How To Write Your Own Book 2 1

How To Write & Publish
Your First Book!

Nelson David Bassey
Contents
Introduction
Whatever worth doing is worth doing well!
Chapter 1
3 facts you need to know before writing a
book.
Chapter 2
3 questions to ask before publishing.
Chapter 3
How can I begin my writing journey?
Chapter 4
How can I keep my momentum?
Chapter 5
How do I know when to stop writing?
Chapter 6
What's my preferred publishing path?
Chapter 7
Where Should I publish, locally or
internationally?
Bonus Chapter I:
Something to think about
Bonus Chapter II:
Deciding on an internal layout Design
Whatever Worth Doing is worth doing well,
do you agree?
I once attended a seminar with high energy and left the venue more disappointed than I anticipated. The title of the
seminar was about writing a book in 40 hours and becoming a millionaire which initially sounded too good to be
true. Well, just to give you a warning in advance; if something sounds too good to be true. Truth is, it is.

The trainer, who I really liked, advocated this practice (writing a book in 40 hours and becoming a millionaire) to an
audience, just like you and me, seeking for some help to take their career and lives to the next level. Earlier in his
career, he said, he had written a book in 40 hours which swung him to outstanding success, and was pretty much the
catalyst to his success since then. He outlined eight steps to do this. But until now, he had my interest 100 percent.
If something sounds too good to be true. Truth is, it is.
The moment he lost me was when he said something along the lines of do not worry about the content. What
matter the most is what you want to achieve by writing the book.
What?!
Seriously?!
Return to Contents! www.tngleadership.weebly.com 3
What he was saying, in other words, is that content isnt as important. The most important thing is how publishing
a book will make you an author and help you get what you want more sales, more traffic, a job.

Do not get me wrong. Getting what you want is a great thing, of course. Getting more traffic, sales, job and the likes,
are good things you should look forward to, but lets face the fact. The good old Zig saying that You can get what
you want in life if you will help others get what they want is still true today. If all your wants and desires are what
comes first, isnt that being selfish? besides the fact that you are being annoyingly selfish, I doubt if you can
effectively give others want they want. And in this case great content.
You can get what you want in life if you will help
others get what they want
Adding fuel to the fire, he inferred that even three chapters in the book are enough, It is better than a brochure he
quipped. This made it even worse. Not surprisingly, he bought 3,000 copies of his own book. Wanting the quick-way-
up, he had printed 5,000 copies to include the title Bestselling author on the book cover.
He then shot himself on the foot by saying that he wouldnt give anyone a copy of the book today and that, he is
currently working on four different books (which I supposed should be completed already if he actually did practiced
what he preached but unfortunately, hes not writing those books in 40 hours.) Neither should you!

Some years later, he added, I was approached by someone to autograph a copy of the book.

How did you get it? he asked.
From Amazon the person replied.

Surprised that he hadnt sold any of his books online, the person said it was resold by someone who had bought the
book.

Opening the book to sign his autograph anyway, he discovered that he had autographed the same book for the first
buyer who resold the book for $1.00.

Now, if you havent got the point. Here it is: Quick-Success Schemes are the longest route to success.

These words came alive in me again, Whatever Worth Doing, Is Worth Doing Well! Life demands your best to give
you its best. Whatever you do (e.g. in your campus involvement, organizing an event, creating a product, a service or
anything of value), give it your best shot, and it will give you its best in return!
Commit to excellence. Be a leader that gives value to others. Adopt the Apple mantra that says we believe were on
the face of the Earth to make great products, [great content, great experiences, and give great services.] And thats
not changing. And life will throw to you more successes than you can imagine.

Now say to yourself:

I believe Im on the face of the Earth to make great
products, to write great books. And thats not changing.
With this in mind, lets get started with our book on how to write and publish your first book!

Enjoy!
3 facts you need to know before writing a
book.
The #1 best selling book in all of history (The Holy Bible) was written and compiled in a period of 2,500
years. The next best seller (Think And Grow Rich, by Napoleon Hill) was written in a period of about 25
years. Great books are the product of a journey and not an individual event. Want to publish a great book?
Be ready to embark on the journey! Although, The New Generation of Leadership, is not a bestseller yet (for
this, I will appreciate your support). But it as old, in making, as my experience in leadership (more than a
quarter of a decade).
1
"In the multitude of counsel a plan is established, and in the absence of advice, plans fail." says the
second wisest man that ever lived, King Solomon. Be prepared to send your manuscripts to reputable
people of authority in your field of expertise for critique reviews. You must be strong and resilient enough
to swallow criticism, and use that as a stepping stone to develop your masterpiece. In writing The New
Generation of Leadership, I had over 10 people look through multiple manuscripts. At one point, I almost
gave up as a result of a particular criticism I received. One of my reviewers had told me David, this
doesn't make sense! This crushed my spirit.
2
However, the interesting part of this story, is that over the past 3 years I have received this comment twice.
Both in different instances when I was about to do something I considered "out-of-my-comfort-zone". In
both instances I was crushed.

But I went away, rearranged my pieces together again, and improved on it. Finally, after several
improvements, I got there. What doesn't make sense became the best I had ever done. 30 months later,
the book was set for publishing. The key here is to seek counsel, take the message, discard the ill
emotions and improve your work!
Dont do it (write a book) because you simply would love to be known as an author. Remember, anything
you do just for the sake of it will only go so far.

Dont do it because youre greedy and want to make millions.
Dont do it because a friend of yours did it, and you want to prove your jealousy and envy.

Well, I dont mean to burst your bubbles. But ya, the great value in authorship is what the book will do for
you (in terms of opportunities). Financial gain is an add-on, especially for first time authors I believe.
Write and publish because you are passionate about it, and want to add value to the lives of other
people.
3
Quick Recap of Chapter 1:
3 facts you need to know before writing a book.
1. Great books are products of a journey and not an event.
2. Great books become great through counsel, advise or coaching
3. Great books are written by passionate people.
What message do I want to share? or What specific value do I want to give?
If youre new to writing, this may sound daunting. While this is the first question you must answer, even
before your start writing your first book, you may discover that your message isnt as clear as you intended.
You somehow got entangled. Do not worry. As you write, and continue writing, you will find that your core
message and your voice will become sharper and clearer. And most importantly, as you follow the advice in
Chapter 1 (get critique reviews), you message will become clearer. All you need to do is follow that old old
old advice, but powerful indeed: Get started with something. Start with the end in mind: What one thing
should every reader get out of my book?
What research methods should I use?
Some of the greatest non-fiction books I have read collected information using at least 2 out of these 3
main streams:
1. Personal interviews which the author interprets (qualitatively or quantitatively), and then report on
them.
1
2
How do you wish to collect information for your book?

A rich book may contain information collected from all the three streams. However, you must decide which
best serves you and your readers.
Over the period I spent writing The New Generation of Leadership, I gathered information using all three
streams. I collected information from interviews across Africa, America, Europe and Asia. I gathered and
referenced information from books, reports, and articles. And I also shared my personal story. You may
wonder how I was able to that. Ill tell you.
Decide on which streams best serves you and your
readers.
2. Information research, from books, papers, articles, magazines etc. which the author synthesizes and
reports on them.
3. Personal experiences.
For the interviews, I didn't have to fly to each location to conduct them. Here's what I did:

Since I currently reside in Malaysia, I focused on conducting interviews in my primary location. For the
other locations, I harnessed the power of LinkedIn. Have you heard of LinkedIn? If not, check it out at
linkedin.com. I looked out for authorities in my field (youths & leadership) in those regions where I
wanted to collect stories. I wrote them an email, proposing my book project. I then asked for their help,
and invited them to be part of my project. People are willing to help you if you ask.
People are willing to help you if you ask.
I leveraged on their connections and network by asking them to identify outstanding young leaders
within their network, who they can interview for this book. I made sure to outline the objectives of the
book and the key information I was seeking.

Did some people turn me down? The answer is, yes. A few did. But in the end I found the right people.
If you will do this, you must be able to swallow 8 to 10 Nos to deserve 1 yes. This is a principle I
try to live by everyday.

Besides the personal interviews, I did a lot of reading and online research.
As my personal experiences unfold, I became more inquisitive about certain topics. This drove me to
gather more information from reliable sources online and offline (books).

For example, being inquisitive whether or not introverts can become great leaders, I began to read about
personality types and their strengths, types of leaders and their characteristics. This way, I was able to
learn a lot about the relationship between ones personality and their leadership capability. Want to
know what I discovered? Here it is:

I discovered that leadership isn't tied to only a certain kind of personality. But with our varying personality
types, we have key leadership strengths which we can bring into our leadership experiences. Contrary to
popular belief, what surprised me the most is learning that "extroverted personality traits can stand as a
huge roadblock to outstanding leadership.

So the moral lesson in this story is simple: Identify what research method would best serve your
book, its purpose and your reader. Use it. My best advise is use all three if you can!
Use all three streams, if you can!
Do I want to author alone or collaborate with someone?

I love this question. This is because we now live in a collaborative age. You can collaborate with any
expert in any field to drive results. By doing this with your book, s/he brings in their expertise into your
work and makes it even more epic.

For example, as I saw the need to incorporate into my book the basic guide to networking and
connecting with people , I did extensive research on the topic. I explored several materials on this topic,
and wanted to 'synthesize'. Suddenly, it occurred to me that I could collaborate with an expert in this
area, who will bring his/her expertise, and contribute to the book. This way, my readers will not only
learn about this skill, but do so, from an expert. Isnt it amazing?

My readers may not be able to afford attending the seminars of these experts, but through my
collaboration with the expert, my readers gain access to world-class content for less. Additionally, I
tapped into what marketing guru Brendon Burchard calls Promotional Partnership. This was exactly
what I did through my collaboration with Sarah Michel. What a great deal both my readers and I got!

You can collaborate with any expert in any field to
drive results.
3
1. What one thing should every reader get out of my book?
2. Can I use all the three main streams of collecting information?
3. Can I collaborate with an Expert, and Who can I collaborate with?
How can I begin my writing journey?
I am reminded of a talk by Sir Ken Robinson at RSA on his book The Element. He shares a captivating story about
his encounter with a fantastic keyboard player named Charles:

Youre fantastic! Sir Robinson said to him. Thanks Charles replied.

You see, Id love to do that! Sir Robinson added.
Do what?,
"Play the keyboard..
No you dont retorted Charles.

A little taken back, Sir Robinson replied But I would!
No you wouldn't

Now, this went on and on for some time, until Charles bedazed Sir Robinson saying If youd love to do this, you will
be doing it!
To do what I do he added, I practice 6 to 8 times every day, and I play every night. And I do that because I love it.
As simple a conversation as that may sound, what Id say (to someone who says Id love to write a book and isn't
writing yet) is exactly what Charles said: No, you dont love to write a book. If you would, you will be doing it.

If youd love to write a book and havent started, rise above any excuses, fear or lack of discipline holding you
back. Start now and just do it!
If you would love to write a book, you will be doing it
now.
Challenge to begin your writing journey:
If youd love to write a book and havent started, rise above any excuses,
fear or lack of discipline holding you back. Start now and just do it!
How can I keep my momentum?
Momentum is everything. If you lose momentum, you lose everything. So, to answer this question, Ill give you 2
strategies (A & B), and then Id tell you what I did. Sounds fair?

Here're the strategies:

Strategy A: Discipline yourself to write a fixed number of words every day.
This strategy can be used for developing your writing skill, or for the purpose of
documentation/research.

Strategy B: Always go around with a pen and a note. Write, whenever you get a shot/dose of inspiration.
This strategy can be used for organizing your thoughts and findings into the manuscript. The key is to
find that moment when you are in your element (permit me to use that phrase). By this, I mean, that
moment when you feel a window of inspiration has open inside of you. You feel ideas flocking your
mind. You feel a strong desire to express your idea or thought somehow (else, you might forget), and
you do it through writing.
While both systems (A & B) are great, I wrote The New Generation of Leadership the second way. However, I utilized
both strategies in a creative manner as follows:

I used strategy A to gather information and data. I used it to transcribe my interviews and read books, reports etc.
And all this requires discipline. You do not need any window of inspiration to gather data. Neither do you need some
A-ha moment to read something that interests you. All it requires is discipline. Pure, naked, fanatic discipline!

However, I discovered that in the process of doing my research or transcribing interviews, I automatically got into
my "element". This happens when certain information I stumble upon quickly connect with prior thoughts and ideas.
Consequentially, this triggers new ideas which tricks my inspiration window to open. During this time, I bring out
the best ideas! New ideas inspire new ideas. My brain begins to make connections between my experiences, my
researches and the information I have been collecting all along. And all is do is, write!
All you need is to sacrifice yourself on the altar of
discipline.
Maintaining Momentum, in 3 sentences:
Discipline yourself to consistently take a step closer to your goal every day!
You do not need any motivation or inspiration to do that. All you need is to
sacrifice yourself on the altar of discipline and trick your inspiration window
to open!
How do I know when to stop writing?
Well, I didn't set a targeted number of words when writing The New Generation of Leadership. Some people do, but I
didnt. However, herere two wonderful things which I think helped me:

1. Whenever I got the feeling that, I think its there!, I gave myself a break. This break can be for 2 weeks, more
or less. I do not look at the manuscript. I simply do other things. Later, Ill return to my desk and re-read my
manuscript. Often times Id be like omg! I need to remove this and include that. I did this, until I felt that my
objectives were met. Before this time, my chapters had already been outlined.

1. I started my journey by laying out my objective for the book. And then, as I wrote and took breaks, I measured
my progress against this objective and goal!

Please note that this advise may not work very well for fiction books or novels. This is because I havent written one.
You may need to consult or ask a fiction writer. The New Generation of Leadership is a non-fiction title.

As you write, arrange your book into its chapters, get reviews and feedback from your critique reviewers (like I
advised in Chapter 1), you will know when this particular book needs to be concluded. This doesnt mean you have
stopped writing, however.
When do you conclude this book:
Simple. When your goals and objectives are met. So, start with an objective
and measure your progress against it.
What's my preferred publishing path?
Self-publishing or traditional publishing?

Majority of authors these days self-publish. I did. Theres nothing wrong with it. You just need to be wary in
choosing the right publishing company. There are many scams out there, as much as bad services too. A publisher
with bad services will cost you a lot more money in the long run.

What's the difference, really?
Self-publishing means you have total control of your book cover design, interior layout and
design, marketing & distribution, copy editing and securing testimonies. You are also
responsible for the printing of your book. That is, you pay to print your book. Some services
you may need during the process include:

Editorial (copy editing)
Cover design
Interior layout and design
Website designer (youll need a website. See Chapter 8).
Marketing consultant
Self-
Publishing
Your publisher may provide those services to you in a package. Otherwise, you may go for the DIY way. Its
sometimes preferred. Because you are completely responsible for the final product.
Traditional Publishing involves pitching your book (using a proposal) to a publishing agent.
This agents either accepts or rejects your proposal based on his judgment; whether or not
your book will do well in the market. Of course, his first priority is his pocket. He has to lay
his eggs in a good basket. However, the problem is, most agents judge the strength of the
basket by its appearance, if I will say. They are sometimes wrong. Their judgments aren't
always right.

Read the story of J. K. Rowling and her book series "Harry Potter" for more evidence. Or
read the story of Robert Kiyosaki's "Rich Dad, Poor Dad". For this reason, many authors
prefer self-publishing.

In traditional publishing, you do not have total control on your material, if your proposal is
accepted. The up side is, you do less work in terms of promotion, marketing or printing of
your book. Your publisher does this for you, and you receive a royalty on every sale.
Traditional
Publishing
Majority of authors these days, self-publish.
Choosing your publishing path:
To what degree to you want control over your material? The more control
you want, the more profits you wish to make, the more self-publishing
becomes relevant for you.
Where Should I publish, locally or
internationally?
Good question!

I published internationally (in the United States). Whether locally or internationally, let these 3 questions guide you:

1. Who and where are your primary audiences/customers? E.g age group, socio-economic status etc.

2. How will publishing internationally or locally affect the pricing of your book? Publishing locally can make
your book more affordable to your local audience. You can design internationally and print locally. Currently, my
book is in print here in Malaysia. This makes it easier for my audience to purchase the book at a cheaper price
and in the most convenient way possible.

3. What publishing decision will help your audience find your book easily? I discover this is key. Your book
should be easy to get; As easy as a single click, walking into a nearby bookstore, or ordering it online from a
local retailer. In this case, it is your choice of publisher that counts. The more distribution channels they have,
the better!
Publish locally or internationally?
Let these 3 questions guide you in making a decision:
1. Who and where are your primary audiences/customers?
2. What price range would be convenient for your primary customers?
3. Whatre the distribution channels of your publisher?
Something to think about.
Is your publishing effort a touch-and-go (one off) thing, or youre looking/willing to build something out of it? E.g.
a speaking, teaching or coaching career. Think about this.

Before I started writing The New Generation of Leadership, I thought about some of the privileges and opportunities
that might be open to me after writing the book. I had the desire to work for a leadership development organization,
like The John Maxwell Company. I had even told my friend about it. I loved to teach, train, coach and develop other
leaders. But I hadn't considered doing this on my own at first. This thought only began to build up as I progressed
with my book.

Im very thankful for some of the advises I received from several reviewers. They encouraged me to develop a
program from the book. I took this advise, and started to work something out. On the very launching day of my
book, I was privileged to host my first workshop with 130 students at a school in KL (Kuala Lumpur. Petaling Jaya
precisely). I was both excited and nervous about it. But I did it, anyway. And that launched me into the speaking,
teaching and training industry. Since then, I have spoken to students at various campuses, facilitated training and
workshops for both academic institutions and NGO.

This is actually one of the benefit of authoring a book. It launches you into a wonderful path that you are passionate
about.
Quick Recap of Bonus Chapter I:
Something to think about
Unless, youre publishing a fiction novel, you should be preparing to build
something meaningful out of your book!
Deciding on an internal layout design.
How do I decide on an internal layout?

Deciding on the internal format and layout for your book can be daunting. The key to get this through is to read
other books! I do not think there is another substitute.

Read other books in the same genre as yours.
Identify authors work you deeply connect with, and would love to adopt his/her style.
Learn from what they have done, and do the same with your book.
Look out for certain features you admire about their book.
Pick it out and use other books for comparison.
Be creative!
Info
BUY THE BOOK | Get more details or buy a copy of The New Generation of Leadership
SHARE THIS| Pass along a copy of the E-Book to others.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR| Nelson David Bassey is a B.Eng. (Hon) Mechanical Engineering student,
speaker and author. David helps students understand, embrace and grow their influence through
leadership, so that they can live a life of purpose and total fulfillment in and beyond university. For
this, he has been featured on national newspapers such as News Straight Times and The Star. For
more about Leadership and Davids works, visit his website at tngleadership.weebly.com
GET OTHER FREE RESOURCES| Visit my site to get more Free resources.
Help Me Help Many More Prospective Authors!
Was this book helpful in any way? Please write me a testimony, I want to know
how this guide helped you. What part of it specifically?
Do you have some unanswered Questions? Please send me your question, and Id
be happy to update this guide for you, and others who may have similar questions!
Click here!

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