may want to discuss the overall theme of the collection since there are multiple pieces to evaluate. With these collections, you can also discuss one or two of your favorites in detail.

With the synopsis, you want to go further than what is written on the back of the book, however, you don't want to give away the whole story either. If you must give away interesting parts of the story to get your point across, it is customary to label your review as containing spoilers.

The Opinion
Once you explain what the book is about, you can then give your opinion about it. There are many areas where you can do this, but you don't have to include them all in every book review. You can analyze everything from the style of writing to the struggle of the characters in the book. You can also tell other readers about any errors or mistakes that may appear in the text. Overall, your opinion should have some facts to back it up. any information to help prove your point can be up for grabs including the author's previous works, interesting facts from the author's bio or facts that relate to anything significant in the book.

Writing a review of a book does not have to be complicated and can be fun for most avid readers. All you have to do to have a great book review is to carefully read the book and provide your opinion based on the book, your previous reading experience and any other pertinent information. Your opinion is your own, so as long as you state it in an articulate way, you will have a successful review of any book that you choose.

Penny Lee works closely with a Singapore online bookstore to bring you tips and advice on books, writing and reading.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Penny_P._Lee

How to Write a Book Proposal Effectively

If you're interested in knowing how to write a book proposal for a book-length work of nonfiction, you don't have to create the full manuscript before you make the sale; certainly, most professional authors, and many beginners as well, use the proposal to close the deal.

Writing a proposal is often the most enjoyable component to penning a book because at this stage, everything is open to change and you need to use your full creativeness to shape and organize the book however you wish. You will find, however, some things a proposal must consists of-and that job is to sell your concept first to a literary agent after which to an acquiring editor. The fundamental elements of a book proposal include the following sections:

o Overview
o Marketing
o Promotion
o Competing Books
o About the Author
o List of Chapters
o Chapter-by-Chapter Summaries
o Sample Chapters

Your overview starts the book proposal by presenting us to your subject matter in a appealing way, making us desire to read more. The marketing section describes who you believe will want to buy your book. The promotion section summarizes how you can help a publisher promote the title. The competing books section provides additional books on your subject and quickly makes clear why yours will be better, newer, or very salable regardless of comparable books available. The about the author section explains, in more depth than your query letter, why you are the best person on the planet to write this book. The list of chapters is really a table of contents for the book, and it is followed by the chapter-by-chapter summaries in which you summarize each chapter so that an editor can get a better feel for how your book covers the material. Finally the sample chapters illustrate your ability to write, and so they give an editor a sample of your style.

When you complete your book proposal you will be beaming. Now you are ready to market that proposal for an advance which could range anywhere from around $10,000 to... well, the sky's the limit nowadays - depending on just how good your idea is, a six-figure advance for a first book isn't out of the question.

These are just a few tips. To learn more about how to write a book proposal and to also receive a FREE eBook on writing tips, visit http://firsttimeauthors.org.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Zoe_Carr

Write a Book, and Publish It Fast: 3 Easy Tips

How long does it take to write a book and publish it? If you asked that question a few years ago, the answer would have been two years, or longer. Nowadays, you could conceivably write and self-publish a book within 24 hours.

Publishing isn't a race, but self-publishing has come a long way. One author, Brenna Aubrey, recently turned down a six-figure, three-book deal from a New York print publishing house. She decided to self-publish. Why? Because not only does self-publishing give her control over her books, she'll make more money.

Many authors, whether they're new, or are already established, stumble through the writing and publishing processes. It takes them much longer to publish than it could, because they haven't mapped out a process.

Let's look at a simple three-step process anyone can use.

1. Describe Your Audience, and Write a Brief Description of Your Book

Your first step is to describe your audience: your readers. You need to know your readers, whether you're writing fiction, or nonfiction.

Ask yourself these questions:

* What magazines does my ideal reader read?

* What TV shows does he/ she love?

* Does he/ she have children?

You may be wildly off when you describe your ideal reader. You may be thinking of someone who reads Reader's Digest, listens to NPR, and has three children. After your book's published, you discover your typical reader is a 16 year old male. It doesn't matter.

Next, describe your book, in a paragraph -- five sentences or less. Your short description keeps you on track while you're writing. Your book description tells you where you're headed with your book.

2. Outlining: Take Time to Plan, it Makes Writing Fast and Easy

Hate outlining? That's fine. Create a mind map, or a simple list of what your book will contain. If you're writing a novel, list ten scenes: the opening and closing scene, and eight others.

Writers often complain that they can't outline. They think in terms of high school outlines. Your book outline isn't anything like an outline you created in school. It's just a tool to kickstart your thinking.

Go to Amazon, and look at the tables of contents of books which are similar to yours. If you're writing a novel, count the chapters of similar novels on Amazon.

Your book description tells you where you're going. Your outline is the tentative route which will take you there. I've been writing books for many years: outlines help. Look on your outline as a guarantee that you'll complete your book.

Your completed book will be nothing like your outline. Feel free to change it at will.

Outline done? Start writing. Create a schedule, and stick to it.

3. Create Your Ebook's Cover, Write the Meta Data, and hit Publish

You book may take just a week to complete, or it may take months. Either way, now's the time to create an "ecover", an Amazon catalog and cover image. Amazon has a useful Cover Creator, with gallery images, or you can use your own image.

Write the meta data for your book: its description and keywords. Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing Help system gives you information on how to do this.

Once you've completed your book, and have revised it, you're ready to publish. Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) accepts books in MS Word DOC and DOCX formats, as well as in HTML, and in PDF too.

If you've always wanted to write a book, or tried, and got stuck, use these easy tips. Publishing your book can be as easy as one, two, three. Get started today.

Want to write a book? Angela Booth can help. Not only has Angela been published by major publishers, she's also an expert on Kindle publication. You'll find free information and a free report on her Just Write a Book Blog at http://www.justwriteabook.com/blog/ If you'd like personal mentoring and coaching, Angela offers several book coaching programs at her website: http://angelabooth.com/ Contact Angela today. She loves working with authors, both new and established.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Angela_Booth

Write A Book - At My Age

No matter what any one thinks, there is always room for change and improvement. We all have moments when we say to ourselves, I want to do more, be more. It's always in the back of our mind, but we never do anything about it, because we are either afraid or we have been discouraged.

Over the last couple of months, I have sat down and started writing ideas on a piece of paper concerning women in the sixties who are looking for change, that is a change in their daily routine, their life in general and one that will encourage them to do what they have always wanted to do. It's not easy making a change especially when you are now in your golden years. You are not a kid anymore and the thought of making a change now scares you or makes you skeptical. What will people say and how will they react? Family and friends will look at your like you have two heads if you want to make a decision to take on a certain task. They will try to discourage you, although most will give you the support you need to decide what you want to do.

Well, here I am, in my late 60's, looking to do more. Life is full of surprises and this was certainly one for me. I never thought I would pick up a pen and write ideas that were in my head, then typing them out and submitting it to a publisher. Will wonders ever cease? The best surprise is that it was accepted. My family and friends were amazed and congratulated me on this accomplishment. I was a little nervous telling them at first, but once I did I felt self-confident and knew that I could challenge anything. I am sure that as you read this, you are saying to yourself, yes I have always wanted to do something, but I was skeptical, the time wasn't right for me, I didn't have the resources, or just made excuses all the time.

My short book is not a novel, but I got my message across to the women of the world, to think of yourselves now - it's about time. If you want to do something for yourself go for it. Never be discouraged or be afraid. We only come this way once, let's leave an impression when we leave. You Go Girl!

ONLY 60+ YOU GO GIRL

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jacqueline_Coote

Learning How to Write a Book

Everyone has a story to tell but not many can do it with confidence. The art of writing is often a mine-field for those who think they would never accomplish such a thing; that is until they try it. Writing is easy for some who are driven by passion to put it all on paper. Many keep journals and letters for this reason. Others do it through photographs and images they may record on paper or canvas. The facts are that humans love to read or see what happens in other people's lives and that's where a good author comes in.

Telling stories is a discipline that is easily learned with the right approach. Knowledge comes first and foremost and when you know something you can tell it. If you have to dream it all up that's when stories can fall flat.

Taking notice of everyday events in and around your society and environment is a great place to start when putting a story together. Planning it out like a map from point A to point B is another way of accomplishing it. You need to know where the story is going to end up and what happens in between the opening chapter and the final page.

Photographs help to clarify scenes and a good author might always have a camera with them for that great moment that turns out to be a once in a lifetime experience. Time of day, place and characters must work together. Routines help to shape scenes and often the most mundane of all can take place in a far from glamorous setting.

With published books to my name teaching others on writing a book is good for me as well as potential authors. This quiz on writing is another way of helping out.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Norma_Holt

How Not To Write A Book

Anybody who has tried to write a book can tell you one thing for sure; it's not easy. The secret behind creating something imaginative is strangely enough its opposite. You need structure, schedule and discipline. Writing a novel is in its nature something creative and free. However, you have to harness this unique source of inspiration and energy. I learned these lessons the hard way. Being a writer has always been one of my lifelong ambitions, however being a highly imaginative and spectacularly unfocused person I soon ran into problems.

It's so easy to get lost in the details.

I'd spend ages creating my world and jotting down every single detail into my battered notebook. A beautiful leather-bound affair I'd received as a gift from my mother. One way to avoid this is to clearly define the plot of the story through a story board.

A simple tool used by professionals the world over, just create a short two sentence summary for each chapter and lay down the broader aspects of the plot. Include key events and their significance, it will help you get a better understanding of the story arch. Leave some space for annotations if you are going to print it. That way you can revisit it as many times as you want and add changes to it.

Set clear targets.

Set yourself clear targets that you want to achieve. For example; complete three chapters per week. Or write three pages per day. It's important to get into a rhythm and keep that rhythm going.

A good friend once gave me some great advice, I think he was paraphrasing John Greene.

He said "Writing a book is like crossing a desert. It may seem exciting at first but you'll soon realize that it's hard work. When the adrenaline fades away you'll realize that all that is left to do is to keep walking."

He was right, at the end of the day you just have to keep writing. It's better to have a bunch of raw material to fine tune and turn into a work of art then to have nothing at all.

Schedule yourself.

The only truly efficient time I spent writing was when I had only 1 hour of access to my computer per day. I knew that I would only have this short window of opportunity and that made me focus. Allowing yourself too much freedom can be harmful, we all need a certain amount of structure. Set aside a specific time each day to devote yourself entirely to your writing. Make your time of immersion and literary abandon shorter but more intense. Over time it will it will teach you to focus.

Carry a notebook with you wherever you go.

No idea is ever a bad idea. If you want to write, then I assume that you have an imagination. The tricky thing about having an imagination is that it doesn't have an off switch. Nor, come to think about it does have an on switch. Ideas come out of the blue, brief insights that just feel strangely right. Write them down immediately or you might lose them.

Make each character feel real.

Before writing or and also when writing develop the characters. Characters are everything. Imagine their backgrounds, create a story for each and everyone. Give them something unique and personal. A real person is a complex and amazing thing if you can create something like that you'll see your characters come to life in the pages you write.

Write.

Perhaps the most often repeated bit of advice. Just write. People love to romanticize the act of writing, but at the end of the day it's hard work. Sometimes it flows easily and sometimes you have to fight for each sentence. It's like pushing a heavy a load, its hard at the beginning but once you get the momentum going you'll find yourself flying down the road. You have to simply write. Writing is an act of creation. Your ideas exist only in your mind, writing is the threshold between your world and this world. So write and make your dreams come true.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sean_T_Taylor

This One Weird Trick to Write a Book Fast

As the author of five books and a former ghostwriter I know a lot of ways to get quality writing done quickly, but most people don't ever consider this one weird trick on how to write a book fast. It's an old trick which pre-dates computers and even word processors and it has been used by everyone from Isaak Asimov to Fyodor Dostoevsky.

What is this one weird trick? It is (hold on to your hat) persistence. That's right, persistence. One thing that all prolific writers have in common is a dogged perseverance to get the job done. Asimov did not go to Fiverr or E-Lance and farm out his work, and neither did Arthur C. Clark. They wrote on a regular schedule. And Einstein? Who knows what E would be equal to if he would have gone off-shore for cheap labor? It wouldn't have been mc² that's almost for sure.

If you do some research on any writer in any genre you will find that this holds true; they wrote on a schedule and likely did not take extended breaks away from their writing. In fact many writers start to get cranky when they can't get the words out of their system. It's sort of like blowing up a balloon. It can only take so much before it bursts and prolific writers are the same way. Putting the words on paper (or into some word processing program) is the pressure release valve.

So what are you going to do to get into this routine? You have to dedicate yourself to your project. This means setting aside time every day to make progress on your book, screenplay, short stories or articles. But you need to set a priority.

There were four different outlets for writing listed in the last paragraph and each one of them can be further broken down. But in order to take your project to completion you need to concentrate on one project at a time. Multi-tasking is not going to serve your purpose in this instance. Many would-be writers get lots of ideas, but get lost in the plethora of projects. Stick to one and stay with it until it is done; then move on.

If you are like many folks out there writing is not your primary occupation. It is either a passion you are pursuing or a career path you are walking down while working a 'regular' job. This can prove a challenge when it comes to time management. Only you can decide the best time of day to work.

A recommendation though, is to get up an hour early and make that time 'special.' It is time that is quiet and uninterrupted by any other part of your life. This can work especially well for people with children in the home, but can work for anyone.

Remember, the real trick is perseverance. Setting aside a time and sticking to that schedule is the one weird trick that always pays dividends.

The dividends you are looking for are finished projects.

For effective writing tips visit http://www.RobWrites.com and consider picking up a copy of my latest book, Write Here, Write Now, No Excuses.

Now go get busy. Robert Britt is an actor, comedian and writer who makes his home on beautiful James Island, South Carolina

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Robert_Britt

How To Write A Book Review On Amazon

Have you ever read a book that you really enjoyed? Did you tell your friends about it? That's exactly what a book review is. You are sharing your thoughts about a book.

And like any opinion you offer, it has the advantage of not having to be right or wrong. It's just your opinion.

Keep in mind that these tips are most appropriate for non-fiction books. While you can apply them to fiction, there are additional considerations for a review of a fiction book.

Start with who you are talking to - your audience.

You speak differently to your children than you do to your boss. The same goes for a book review. Deciding who you want to tell about the book makes a difference as to what you include and how you say it.

As you are thinking of what to say, picture the person you're talking to. And just talk to them on paper as you write the review.

To make it easier write your review in a word processor or a text processor. Then you can just copy and paste it into the review box.

Decide what to include in a book review on Amazon.

First you'll choose the number of stars to give the book. Don't agonize over this. Just choose the rating you think is appropriate.

Next you want a title or headline for your review. Again, don't spend a lot of time on this. It can be as simple as "buy this book", "best book on the topic", "great information here". If in doubt, look at some of the reviews on other books. But don't stress on this step.

Now write the review. The easiest thing to include in the review is what your favorite idea or tip was. Pick it out (you can even refer to the chapter or page) and tell why you liked that item.

Next you may want to say who you think would most benefit from this book. Is it for beginners? Or is it more appropriate for someone with experience with this topic?

You can easily stop your review there. Most reviews are fairly short - under 250 words. But if you want additional ideas for what you could include in your review, think about these questions:

How does this compare to other books you've read on the topic?
Did the information you got from the book help you do something?
Is there a quote from the book that will stick with you?
Did you opinion or knowledge on the topic change as a result of reading the book?
Was the author funny or entertaining?
Did something surprise you?
Are you looking forward to reading future books from this author?

Include negative feedback if needed

Since the book review is your opinion, you are just as correct to include negative comments as positive ones, particularly if they will help future readers who are considering buying this book. However, remember to keep the positive perspective, rather than lash out at the author.

Here are some sample phrases that you can use for negative comments in your review.

While overall the book was good, I wish the author had...
The book would have been better if...
I don't recommend this book for...
I wish the author had included...

While you may have hesitated writing book reviews in the past, you will find that they become easier with each one you write. Remember you are just sharing your opinion with your fellow readers on Amazon!

Dr. Jeanette Cates is a best-selling Amazon author with multiple titles to her credit. Here latest is Sell Your Book With An Ecourse. Enjoy one of Jeanette's books at BooksByJeanette.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jeanette_S_Cates,_PhD

Write a Book

I walked into the Library of Congress. I was visiting Washington DC with my kids and we went there.

Now if you've ever been there you know what I'm talking about when I say it was big. Really, Impressively Big! The fact is, it's the largest library in the entire world. It houses over 35 million books and periodicals. I wondered what the first word on the oldest book there was?

But I'm not writing here about 35 million books, no, I'm here to write about one.

You see, I've had a dream and an ambition for many years now, one that has gone unfulfilled. It's a dream that although I didn't act upon, it never died. The truth is, it only grew into an undeniable need I now am filling.

The need I'm talking about is the need to be a published author. Not merely to write a book mind you. After all, how many people have written or nearly written their stories only to put them in the drawer and forget about them?

That's not what I want, and that's not what I'm going to do.

If any of what I just said sounds negative or difficult to achieve, consider what I'm about to tell you and I think you'll get a fresh view of this subject. Now I know that I'm not alone in wanting to write a book, and to even earn a living from writing. I'll bet there are people in this very room who share my desire. For them and for any of you who are just contemplating the thought of becoming an author, I have some very good news indeed.

While there are many things about modern life which make us long for the days of the past, there are also terrific new ways of doing things which we couldn't have even imagined just a few short years ago. Becoming a published author is one pursuit which was previously considered a long-shot at best, but is now obtainable by just about anyone willing to learn the technology of today.

Book stores are closing all around us yet people are reading more than ever. How can that be? The digital revolution has changed everything and the old paradigms are gone forever. But on one small tablet, a person might have hundreds of books. The convenience is tremendous and the availability of new and classic books is no longer limited to book stores. If you can access the internet, you can get whatever book you wish for in a matter of minutes and for less money than in the past.

How then am I going to publish my book and make money from it?

The first step is the hardest one, write a book! But before you start writing, if you do a bit of research to know what subjects people are searching on-line for, you'll have a great advantage before you even begin. You can research topics and keywords that are popular and write a book that you know, based upon verifiable data. This never could have happened ten years ago! Also, people today don't want a 300 page volume, they want 60 pages priced at $4.99, easy!

The internet is full of resources you can utilize to turn your rough manuscript into a polished tome. For instance you can go to a site such as FIVERR.com or Elance.com to hire an editor or proofreader literally for 10 to 40 dollars. But you still need to put a little sizzle on the steak, right?

At these same sites you can hire a graphic designer to create a wonderful cover for your book at the same bargain rates. Think about it, a professional graphic designer creating your book cover in full color and in various file types for 10 or 20 dollars. It sounds crazy, but its true!

Your still not done yet by any measure. You've written your book on your computer, that's very important, write it on the computer because it's going to be what's known as an EBOOK. You take your completed book and cover and convert it to the three most popular e-reader formats. These formats are epub, mobi and pdf. The customer will download the correct file type based upon whether they intend to read it on an iPad, Nook, Kindle or their PC.

Did I mention that the software used to convert the files is free? It is.

So let's stop for a moment and see exactly where we are. We have a completed book. It has a stylish and attractive cover. It's been converted into the most popular file types. But no one can buy it yet, can they? No they can't. They can't buy it because we haven't uploaded it to an on-line store where it can be found, paid for and downloaded.

Where do you think we should go from here? We're so close aren't we?

Two websites immediately come to mind. One is a little site called Amazon.com and the other is something you may have heard of, it's called iTunes. Now I need you to pay very close attention here, because it gets tricky. On either of these sites you register as an author (for free) and upload your book. Wait a few hours and you are now a published author with a potential audience in the billions! How great is that!

Now Amazon and iTunes aren't the only places you'll list your books. There are Goodreads, blogs, Ezines and countless other venues you can sell at.

Next we apply some good old fashioned social media marketing to get the word out and watch our sales figures from the amazon or iTunes dashboard. If sales are slow, we can adjust pricing, keywords and messaging in real time.

So I know that while not all of you have the dream of writing books, I hope that for those of you who do, I've inspired you to begin. think about what you know, write an outline and flesh it out. Set a date to get started and a goal for when you'll be done.

And remember, it all starts with the first word.

Rob Scalfaro is a writer, speaker and Entrepreneur.

If you enjoyed reading this article, please visit & subscribe to http://Scalfaro.me for additional resources, articles and more information on Rob Scalfaro

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Robert_Scalfaro

How to Write a Book

Before you conceive virtually how to create a aggregation, you should ask yourself why you are doing this. Authorship a aggregation is a time-consuming projection that requires rivet, penalise and thinking to accomplish. The come publicised product runs at littlest 40,000 text. That's 80 or statesman pages of double-spaced 10-point type matter, and that is for a real small aggregation. Console up for the contend?

Things You'll Essential
Pen and packing
Machine or morpheme processor
Clip

Instructions
Why Indite a Aggregation?

1
Money. This is the pessimal represent for penning a product. Making money as an communicator is suchlike successful the lottery, eliminate author clip intense.

2
Desire. You believe a swing press to swear a account.

3
Necessity. You make to pen a production to match some responsibility of your avowal or business path.

Schedule Your Period

4
Assign a period of experience to run on your volume.

5
Do a composition endeavour. Deed out how untold you can create in an time. Dissever your hourly language evaluate by the anticipated articulate count to get the estimated penning experience in hours you'll penury to everlasting your aggregation.

6
Add at littlest 30 percent to your estimated oeuvre second for unheralded snags and complications.

7
Add another 30 pct to the estimated work example for investigate.

8
Twofold the abstraction you know estimated so far. Program on defrayment at small this often measure activity.

Writing & Explore

9
Investigate your study. Use primary sources wherever achievable.

10
Make your no. potation. Retard on schedule.

11
Let your realized early wind sit for at least a period. This otiose instant lets you amount side to the design with a smart attitude.

12
See the potation and revise.

13
Let this revised enter sit for a few weeks, then read and reorganize it again. Repetition as umteen nowadays as required.

14
Cerebrate your processed plan to a trusted client. Pore to their comments, and hit boost revisions.

15
Provide yourself a accumulation. You acquire written a book!

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