Home
>
Writing
>
Before You Write Your Book, Organize Its Parts - Part 1

Before You Write Your Book, Organize Its Parts - Part 1

If you are a serious writer who wants to publish and sell books and informational products, you need to be able to find all of its parts in a minute or less. Filing only the important parts of your book will yield fast-writing your book. With the tips below, you will find any book-related paper within two minutes!

After you decide on your topic, working title, audience, thesis, and "tell and sell" and before you write a single page of a chapter, it's best to organize your book, its chapters, even your promotion how-to's.

Five Hard Copy Filing Tips

1. Stop Piling and Start Filing!

Maybe you're a stacker (horizontal multiple piles), a stuffer (look organized, but can't find things, a spreader (spread one pile to another place, then another), a slinger (undecided, you sling into a place behind closed doors).

For those of you who want a hard copy of your book's parts, you'll want to leave the bad habits above.

2. Make all important files vertical and A-Z. To retrieve your book's chapters, place the name "all chapters" (table of contents) on the flap of your manila folder; then place each chapter title and number on one manila folder. Here you will also add other parts of your book such as the introduction, the hot-selling points such as the "tell and sell," and your "audience profile." Keep these files alphabetical and vertical and you can find them fast. You may choose a file such as a box, filing cabinet or three-ring binder.

3. File each scrap of paper of useful information on an 81/2 by 11 piece of paper. Give it a category (title) at the top and file it alphabetically. Whenever you see something, a book title, a quote, an article that relates to your book, pop it into the proper file. One may read "useful quotes for chapter one" or "sample working book titles," or "signature stories and analogies." When you take different notes on one page, or allow your scraps of brilliance to get into the horizontal piles, one of your great ideas will get lost.

4. Write on one side of the paper only when you want to save useful notes. Again put only one subject at the top of each page and the correct word on the manila folder to retrieve quickly. It's far easier to read handwriting on one side only. Staple and number pages of related parts for easier retrieval.

5. Keep every piece of important paper vertical and file it in its proper place. The Pareto Time Management Principle says that only 10% of our papers are important. That means those related to your book--it's chapters, front matter, back matter and the all-important promotion-marketing folder. When you give each paper a special place in your book file you will find it fast and also write your book fast!

Four Computer File Tips

For those who also want to keep files on your computer, you need to think Word folders and files within the folders. If you aren't savvy, hire a high school or technical school tutor or computer assistant.

1. Put your major topic in a folder. One client gave her main folder the name of her book. Within that folder she kept three other main files--the three 3 sections (can be chapters) of her 70-page book. Now that she has these organized, she can add new material, as she needs in the proper folder and file. And, she can find it within a few minutes. When important information comes your way, immediately file it and add the date to the end of the file to help you retrieve it fast.

2. Put your unfinished work in a file in My Documents. We are not always sure what category or chapter new information will go in. Located right after your folders, these files are alphabetized, and you can skim right to these files over the next days or weeks you want to work on it before it's ready to re-file into your book folder. This works well for ongoing, unedited work because you can find it fast.

3. Take care to name your files correctly. In one book I wrote three chapters on how to write articles, subscribe to ten opt-in ezines out of 400,000 possible ones, and how to submit them to the ezines and top web sites for the big payoffs of getting into the top ten search engine placements and getting my web site listed on over 900 other web sites. All related, but they each needed a separate file. When you think filing always think specific categories.

4. Save your files with first the name, then the date you last worked on it. Including the date shows me and my assistant the latest revision fast for easy retrieval.

Without organizing your files, you will waste a lot of time looking for the correct one. One figure is over 150 hours a year time wasted looking for misplaced paper. You will also waste money because unfinished projects that don't get shared, don't make you money.

Without organizing your book folders and files, you will waste a lot of time looking for the correct one. You will waste money because unfinished projects that don't get shared, don't make you money.

Part two of this article is available at http://www.bookcoaching.com/freearticles/article-65.shtml.

Judy Cullins, 20-year Book and Internet Marketing Coach works with small business people who want to make a difference in people's lives, build their credibility and clients, and make a consistent life-long income. Judy is author of 10 eBooks including Write your eBook or Other Short Book Fast, Ten Non-Techie Ways to Market Your Book Online, The Fast and Cheap Way to Explode Your Targeted Web Traffic, and Power Writing for Web Sites That Sell. She offers free help through her 2 monthly ezines, "The BookCoach Says...," "Business Tip of the Month," blog Q & A at http://www.bookcoaching.com and over 185 free articles.

===============
Email her at http://www.bookcoaching.com or http://www.bookcoaching.com Phone: 619/466-0622 -- Orders: 866/200-9743

Batchtown Chicago prom limo .. Lockport Chicago limo O’Hare

In The News:

A virtual private network can help ensure your information remains security and your privacy remains intact. Kurt the CyberGuy explains.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Artificial intelligence-based cameras are giving air defense operators unprecedented capabilities in monitoring and protecting airspace.

Apple's iOS 18.1 Inactivity Reboot automatically reboots your iPhone if it hasn't been used or unlocked for more than three days, providing better data protection.

An inventor designed rooftop solar panels for a Tesla that draws solar energy while the car is parked, adding travel mileage without plugging in.

There are currently no laws governing what artificial intelligence can and cannot do with the information it gathers; here are 10 things to avoid telling AI chatbots to keep yourself safe.

A credit union with over 240,000 members recently revealed it was targeted by cybercriminals, resulting in a data breach that was part of a two-month attack by hackers.

Scammers have become skilled at creating convincing fake websites that can easily fool unsuspecting users. The CyberGuy offers tips to protect yourself.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

CAPTCHAs, which are used by websites to confirm whether users are people or bots, are harmless, but hackers are using them to infect PCs with malware.

Hackers recently leaked personal information of about 500,000 Americans and stole patient medical records that included lab results and insurance details.

The holiday season sees a rise in mobile shopping scams. Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson helps you learn how to stay safe.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says a VPN enhances online banking security by encrypting data and protecting privacy.

Beware of these six sneaky holiday scams. Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson gives you tips to avoid falling victim.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson reveals how to securely back up and factory reset your Android to protect your privacy and data.

Artificial intelligence is making life easier for cybercriminals, allowing them to create elaborate scams to trick people. Kurt the Cyberguy explains how to protect yourself.

Cut through all the digital clutter and delete multiple emails from your Android simultaneously. Kurt the CyberGuy explains how it's done.

Tips to prevent your holiday decorations from being stolen

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson lays out the immediate steps you should take if your phone has been hacked and your personal information becomes vulnerable.

Fraudsters are sending people bogus invoices through PayPal as part of a sneaky scam that is going around; here's how to protect yourself from being fooled.

A former Colgate-Palmolive employee was shocked to discover $750,000 had been drained from her 401(k) account. "CyberGuy" offers tips on how to prevent identity theft.

Electric vehicle maker Harbinger recently showed its electric delivery truck can handle icy roads with agility and stability in winter.

To make the busiest time of year more manageable, here are some tricks for tracking your packages, taking quality family photos and curating the perfect Christmas playlist.

Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson explains how to keep your online Amazon gift purchases a secret from loved ones or friends this holiday season.