I'm kicking off Season 2 with a giveaway (free book, anyone?!) and practical advice to help you wrap your mind around the book creation process. 

Whether you’re planning to indie or traditionally publish, these 5 components are critical across the board. So be sure to stick around to the very end for full giveaway details and prepare to make an impact with your book!

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I’ve been reminded of two things recently while working with my private book coaching clients:

1. aspiring authors often don’t understand the publishing process (time, costs, and work required) and
2. most aspiring authors don’t know how or where to find trustworthy advice and service providers.

Thus, while the mission of this podcast remains the same as last season - to educate, encourage, and embolden God’s writers - I’m going to provide even more practical tips with you about the writing, publishing, and marketing processes - starting today.

How to Create a Book: 5 Critical Components

Yay! You’ve completed your manuscript! That’s a huge accomplishment. But how do you turn that Word or Google doc into a print or ebook? Internet searches reveal so much information, it’s overwhelming.

There are many decisions to be made along the way, but I believe it’s important to always keep these two overarching non-negotiables in mind:

1. Represent the Lord well by creating a quality book (in both content and packaging), and
2. Serve your readers well (in both content and packaging).

Regardless of budget or time constraints, all your decisions should be made with these two goals in mind.

Colossians 3:23-24 (ESV) - “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.”

Alright, let’s dive into the particulars. Here are 5 critical components that every book should include:

1. Quality Cover
2. Front Matter
3. Well-written and edited text
4. Back Matter
5. Designed and Formatted interior

Hopefully you found this information helpful. If so, you might also want to check out Episode 9 (Prioritizing, Publishing, & Platform Building with Alicia Greer) and Episode 16 (Writers Get Ready! 9 tips for writing and marketing, including a helpful breakdown of actual timelines for the book creation process).

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Coming Soon! The Inkwell Collective - a new membership community where Christian writers gather virtually to write, build their faith, establish meaningful connections, and get their book-related questions answered! Plus early access to events such as the inaugural in-person writing retreat and writing programs. Oh, and did I mention it’s not on social media?! Check it out! IC is launching soon - go to the show notes at inkandimpact.com to get on the wait list!

Giveaway Deets! Win a paperback copy of my book, The One-Year Collection of Weekly Writing Prompts: Write Your Life Story, One Question at a Time, to keep for yourself or to give to a parent or grandparent to help them document their life experiences and values in a simplified, fun way. 

To be entered, share about the Ink and Impact podcast on FB or IG and - this is important - TAG me so I can see it and enter your name in the contest. Share it on both platforms? Get two entries. Deadline: Feb 8th at midnigh

What additional topics would you like to learn about?

Ready to write and self-publish your first nonfiction book and make a kingdom impact? Join the FREE Publish Like a Pro Facebook group!