How I Write a Book in a Month: the Exact Step-by-Step
Plus a signed copy of my latest and a chance to win fun prizes — contest ends TODAY!
Get a Signed Copy of My New Book
My new book, The Elements of Humor, is a reference book like Strunk and White’s Elements of Style—but better! It updates Strunk & White, who had less than nothing to say about communicating with humor—a critical communication skill in this day and age.
The Elements of Humor belongs on every writer’s shelf. It’s coming out December 5.
Preorder your copy now and I’ll sign it for you. A signed book makes a great gift for the writer(s) in your life.
Buy one or more books and you’ll get a lot of other amazing bonuses, too. Post about the book on social media for a chance to win a $100 gift card and other great prizes!
A Complete List of the Bonuses and Prizes
Buy 1 book – Get an autographed copy! PLUS I’ll send you a gift: email me a photo of you holding any ol’ book, and I’ll Photoshop it to look like you’re holding my book, so you’ll look like an exclusive early reader! You can post that photo on your social media.
Buy 2 books – perfect for yourself and a gift for a humorless family member! All the above, PLUS...
• I’ll Photoshop a photo of you and a friend to make it look like you and me!
• I’ll add a funny original cartoon to your autographed book!
Buy 5 books – Ideal for the lazy holiday shopper! All the above PLUS...
• a unique video I'll make for you to post on your social media.
Buy 10 books – Perfect for teams! – All the above PLUS...
• a 1-on-1 coaching session with me! (a $250 value)
Buy 25 books – For for your whole dorm floor, ward, or cellblock! — All the above PLUS...
• original cartoon art of a published Jim’s Journal or Plebes comic, suitable for framing (a $250 value).
A Promotional Giveaway
That’s all just for buying the book. If you sign up to be a part of the promotional campaign for the book, here, you could win even more stuff!
🎉 First Prize:
A $100 Amazon gift card AND your choice of one additional prize from any below…
🥈 Second Prize (Multiple Winners):
• A 1-on-1 coaching session with me (a $250 value!)
• A personalized cartoon just for you, drawn by me, perfect for framing! (a $500 value)
🥉 Third Prize (Multiple Winners):
• A $50 Amazon gift card
• A vintage copy of The Onion newspaper, autographed with a personal message.
🏅 Fourth Prize (Multiple Winners):
• A copy of ALL FOUR of my How to Write Funny books (a $50 value).
🏅 Fifth Prize (Multiple Winners):
• A free audiobook version of The Elements of Humor.
Links to Get Your Bonuses:
Buy the book here to get your preorder bonus.
Join my launch team here for the chance to win cash and prizes.
Do it quick! The contest deadline is TODAY, November 29!
Get Started on Your Book
Since I’ve written and published over 30 books, people often ask me, “How do you write so many books?” Or, “How do you even write one book?” Or, “I should write a book, but how?”
Every creative person should write a book. There’s no excuse. Nowadays, if you want to compete in whatever side-hustle space you’re in, it’s a necessity. A book is the new business card.
But many of us see a book as an impossible mountain to climb. Like nothing else, it looms in our nightmares as the most daunting creative endeavor we could ever attempt.
But it’s not. It’s fun, easy, and rewarding. I’ve developed a process to write a book in 30 days. Here are the steps:
DAY 1:
Allow yourself to cast off the fear that writing a book will expose you, that no one will buy it, and that everyone will hate you. That fear does only one thing: prevent you from writing your book.
There’s nothing to be embarrassed or scared about. Over 10,000 books are published every day. All those people are passing you by. Don’t let them! Focus on the pride you’ll feel for writing a book, and just follow the steps.
Give some thought to your subject, genre, and title. Search for books in your chosen genre on Amazon. See what’s selling. If you can find an underserved genre with a hungry audience, or if you have something unique to say in a genre that’s popular, that’s where you want to be.
Come up with some title ideas and then Google your titles using the Keywords Everywhere Chrome plug-in so you can see how many people are searching for your book title every month. The more people searching for your exact title, the better. If you pick the right title, hundreds—maybe thousands—will see your book at the top of their search results every month.
Give up the idea that you’ll design the cover. This is a bad idea. It is, in fact, your worst idea. Use 100Covers. I love them so much I became an affiliate. (Use that link and it won’t cost you any more, but I get a kickback.) Start the cover process before you start writing.
DAY 2:
Figure out how many words you want your book to be (anything from 35,000 and up is good).
Make a rough outline of your book, breaking it into chapters.
DAYS 3-15:
Write a crappy rough draft of your book. Every day, write 3000 words. This should take you no more than 2-3 hours each day. You want to write stream-of-consciousness style, with your outline and your chapters as your guide.
DAY 16:
Read your crappy rough draft all the way through and figure out what it needs to be good.
DAYS 17-29:
Edit your book to make it readable and as good as you can make it. Try to get through 3000 words a day. This will take longer than drafting (perhaps 4-5 hours each day), but it will be less painful.
DAY 30:
Congratulations—you wrote a book!
Send your manuscript to someone (or a few people) to read and give you feedback. Once you get these notes, spend a couple of weeks doing one more pass of your book to implement any of the feedback suggestions you agree with.
Do a proofing pass to catch typos and misspellings. ProWritingAid is a good tool for this if you don’t want to spring for a proofreader, which can be expensive.
For step-by-step instructions to upload your book to Amazon, go here and here.
Have fun!
And don’t forget to grab your signed book and other goodies! Buy the book here, and join my launch team here. Do it NOW! The contest ends TODAY, November 29!
I trained for a marathon this past summer, and having the whole course of training laid out in front of me was unbelievably helpful, and made it possible for me to successfully complete the race. Thank you for these instructions on writing a book - having something broken down in this way makes it seem way more approachable!
I pre-ordered a copy of Elements of Humor and I look forward to it. I earn around $200 each month from the sale of my kung-fu (and Zen) books. It isn't much, but it's one little stream of income. The idea of the "crappy first draft" is a real motivator. In the past week that keeps going through my head when I write and stop to make something perfect. I tell myself to stop trying to make it perfect and keep writing. "Crappy first draft!" It has helped get some momentum going.
Nothing helps establish you in your field like a book. I decided to write kung-fu instructional books because what I read was so bad. I get new members to my website all the time who say they heard of me through an ebook or paperback. I think even if you are a realtor, you should have a small book on buying a home that you should hand out to people who come to an open house. Are you a media relations or PR person? Why don't you have your own book to give to potential clients or employers? It would be a great home business, if you are a writer, to help other professionals write their own books.