This Year, Write Your Book

If you’ve ever considered writing a book, I think 2015 should be the year you do it.

English classes were never my thing (with the notable exception of a cheery 9th grade poem composed in iambic pentameter which began, “There was a girl close to my heart, our love had just begun. I did not know we soon would part, her life was almost done…”). With a decided bent towards finance and business, I’m an unlikely advocate for authoring.

It all started when I was hiking with Donald Miller in California and complaining about how few churches understood microfinance. “Write a book about it,” Donald suggested, perhaps partially as a real suggestion and partially to stop me from ruining the view with my griping. Since photographer Jeremy Cowart was hiking with us, offhandedly Don included, “you should include Jeremy’s pictures.”

Shortly after that conversation, I was flying over Afghanistan in a Russian helicopter, and began scribbling jumbled notes on the backs of business cards. Those scribbles and the incredible friendship of Phil Smith (coauthor) and Jeremy Cowart (we did indeed include his pictures!) resulted in The Poor Will Be Glad.Beyond this book, it instilled a strong interest in writing which resulted in seven books over the past five years, with hopefully more to come (currently working on 40/40 Vision, a book about midlife with Greg Lafferty and IVP).

These books have significantly expanded our outreach, but even more importantly, they have allowed me to delve deeply into subjects which fascinate me.

If this is the year that you decide to begin the book that you’ve always wanted to write, here are a few tips you might want to consider:

  1. Prepare for inspiration. Inspiration rarely strikes me, and so when it does, I want to capture it immediately before it’s gone. Right when I have a thought about a book or chapter, I try to jot it down in a notebook beside my bed or voice memos when I’m driving. Even though I probably use less than 10% of what I write down, I’ve found it immensely helpful in my creative process to compile lists that I can refer to as I write.
  2. Consider partnering instead of writing solo. Recently a friend asked, “Peter, when are you going to write YOUR book?” She’d noticed that I’ve never done a book alone, and am always a coauthor instead of an author. Truthfully, I hope that I never have to write alone! Personally, I’ve found that through collaboration, the end product is better and the process far more enjoyable. Partnering with Phil, Anna, Chris, Chloe, my son, and Greg has resulted in an infinitely better book every single time.
  3. Solicit a core group of reviewers. When your manuscript is complete, it can be overwhelming to ask people review the entire book. Instead, gather a group of trusted friends that feel the freedom to offer candid feedback, and ask each person to review one or two chapters. (It normally works best to also send the intro and the outline to each person to provide the context.)
  4. Don’t think you’re done when the manuscript is complete. Typically, I end up spending 2-3 times the amount of time promoting a message as I did creating it.
  5. Create a launch team. In the writing process, whenever anyone expresses a strong interest in your project, ask if they’d be willing to join your launch team. This team is critical to a successful launch and allows you to have people “in” from the very beginning. (Shameless plug… if you’re interested in a conversation about how to find meaning in midlife and want to help us launch 40/40 Vision, send me an email!)
  6. Find a literary agent. Agents typically take 15% of any royalties and become key partners in the project. They negotiate with publishers and do things that an author simply can’t.  Find a list of potential agents here. (I’ve been so grateful for my work with Andrew Wolgemuth and Greg Daniel.)
  7. Find your place and time. You need to make space and time to write – and I don’t think it really matters when and where. Just shut down email and all distractions, and begin putting words on the page. Personally, I find planes and trains to be where I do the vast majority of my writing.
  8. Consider self-publishing through CreateSpace. If you have difficulty finding an agent and a publisher, self-publishing is a great option. Writing Watching Seeds Grow, a simple book on entrepreneurship for parents and children with my son, and publishing through CreateSpace was a very positive experience for my family. It’s a much faster process and you don’t need to worry about order fulfillment or a massive upfront investment.

I’m deeply grateful for my friends and family who have supported my own writing journey, and wish you every possible success as you bravely tell your own important stories. It’s time to write!

2 Comments

  1. Roy
    December 31, 2014

    Thanks Peter. My ghostwriter is hired and we’re starting in May!

    Reply
  2. Keith Duff
    January 2, 2015

    Thanks for the tips. Do you have any suggestions for editors? It seems that’s a pretty crucial part in the process and there are all types of options – from the self publishing arms of the big publishers to probably independent editors out there. What did you do?

    Reply

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