The Are You Ready to Write Your Book Checklist

Yeah, I know, some folks say that if you want to write a book based on your experience, expertise or knowledge you just need to put fingers to keyboard and start writing, right? Noooo. I think we can all benefit from a little preparation. Also, I think that it is too easy to think about our ideas and let them whirl round and round our brains without putting those random thoughts into any kind of order.

The first step to writing a book is – thinking about it
The second step is – research
The third step is – planning
The fourth step is – writing a trial chapter
The checklist below will help you to check you have done enough preparation so that you can actually do the fun part – writing

Ready? Here’s the checklist . . .

So, you want to write a book?

Are you clear about your motivation for writing a book? Money, fame, reputation, legacy, sharing what you know?

• My motivation is: 

​Do you know who your competition is? Have you read those books, decided what works and what doesn’t and checked out their Amazon rating?

• My competitors are : 
• And I like X about them: 
• And I dislike X about them: 

Does your book idea have a wow factor, something different, a Unique Selling Proposition?

• My USP is:

Do you already have some fans, a tribe, Twitter followers, a blog, a website and lots of articles and other material out there on the Internet?

• My fans find me here:

Do you have a support group, mentor, coach, writing buddies and trusted readers who can give you feedback every step of the way?

• My supporters are:

Are you prepared to write in your natural voice, simply, easily, accessibly and aim for a complete Shitty First Draft before going back to edit it?

• Yes
• No
• Yes, but I need to practise and get feedback first

Have you decided which of the following you are going to have in your book?

• Personal anecdote
• Case study
• Illustrations
• Tips
• Tasks
• Summaries
• Expert opinions
• Quotations
• Resources
• Bulleted lists, like this one
• Subheads

Have you mind-mapped your book?

Have you mind-mapped a chapter?

Have you written a contents list, complete with foreword, acknowledgements, title page, resource section and so on and received feedback on it?

Have you written a sample chapter and received feedback on it?

Have you explored the options available for publication: agent, publisher, print on demand, setting up your own publishing company, using an online publisher?

When you have completed this chart above you are well on your way to making your dream of writing a book a reality.