“Why Great Books are Like Junk Mail! --An Expert's How to Write a Book Step-by-Step Guide”
Next time you start writing your book, remember there's a literary masterpiece waiting in your mailbox!
by Steve Manning
It was a day like just about any other day. But a young author named Ken Follett had something on his mind besides how common the day was. As he opened the door of the bookstore, he caught a glimpse of his target. And as he drew closer, that thought on his mind seemed to dominate his whole world, and would turn him into one of the most successful authors of our time.
In front of him was a display of Sydney Sheldon's latest book. Dozens of them. Maybe more than a hundred. For a sickening moment he thought the whole bookstore was filled with only Sheldon's book. You couldn't see much else. But after a lot of digging, he found what he had been looking for. A copy of his own book. One of just two copies that bookstore was carrying.
He put his own book back on the shelf and picked up one of Sheldon's.
What was the difference? Why did everyone want Sheldon's book while his book looked like little more than a space filler on the shelf.
He started reading and it didn't take long before his analytical mind found the answer.
Although he has never expressed it this way, what he discovered was that Sheldon's book had all the characteristics of junk mail.
Now for most, 'junk mail' is a pejorative term. It grows in your mail box with all the love and affection of crab grass on your lawn. But it's an intriguing animal. If you're at all interested in the topic, it's not junk at all. It becomes a fascinating treatise on the topic that you simply can't put down. Every paragraph draws you in still further and seldom, if ever, does a single sentence wander far from the point of getting you more and more interested in the subject.
With Sheldon's book, every page moved story forward. There wasn't a single wasted sentence. The reader was never given any chance to wander from the excitement of the story.
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With junk mail, the author knows that every paragraph, every sentence, every word, must constantly be answering the reader's question, "What's in it for me?"
"With the book, every sentence must answer the question: how does this make the story more exciting?"
Ever read a book where three pages were devoted to the décor of the room, or the landscape, or the table setting? You can do it. It's not that difficult. How interesting did you find it when you read it? Chances are, the author was allowed to do it once, maybe twice. But after that you skipped it by thinking, "Blah, blah, blah, mahogany desk. Blah, blah blah, lots of snow. Come on, where's the story?"
When you write your book, fiction or non-fiction, every sentence must be focused on the story or the information.
You wouldn't believe how much commercial writers are paid to stay on point. And when you're writing your book, it's even more important. Make every page important. Make every sentence tell the reader what's in it for him or her when they read your book.
And pretty soon, your book will be the one clogging the bookstore aisles and stacked six deep on display tables.
While we're on the topic of strategies, and if you haven't already done so, feel free to
subscribe to my FREE on-line course, "How To Write A Book On
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Time for a little unabashed, self promotion: If you haven’t asked for my Free CD, “How to Write a Book On Anything in 14 Days Guaranteed!” then you’re just plain nuts! It’s free, no charge, but you can bet this $100 CD will be carrying that price tag very shortly. How do you get it? Just email me at Free CD, Please, or CD_please@writeabooknow.com and make sure you include your name, your mailing address and your telephone number in the email.
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Just about everyone has asked me, what's the cheapest, fastest, most cost effective way to turn your manuscript into a real,
book-store book. Cheap as in 50 cents per copy. Fast as in can
I have it by this afternoon. Cost effective as in, what if I only
want to produce one or two copies. Take a look at this information for all the answers you'll ever need.