The average time it takes to write a book can range between six to twelve months. Nevertheless, like a lot of things in life, time is not constant to everyone. 

People of all walks of life have considered writing a book. Their writing process may not be the same as yours. They might have to balance other life demands along with their writing. 

Your purpose of writing could also differ. Some write to inform, others to entertain. It all depends on each person’s interests. 

Writing a book isn’t exactly a piece of cake. It requires patience and persistence. Stick around for a step-by-step guide on how to write a book to put you in the right direction.

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After allocating a good portion of your time to your new book writing venture, you’re one step closer to becoming an author. Now onto the actual steps:

8 Steps to Kickstart Your Book Writing Venture

Writers come from all sorts of backgrounds. Some can only write on their bean bag, whilst others can write in a noisy coffee shop. 

If you’re new to the writing scene, a quiet little nook might be the more suitable option to start writing your book. 

Keep any distractions away. That means keeping your phone on silent and avoiding any intruding notification bings. 

We recommend plopping down on a comfy chair with your phone on silent. That should give you a workable starting environment. 

Aside from your surroundings, the software you’ll use to write can make a world’s difference. Here’s a list of some highly recommended software writers use: 

Step 1: Find Your Writing Space

Imagine writing a book and six chapters in, you don’t know your next plot. That would be devastating, especially if you have to completely rewrite most of the chapters already written. The solution to evade this debacle will involve you constructing an outline. 

Knowing where you’re going will give you the backup you need to complete your book and be on the right track. With non-fiction, an outline is paramount, since publishers will need to view it to assess your ideas.

The outline’s format is your choice. You can write summaries for each section in your book, a mind map, or even a series of events you wish to include if you’re tackling fiction.

Step 2: Work On Your Outline

Writing a novel about a serial killer? You might want to crack a book open about the psychological makings of one to decide how your character’s archetype is shaped. 

The research will give your writing meaning and support. It doesn’t necessarily have to be reduced to reading about your subject, you can do some field research and listen to some relevant podcasts.

Step 3: Build Your Research

Starting the writing process, you might encounter numerous hindrances. The most notable one is procrastination. While it’s inevitable, it can be avoided by establishing goals. The smaller the goals the better. 

For instance, you can have a daily goal to complete a certain word count. You can also treat your writing as a job with regular office hours. 

Otherwise, you should at least accumulate six hours of writing per week. How you divide the hours is completely up to you.

Step 4: Construct Your Writing Routine

Let’s be honest. Your first draft might be a choppy mess, but that’s normal. You’ll likely encounter most of your writing hardships in your first draft. Impatience, lack of motivation, and burnout can hold you back. 

What makes a good writer is how well they will deal with these issues. Their perseverance and persistence have distinguished them from others. 

If you’re feeling lost in your story, that’s what your outline is for. If you’re feeling overworked, take a break and breathe a little, then get back in the loop. 

According to thriller author, Hannah Mary Mckinnon, you can let yourself write crap. This draft likely won’t be seen by your beta-readers, editors, or agents. You can always fix it up after you get your idea across on paper.

Step 5: Complete a Draft

This is where you get to wear an editor’s hat. The more revisions and edits you have, the better. In this instance, having a reader’s eye is more beneficial. 

Edits aren’t just for grammatical errors. Your structure might be off. You could find a plot hole in your story. Your characters’ development might not be what you initially hoped for. All these issues might arise through your intense revisions.

Step 6: Go Through the Draft and Edit 

After pointing out your problem areas, it's time to try again. While it might seem like a difficult step to start, it could be your most motivating one. 

You could find numerous opportunities to sharpen your plot, focus on your writer’s voice, and build better plots with even better endings. 

Appointing an editor to help you out with this step could give you a second set of eyes. It’ll give your writing the better quality it needs to publish.

Step 7: Start on Your Second Draft

The last step is to finally publish your literary masterpiece. Thanks to the internet, there are now more options to publish your content. You’ll be able to self-publish your work on numerous online platforms such as Kindle. 

If you’re not too confident about self-publishing, you can submit your book to a publishing house to get approved. Make sure that your manuscript is properly formatted. 

Statistically speaking, going through with a publishing house will yield higher returns. A self-published book can sell about 250 copies in its lifespan. Yet, a traditionally published book can sell up to 3,000 copies. You do the math.

Step 8: Publish It 

Going through the steps above will give you a big picture of what to expect from starting to write a book. That being so, your reason to write is what’ll truly power you through this arduous task. 

Breaking down the steps to writing a book will give you a clear roadmap to achieving your creative goals. Who knows? We might see your name on the next New York’s Bestseller.

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