So You Want to Write a Book?

Congratulations. If you're dreaming of writing your first book or getting your book published, you're answering the call to write – and that's the first big step.

The next step is coming to terms with the process. Since I'm not able to respond, one at a time, to the many lovely requests I receive asking to meet and discuss personal writing projects, I'm sharing here my 10 Best Tips for Writing Like a Pro. I pray these ideas inspire your creative life, answer questions about getting published, and guide you to build your writing ministry on a firm foundation. But where to start?

Image shows young woman sitting outside near a brick-paved sidewalk while reading from her iPad.

1. Start with God. To be a good “spiritual” writer, do great spiritual work. Pray. Abide. Listen. Read God's Word. Study it even more. Keep a prayer journal. Ask God how He desires to use you as His writer. Watch as He shows you His answers. Indeed, don’t move forward without Him. 

2. Keep your day job. (Even if you're retired.) Your vocation is your "home base" – no matter what you do or where you live. It's the foundation for your author platform. Serve well there. Build your theology there. Give God and His people your best there. Then, write your book. You’ll have a lot more to say, and you’ll have an audience you know and understand.

Thus, whether you're a pastor, chef, doctor, mom, dad, or gardener -- or retired from your calling -- don't leave that calling "to write." Instead, write for the people you serve, relate to, know and understand. So, if you're a chef, keep cooking – and write for the people you feed. If you’re a physician, write for the people you heal. If you're a teacher, write for the people you teach. If you're a dad, write for the men who, like you, are raising children. Some of you have written me from prison. Remember that some of the Bible’s most inspiring passages are letters written by the apostle Paul while he was in Roman jails.

Image shows young blond woman standing near a row of curtained windows while looking towards the light from one window with a pensive expression on her face.

What was true for Paul is true for every life situation. Look close around you to find the “why” of your writing. Then you’ll know what to write – and who you're called to reach. 

Image shows pensive-looking, young black man, with beard and eyeglasses, standing outside with arms leaning on a stair rail. Scholarly looking, he's wearing a pullover sweater, jeans, and a bow tie.

3. Build your brand. Decide your niche. How? Embrace who you are. Ask the Lord: What makes me different? What sets me apart from the countless other people also writing books? Pursue your answer ruthlessly. Start building your author platform based on the answers you discover. The impact on your writing will guide and amaze you. You'll also excite potential publishers. They'll understand your brand -- because you understand yourself. From there, build your brand, delivering on your brand promise. This way, you'll stake your claim in a crowded book marketplace.

Image shows young Asian man sitting by a table and reading a book. A curtained window with some light shining through, and on his face, can be seen in the background.

4. Identify your target audience. This is the sweet spot. Indeed, know your readers. What are they seeking? What are their pain points? How will you provide what they need most? Then repeat this mantra: It’s not about me! Learning this writing rule sooner than later will save you years of missteps and frustration as you drill down on providing what your audience hungers for and needs.  

5. Learn all you can about writing and publishing. They are practical and beautiful arts, so master these practical and beautiful things – 1) the craft of writing, 2) the business of publishing and 3) the art of book marketing. But what's the best way to learn?  

Go to writer's conferences. (See recommended conferences below.) Or join a writing critique group, attend writing meetups, go to writing lectures at your local library, church or a nearby college. Yes, be proactive. Connect to the writing community. Learn from people there. 

Image shows two young black woman and a young white woman sitting at a booth in a restaurant while laughing and talking together. Their phones, notebooks, pens and coffee cups sit on the table as they talk and laugh.

The bonus? You’ll learn a lot, indeed – plus get inspired, meet publishing professionals, and find your path, including whether to self-publish or seek a traditional publisher. Best of all, you’ll make great writing friends. Writing appears to be solo work, and much of it is. But it's nurtured through the bond of solid relationships. 

 

 

Image shows author Patricia Raybon leading a class discussion while teaching in a classroom at a writers' workshop.

OK, what conferences should you consider? Check out these:

  1. Writing for Your Life.
  2. Publishing in Color (for under-represented writers of color).
  3. Write His Answer – Greater Philly Christian Writers Conference
  4. Write His Answer – Colorado Christian Writer’s Conference 
  5. Writers on the Rock
  6. Mt. Herman Christian Writers Conference
  7. American Christian Fiction Writers Conference
  8. Festival of Faith and Writing
  9. Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators
  10. West Coast Christian Writer's Conference 
  11. Additional regional writer's conferences

Don't live near a writing conference? Search online for live-streaming options. Or take courses online from respected authors and writing bloggers. (See my list of suggested bloggers further down).

What if you're in prison? You can pursue on-site learning and writing opportunities through:

a). PEN America's Prison & Justice Writing initiative. For details, click here. 

b) PEN America’s “National List of Creative Writing Programs in Prisons, Jails and Re-entry. For details, click here.

If these programs aren't available where you are, contact PEN America and ask them to help establish one at your location. 

6. Be a reader. Read, indeed, all you can about writing, publishing, and book marketing. My recommended book list is below. Choose one or two books from the list and get started:

Image shows young Black man from the waist up, wearing a T-shirt and eyeglasses, while reading a paperback book. A stack of 7-8 additional books sits at his left elbow.

More books on writing include:

Image shows pensive-looking young biracial woman sitting at a table, which holds a full glass of orange juice and a pair of red-framed sunglasses, while she holds a pen to her face with one hand and a notebook with the other.

Good books on marketing include:

 

If you enjoy magazines, several on writing and getting published include:

  1. Writers’ Digest Magazine
  2. The Writer
  3. Poets & Writers  

Image shows woman in yellow sweater reading with chin in hand in a dark space whose only light, shining on her face, is from an opened ebook.

If you're a blog reader, some of the best on writing and getting published include:

  1. Jerry B. Jenkins
  2. Positive Writer
  3. Jane Friedman
  4. Rachelle Gardner
  5. Writer’s Digest - The Writer's Dig
  6. Helping Writers Become Authors

Image shows a smiling gray-haired woman sitting in her kitchen at a desk as she writes on her opened laptop. A bowl of red and yellow apples sits on the table nearby. She is wearing a white blouse opened at the neck.

7. Be a writer. Write every day. And don't stop. Writing well takes practice, consistency, discipline and courage. Writing a book, however, takes persistence. Along this journey, meantime, submit your writing to editors you meet at writing conferences, to publications you read and admire. But send it to the right folks – to editors who can buy or use it. (See the annual Writer's Market for who to contact and how to pitch your ideas.) Set a writing schedule and stick to it. Consider starting your own blog, to share with friends, followers and the reading world. Yes, send out your writing. Don't sit on it. To be a writer, start the writing journey. Then keep it going!

Image shows attractive young woman with long, curly dark hair writing on her laptop.

8. Read the best writing. Award-winning books reward readers with compelling ideas – urgently told and well-crafted. Find such books at independent bookstores, of course, but also online at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Reading Rockets (for young readers), and at your local library and through friends’ recommendations. Read the best. You'll write the best. 

Image shows young woman with a serious look on her face sitting at table in a coffee shop talking to a bearded young man sitting across from her.

9. Hire a writing coach. When you get stuck or confused – or when you need a second pair of eyes on what you’ve written – seek out a writing coach for encouragement and advice. I'm not presently offering coaching for writers, but you'll find many excellent writing coaches and consultants here:

Image shows smiling, attractive, young Black woman working on her laptop.

10. Believe you can do it! There is only one you. So, be you. Don’t try to copy someone else’s writing career. Instead, identify your writing niche – yes, your writing brand – and give it your all. Keep your eyes on Christ. Follow His lead. Work to please God and serve your targeted audience – and you’ll find your path, fall in love with the work and have fun, too.

For final inspiration, and to keep your eyes on the prize, here's my favorite "writing" Scripture:

“Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else.” Galatians 6:4 NLT

This uplifting benediction may also bless you:

"Now may the God of peace...equip you with all you need for doing his will. May he produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to him. All glory to him forever and ever! Amen."

Hebrews 13: 20-21 NLT 

Now, are you ready to write? God's blessings on your journey!

Patricia Raybon is a Christy Award-winning novelist and essayist. She authors the exciting Annalee Spain Mystery Series set in Colorado's 1920s Klan era and also writes devotional content for Our Daily Bread Ministries.

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