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

bathroom cleaning service Northbrook ..

In The News:

Data removal from brokers protects against AI-powered scams and deepfake threats in 2026. Learn how data brokers sell your personal information to scammers.

Learn how to act against cybercriminals in 2026 with essential security steps like two-factor authentication, software updates and credit freezing.

Choose between OpenAI releasing Sora text-to-video model, the AI race heating up, or Waymo driverless cars launching in cities across the country

Learn how to set up Google Maps and Apple Maps on your phone to automatically remember where you parked. Step-by-step instructions for enabling location services and parking detection.

Phishing scammers use rnicrosoft.com domain to impersonate Microsoft by replacing "m" with "rn" in typosquatting attacks that steal login credentials.

OpenAI announces new teen safety rules for ChatGPT users under 18, blocking romantic roleplay and requiring extra caution on body image topics.

A 2025 data breach at fintech company 700Credit exposes personal information of more than 5.8 million people through compromised third-party integration partner.

Retailers lose $76.5 billion annually to return fraud as nearly 10% of U.S. retail returns involve fraudulent activity, with $850 billion in returns expected in 2025.

ShinyHunters claims responsibility for stealing 94GB of Pornhub user data affecting over 200 million records and demands Bitcoin ransom.

ChatGPT 2025 now connects to Apple Music, Canva, Expedia, TripAdvisor and OpenTable through built-in apps that help users create playlists, design graphics and more.

Apple releases emergency patches for two zero-day vulnerabilities actively exploited in attacks. iPhone and iPad users urged to update immediately.

DoorDash launches Zesty, an AI-powered social app that recommends restaurants through conversational search, now testing in San Francisco and New York.

Cybersecurity firm Infoblox reveals that over 90 percent of parked domains now redirect visitors to scams and malware, making simple typos extremely dangerous.

The Fox News AI Newsletter covers the latest artificial intelligence technology advancements, including the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

GPT-5.2 is now live for all ChatGPT users with improved coding, writing and image interpretation, with Kurt Knutsson offering his review.

New iPhone replacement scam uses pressure tactics and fake carrier calls to steal devices from buyers. Criminals claim shipping errors and demand urgent returns.

Amazon Ring's new facial recognition feature sparks privacy controversy as Electronic Frontier Foundation critics argue the AI upgrade expands surveillance risks.

New Android banking trojan Sturnus steals credentials, reads encrypted messages and controls devices.

Denmark's 3D-printed student village proves automation builds 36 apartments faster than traditional methods. Skovsporet project shows housing future.

Discover Android's new Sound Notifications feature that alerts you to smoke alarms, doorbells, and baby cries even when wearing headphones.

New SantaStealer malware reportedly threatens holiday shoppers with password theft. This Christmas-themed info-stealer targets browsers and crypto wallets.

The Christmas season brings a surge in Netflix phishing scams targeting shoppers with fake emails. Stacey P received convincing scam but verified account first.

San Francisco Giants invite Jamie Grohsong to throw ceremonial first pitch at Oracle Park after he learned to play baseball with a bionic hand following an injury.

FBI warns cybercriminals are stealing family photos from social media to create fake proof of life images in virtual kidnapping scams targeting victims.

Instagram's new 'Your Algorithm' tool lets you control your Reels feed in real time. The app now gives you power to customize what videos you see.