By Jennifer S. Wilkov, Radio Show Host of “Your Book Is Your Hook!”
www.YourBookIsYourHook.com

As authors and writers, we’re always learning about resources and industry tools that we can use to improve our book project performance and the enjoyment of our writing and marketing experiences.  Today let’s talk about what’s stopping you from writing and marketing your book.

I often hear from authors that they just can’t figure out how to do it all: the writing, the marketing, the building of their platform, the online presence, the offline appearances, much less getting published and just getting the book out the door and into the market in the first place.

Too many times, I see authors stop three feet from gold. Even the Chicken Soup for the Soul® guys (Jack Canfield & Mark Victor Hansen) took 18 months to become a bestseller with their first book. They then went on to become Guinness world record holders for multiple millions of books sold.

But it didn’t happen in a day, a week, a month or even a year.

The way to streamline and manage the whole process of getting your book out there is to create an environment of patience, organization, action and results.

Patience is what you need to have in order to take on the challenges of a book. It will come in handy when you are writing it; learning and determining how to market it; submitting queries and proposals and handling rejections from agents and publishers; and while finding the best outlets for your project to shine in.

Organization comes from scheduling your activities so you are not all consumed with your project to the detriment of your business, family and your own personal well-being. It also applies to selecting which activities to do first and understanding what will bear fruit more quickly versus those items that will take more time to blossom into benefits.

Action is implementing and doing what you said you wanted to do. Write the book or copy for your website or your weekly blog articles or your Twitter posts. Create your hooks or your affiliate program and produce your videos. These are the steps that take time and thought to craft yet they must be executed in order to move the project forward.

Results are what come from completing tasks. Whether you hire someone to help you so you have more hands on deck or whether you choose to take it on alone, the only road to results is completing one item at a time.

I always like to say that a book is like a puzzle and must be built one piece at a time.

Take on the challenge, stand up and move ahead on your own game board one simple step at a time.

On your journey, pack lots of patience, persistence, planning and perseverance and I promise you, you’ll make it to the bookseller’s shelf and into the hearts and minds of readers everywhere.