In the previous post (you need to go to the read more section to see it) I presented "A Modern Magellans Book Authoring Map" and noted that the description would have to continue in a second post. You can also see the Map at ScribD. The SrcibD service is very handy in that you can post files that can be read online without having to download them. As the author you can also control what formats if any can be downloaded.
For steps 1 and 2 you can create e-books or PDF files that give a professional look without a high production cost. These documents can also be used later on as promotional material or chapter exerpts.
The slow boil process, step 3, includes writing longer drafts of chapters or giving presentations on the material to see what resonates with the target audience. The writing process can be very insular. You need to have feedback to see if the phrases work and to see if the concepts are understandable.
You can use a blog for step 4, but I was worried about giving away my ideas before I had them fully formed. Finding friends who are currently engaged in the target subject is invaluable. Again, you need feedback to keep on track. Even experts get things worded in ways that need fixing - that's one of the reasons why they have ARC's (Advance Reader Copies).
It can be difficult to sort out the mixed signals at step 5. Be careful not to lose sight of the goal as you make changes and modifications.
When it is time to seriously start putting things together, step 6, no one mentions the numerous difficulties. This is where Seth Godin's new buzzword will hit - The Dip". It is one thing to give apples from your tree to neighbors. It is quite another to sell apples in the store. You cannot just throw together a pile of Word documents. The better you are at having defined the goal and the stronger you feel your phrases and concepts resonated the easier it is not to be derailed or to be stuck here.
The need to focus on proper grammar, step 7, cannot be over-stated. People who know you will not see all of the mistakes. You have to find a copy-editor or an English teacher who is a tough grader. No matter how much you edit, and then have others edit, edit, and edit more, you never catch everything. Save some fresh readers for step 7. You will be surprised at the mistakes that make it through the process. Many mistakes are introduced as you make the changes suggested in the previous step. Errors jump in again during the layout stage.
Distillation is used quite often in chemistry and in the production of alcoholic beverages. Every liquid boils at a specific temperature. This property can be used to separate one chemical from another. At the right temperature, the specific liquid boils away and is collected in a manner similar to, but more complex than that shown in step 8. For the purposes of his analogy the important point is that while a writer can produce significant amounts of material most of it is not of interest to the target audience. The more famous an author is the less distillation that usually occurs. Writers who like to produce "stream-of-consciousness" works rarely do well. There are always exceptions but very few as a percentage of the total number who try. Save that for open-mike night and online writing groups. As a rule, most people do not speak or think in correct grammatical structure. We get around that with facial cues, hand gestures, and intonations. Very little of these mitigating factors comes through in writing. So, it is best to write what you are thinking and then clarify it for the intended reader. Unless you intend to be the only reader, this process should be repeated a few times.
For a first-time author it is recommended, but not required, that the first book be very nearly completed before writing a book proposal. There are two reasons for this. One, many authors never quite finish that first book. Two, the amount of detail required in a book proposal is significant. It helps if the book has had more than an outline created. It will be necessary to show style, which is often refined during the writing process.
Look at publishing options (Big house, Small house, Self-publish, Print-on-demand) - These options are discusses in the books by Dan Poynter - The Self-Publishing Manual and Michael Rosenthal - Print-On-Demand Book Publishing.
I know that I have not really covered each of these steps in detail. There are so many well written blogs (just one example), Squidoo lenses, websites, and books that it seems foolish to me to attempt to approach the subject in any greater depth here. I know that I was very curious as I went through the process. I read a lot and I asked anyone I could corner. Many people were very helpful and so I will try to be as helpful to anyone who feels they need it. Questions are very welcome.
May 30th, I will put up a map that is much less complicated and possibly a little more humorous - The Map to Making Money as an Author. May 31st I will be away most of the day. I have two presentations and an interview about the book scheduled. On Friday I will try to answer the rest of Michael's question - what has this helped me achieve.
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