Tag Archives: books

Dying to Write Something

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I recently travelled to Europe on a ski trip. On the way over and back, I read Paul Kalanithi’s riveting book, When Breath Become Air, which was posthumously published by Random House in January of 2016. The book was voted Goodreads’ Best Memoir & Autobiography and was on the New York Times bestseller list for a while.

It is a poignant story written by a neurosurgeon who develops Stage IV metastatic lung cancer and passes away shortly thereafter. His wife, Lucy, finishes the book.

My slogan is “Most people die with their book still in them.” Kalanithi’s courageous and herculean effort is a rare exception. How many people, when faced with a life threatening illness or a death sentence would bother to write about it? Very few, I am sure. Lucy was blessed to have married such a gritty human being.

Talk is Cheap

Many people put off writing, saying “Someday I’ll write a book.” Well, frankly, some “day” turns into months, months into years and years into decades. And decades add up. With apologies to Everett Dirksen, “a decade here, a decade there, pretty soon you’re talking about your entire life.”

As someone I know once said about painting, “I’d rather be whipped than paint.” Is painting a room really that grueling? From where I sit, it is mostly the process of getting started that intimidates people.

In painting, it is the setup that takes time and borders on the mundane. You have to move furniture and use drop cloths. Then you have to remove wallplates, patch up holes and cracks. After that, you apply a primer coat. All this before you apply the actual paint. So, there’s a lot involved. However, physically it isn’t exactly cruel and unusual punishment.

The same goes for writing. Most of the effort involved in writing isn’t the work itself. The challenge is more that you have to convince yourself to create something out of nothing. There’s research that needs to be done. You have to read and make sense out of what source material is already out there. And you have to carve out the time for the actual work. It is imperative, however, that you understand the topic before actually putting pen to paper.

The Process

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That’s pretty much it.

It can be overwhelming if you let it be. But if you break it down into its component parts, it is doable.

And, if you would rather have a professional – whether that be a painter or a writer – do it, that is always an option.

Your turn. You could start a blog, write an article or get take on a book. There are plenty of genres to consider. What do you read? Whatever content you consume on a regular basis could be source material for what you will ultimately write.

Start now. Before it’s too late.

About the Author

Frank Felsburg is an APE (Author, Publisher and Entrepreneur) as well as an occasional amateur painter.

What Should I Call My NEW BOOK?

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“What’s in a name?” asked Juliet Capulet, after she fell in love with Romeo Montague. Well, most of us know what happened there. SPOILER ALERT: It didn’t end well, which is probably why they call it a tragedy.

Anyway, what should the title of YOUR book be? And when do you come up with it? Before, during or after you write it?

There are several schools of thought on the matter. They each have advantages and disadvantages. Take your pick which of the three options you prefer.

BEFORE: If you come up with the title of your book before you write your manuscript, this could help you determine the editorial angle you will take. Pretty much everything you write after that about the topic should be done while keeping the title in mind.

A downside of coming up with the title beforehand is that you might change your mind on where you want to go with its contents. So, you might get locked in and therefore paralyzed. This could lead to writers block.

DURING: If you decide on the title during the writing process, you are in the minority. Most people come up with it before or after they have written the manuscript.

It reminds me of the age-old question “When should I write a book?” Well, the best answer I have heard to this question, is “when you are ready to.” Of course that is ambiguous. It is often a rhetorical question anyway.

It is sort of like naming a child or a pet. Often it just comes to you.
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AFTER: The advantage of naming your book after you have it written is that it is the last piece (of the writing process). The heavy lifting has been done and you’re just putting the finishing touches on it. WARNING: DON’T BLOW IT NOW!

Some of the most widely distributed books have the most descriptive titles. People make up their minds as to what a book has to say before they read it. Reading it gives them further insights. I am talking about books like The Power of Positive Thinking, How to Win Friends and Influence People and The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.

One caveat is that if you use a rather generic title, you should have a subtitle that explains what the book is about. An example might be Blink, subtitled The Power of Thinking Without Thinking. The title alone tells you very little. However, in conjunction with the subtitle, the point is made.

Exactly when you name a book may come down to whether you prefer inductive or deductive reasoning.

I will say this about titles: The more memorable your book title, the easier it is for OTHERS to sell it for you. People communicate – and when they’re in touch with their network – it is always nice when they can rattle off the name of your book to another person. And better yet – when the other person GETS what it is you do – or what the book is about (based on the title) – that can benefit you.

The good news is you can always change the book’s title. And, getting back to Shakespeare, “… a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Frank Felsburg is a ghostwriter who writes books for other people. He also publishes manuscripts and helps authors market their work. Contact him at 484.278.4674, frank@SpokenAndWrittenWords.com or @fjfelsburg

Seven Things That Will Give Structure to Each Chapter of Your Forthcoming Book

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              Victory – Your Completed Book

Here are some ways to flesh out the chapters of the manuscript you intend to write. Remember that? The one you keep putting off? Oh, I know – you’ll write it “someday.” Well, I can assure you (and, trust me, I know from experience) that some “day” turns into some “month.” Months turn into years and years into decades. And decades add up.

Pretty soon you are talking about your entire life.

It reminds me of the poem written by Herbert Kaufman call Victory. It goes like this:

VICTORY

You are the man who used to boast

That you’d achieve the uppermost,

Some day.

You merely wished a show,

To demonstrate how much you know

And prove the distance you can go …

Another year we’ve just passed through

What new ideas came to you?

How many big things did you do?

Time…left twelve fresh months in your care

How many of them did you share

With opportunity and dare

Again where you so often missed?

We do not find you on the list of Makers Good

Explain the fact!

Ah no, ‘twas not the chance you lacked!

As usual – you failed to act!

Having said that, here is the Secret Formula to writing a book. You could probably finish it in fewer than seven days if you wanted to (and now might be the time of year to do it, since people often shift gears a little, especially between Christmas and New Year’s). Exactly seven days separate the two holidays, in case you didn’t notice. What will you be doing that week?

But there is a single scientific way to tackle More Discounts buy levitra issues of loss of libido among females. What is the mechanism of crestor ? Crestor hinders the route for methodizing cholesterol in the liver, as most cholesterol is made in body cheap viagra soft rather than food intake. An cialis india aperture within the device between your upper portion and also the lower part facilitates the actual passage associated with air with regard to mouth inhaling and exhaling and draws in the language forward. Benefits of using our online drugstore: * viagra shop usa Order from a fully licensed pharmacy worldwide;* * Access to popular brand name and generic drugs and save money while taking quality medicine. If you think seven DAYS is too ambitious, perhaps because you are overwhelmingly busy, then you might want to set the goal for seven WEEKS. There is no way in the world it should take any longer than seven MONTHS to complete a manuscript (unless, of course you are working with a co-author, which I would caution you against, unless it is a real good fit and you complement each other nicely). Nevertheless, try to keep it within one of these timeframes.

Anyway, once you have set a deadline for yourself (which I can’t encourage you strongly enough to do), here are the next steps:

  1. Come up with the book title (if you haven’t already). Make it catchy and easy to remember. One that people can recommend to their friends and colleagues. They shouldn’t have to “google” it, otherwise look it up or even write it down. I’m sure you can come up with a good title if you think about it.
  2. Decide how many chapters it will be. At least 10 is probably a good rule of thumb (although Marie Kondo’s best-selling book The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up only has five chapters, so go figure). Twelve or more is good for a business book. If it is a novel, the number becomes less important.
  3. Come up with chapter titles. Make them catchy, too. Perhaps you can find a quote that correlates to the chapter title. If so, I suggest you have one for each chapter. Put it in italics at the outset of the chapter.
  4. Define what is meant by each chapter title. Why is that the name of the chapter? Is it an expression that means something to you? Or, did it come from somewhere (or someone) else? What is its origin?
  5. Come up with a story to go along with the narrative of the chapter. The story should illustrate the point you are making.
  6. Come up with a way to wrap up the chapter. Something that drives your point home.
  7. Smooth it out by writing, reading what you wrote and then rewriting. You know what reads well. Make sure your work does.

That’s pretty much it! Each chapter should have an opening, body and conclusion. Use the PEP (Point, Example, Point) formula in each chapter.

Once you have a solid rough draft of your manuscript, you can send it off to an editor. Good editors can do amazing things with manuscripts.

Don’t obsess over it by trying to achieve perfection. It won’t happen. Keep moving forward with it. Don’t let it become stale or stagnant.

If you need help, give me (or someone else) a holler.

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Frank Felsburg is a ghostwriter of books, blog posts, elevator pitches, web content and white papers. He can be reached at 484.278.4674, frank@SpokenAndWrittenWords.com or @fjfelsburg.

 

 

ME? A book?

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Many people don’t think they are WORTHY of having a book about their life. They think their life is too mundane to warrant a story.

I disagree.

We all have life experiences. Granted, some lives are more exciting and interesting than others. However, even the ones that are seemingly dull have redeeming qualities to them.

We think the only people that lead interesting lives are the ones that are glamorized in the media. The swashbucklers. The bombastic. The rich and famous.

Consider Walter Mitty

Walter Mitty had a “secret life” that was much more colorful than his actual life. Perhaps you are like this and dream dreams that no one has ever dreamt or articulated before. Why not have that turned into a story? You might be surprised to learn how many people would be interested in seeing, hearing or reading it.

In 2013, 20th Century Fox produced – and Ben Stiller directed – the movie “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” with a $90 million production budget. Actors included Stiller, Kristin Wiig, Shirley MacLaine and Sean Penn. There was also an earlier rendition of the story in 1947, which starred Danny Kaye.

Are you an introvert with a wild imagination? You could be the next Walter Mitty.

Outgoing Types

On the other hand, perhaps you are a raging extrovert who is so busy socializing that you don’t have the time – or the patience – to sit down and crank out chapter after chapter about your interesting life.
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And interesting it no doubt is. The people you meet, the places you go and the things you do.

If you put it in print, many people – including those outside your circle of influence – could benefit from it. Therefore, you would be adding value to the lives of others.

Who Are You?

Whether you are an introvert or an extrovert – or somewhere in between – we all have stories to tell. We have all overcome obstacles to become the people we are today.

Don’t be like George Bailey from It’s a Wonderful Life who had to be shown what his life was like if he had never been born.

Consider a Ghostwriter

Many people are readers – but not writers. As Hugh Prather said, “If the desire to write is not accompanied by actual writing, then the desire is not to write.”

If that’s the case, consider a ghostwriter. Joe Pulizzi, in his book Content Inc., says “Believe it or not, many of the books from the authors you love have been written by someone else. I know, hard to believe, right? But it is true.” Did you know that Tom Clancy, Gwyneth Paltrow, JFK, Beyonce and Donald Trump all employed ghostwriters? So did Ronald Reagan. And yes, it is legal. A good ghostwriter can coax stories out of their subjects that make them come alive.

Books are often the source for the script of a screenplay. The movie doesn’t always resemble the book. Sometimes it is better and sometimes it isn’t. In my opinion, the movie is rarely better than the book. But the movie is usually monetized to a greater degree.

We all have a story to tell. Are you telling yours?

Espresso Love

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The Espresso Book Machine (EBM) was invented in 1999 by American publisher Jason Epstein.  Some have described it as an “ATM for books.” It could be the biggest game-changer for authors, publishers, speakers and entrepreneurs since Gutenberg invented moveable type or Robert de Graff introduced the paperback book in 1939.

The EBM prints, collates, covers and binds a single book in a few minutes. It is small enough to fit in a retail book store or small library room – and, as such, is targeted toward them. It was a Time magazine invention of the year. It can potentially allow readers to obtain any book title, even books that are out of print. The machine takes a PDF file for input – and prints, binds and trims the reader’s selection as a paperback book.

Talk about “hot off the press!” It grabs the file of the text, the book cover and then spits them out – warm as toast.

It seems to be changing the publishing world, which has been in a state of flux for quite some time. So continues the democratization for readers and writers.

Epstein is legendary in the publishing industry. He served as editorial director at Random House for 40 years and pioneered the trade paperback format. He also co-founded the New York Review of Books and The Library of America. The EBM is just another example of American ingenuity. Ben Franklin would be proud.

Who knows? Maybe the local bookshop will even return. After all, with this thing, you could potentially walk into the store and have access to millions of titles.

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According to The Wall Street Journal, the American Booksellers Association says the number of independent booksellers has grown in ranks from 1410 to 1712 since 2010. Likewise, the number of locations has grown from 1660 to 2227. Even Amazon is getting into the act, opening up bricks and mortar stores.

To find a location that houses one of these units, go to www.ondemandbooks.com/ebm_locations.php.

This invention kind of gives new meaning to the statement that someone is going to the bookstore to grab an espresso.

What are your thoughts on this machine? Is it about to hit its stride?