Earlier today on one of the author mailing lists I peruse, a first-time author asked if anyone had any tips. The following is my response (I thought it might help the half-dozen or so Ensight readers who’ve signed book deals in recent months):

First up, congrats on nearly signing a deal! It’s a huge accomplishment, and one you should be incredibly proud of.

Please take all of my thoughts here with a pound of salt. I’ve only just completed my first book (and 3 1/3 books as co-author), so this isn’t like it’s coming from Bonnie or Dave Taylor or Mitch… But, here are my thoughts on how I get through the project (in no particular order):

Have a Plan
I can’t emphasize this enough. Lay out what interviews you need to do, what guest contributions you need, what companies you need to contact for case studies or sample software, any review equipment or hardware you need, etc. Identify every speed-bump, and deal with it quickly.

Organize your Book
Lay out your chapters in detail, down to the H3′s. Lay out the sidebars. Make notes of thoughts you have. Consider mindmapping (www.mindjet.com has a 21-day trial which is invaluable, IMO, for first-time authors), do stream-of-consciousness recording of your thoughts on individual ideas and then append that to the mindmap.

Figure Out How you Write
My biggest question with my first solo book was “how the hell do you actually write a book?” The task overwhelmed me. Some people write best by skipping around the book writing 1000 words here, 1000 words there. Some write best by doing a whole chapter in a day or two (or whatever, as long as they are only concentrating on one chapter. Figure out how you write best. Maybe you need cue cards to tell you how many words you’re at for each chapter. Find what works for you.

Getting Past Writer’s Block
You will have writer’s block. You will lose motivation. You will need to write another 3000 words in a chapter and have no idea of what to put in there. It happens. Don’t beat yourself up over it. When this happens, change your routine. Go into a coffee shop and write, go to the park, take a few days off, change the way you write (for one period, I “skipped around” my book instead of focusing on individual chapters, this helped me recharge my batteries without ceasing to be productive). Talk to friends, employ mid-point reviews or anything else to help you get your head back in the game. It’s like with dieting / exercising. Sometimes you hit a plateau. When you do, you change your routine (sometimes drastically) and you get back at it.

Communicate with your Editor / Agent
This isn’t really “writing”, but it’s key to a successful book. YOU aren’t the only one who’s hanging their hat on this book. Your agent (if you have one), co-author, acquisitions editor, production editor, technical editor, copy editor, etc, all have a huge stake in you succeeding. For every first-time author (including myself) I’ve spoken to, the temptation is to therefore HIDE when things go wrong. Be open and honest. These people have more experience than most of us will ever have, so use that wealth of knowledge and communicate with them where you’re at (joys and challenges).

Block Off Time
Time management is critical in book writing. Plan when you’re going to write. Don’t let it “just happen”. Letting it just happen means you’re lucky to get a chapter done a week. Planning it means you might get one done every 2-3 days (obviously this all depends on the book).

Hopefully that helps a little, and provides some conversation for folk who disagree ;-)

And, again, congratulations!