As a ghostwriter, I’m always getting phone calls, letters, and E mails from people sharing their thoughts about books they wants to write on every subject imaginable.
For example, a woman who lost her leg in the Bosnian war wound up having a prosthetic made by the same company that made an artificial tail for a famous dolphin named Winter, a popular attraction at the Marine Aquarium in Clearwater, Florida. She received so much publicity for her bravery during the war and remarkable recovery, that she’s now launched a speaking career. And she’s about to write her memoir, an inspirational story about how a dolphin helped her make it through her own struggles .
Then there was the call from the millionaire marketing executive who was exposed to poverty and extreme domestic violence as a child. He’s now created a foundation to help adult survivors of childhood abuse recover from trauma and has now written a book all about it.
And I just heard from a trial attorney, describing his 30-year history handling criminal cases, from FBI espionage to Mafia hits, including the so-called “body parts” case, the story of two funeral directors convicted for removing body parts from the deceased and selling them for transplants! You can’t make this stuff up.
I really believe that everyone has a book inside them, just waiting to be written. It might be a memoir, a motivational guide, a family history, or a book about your hobby or life work. It might be focused on one individual subject. Countless physicians have written books about losing weight or diabetes or the secrets to stress reduction. No matter what your profession, you can definitely write a book about it from your unique perspective. And so often, people tell me they feel passionately about a subject that should become a book. But how?
Once you’ve decided that you want to write a book, and if you don’t have the time or the expertise to write it yourself, the next step is finding a collaborator, someone who can make the book come to life with no time wasted.
Over the years, I’ve constructed a system for writing a book in five months or less, from beginning to end, adding in a few extra weeks for a book proposal–and then you’re ready to meet an agent and get that book published. It’s a limitless sky. One of my favorite projects was working with a Chicago Pastor who brilliantly blended life lessons with scripture, his unique storytelling leading to a self-help book, The Power To Change Today.
So if you have a great book idea, don’t procrastinate about it. I think the best stories come from real life, driven by true heart and passion. Here’s a few ideas about how to make your book become a reality:
