Too Busy to Write? Use These Shortcuts

• March 13, 2018

You’d love to see your name on the cover of a book. You know that a book is a powerful tool for an executive for building a brand. It not only helps to establish your expertise in your market, but it can also exponentially expand your audience.

There’s virtually no downside to writing a book. Except the time needed to write it. If you don’t consider yourself a writer, you may think the benefits are out of your reach, but even self-avowed non-authors have options or shortcuts.

Outsource. If you want a book that’s in your voice without having to do the work? Hire a ghostwriter. A ghostwriter is a writer who you pay to write for you. These professionals will work with you to create a book that is uniquely yours, and in the end, you’ll have a well-written book with your name on it, all without typing a word. A ghostwriter typically interviews the author and creates the chapters from the transcripts. The ghostwriter puts in all the time to eliminate the dialogue and make the content organized and coherent.

A ghostwriter is the ideal person to work with when you are busy or lack the writing skills to create well-written content. The best time to use a ghostwriter is when you recognize you should be producing more content, but you’ve been putting it off. You’re not sure how to fit one more thing into your life. Working with a ghostwriter will take time, but far less than if you wrote the content from scratch.

Repurpose. This easy and popular option makes use of the hundreds or even thousands of pages of content you’ve already created. You will need to create an outline, organize the content and group it into chapters to create a smooth flow. In the process of doing so, you will see gaps in the material that you’ll need to write.

Blogs, white papers, podcast transcripts, and articles are all material that you can repurpose. I completed 2 books last month that were solely drawn from podcast transcripts and blogs. After my assistant edited out the transcript dialogue it took me less than a day to complete each book.

Dictate. If you are one of the people who finds it easier to talk than write, dictating content may be the right option for you. After organizing your thoughts, you record your content, get it transcribed and then start rearranging and filling in gaps. You can also create a book based on interviews you record, which form the basis of the content you expand upon.

Having a published book can work wonders for your business growth. It will bring you clients, expand your audience reach, and even attract some press. But it can’t do any of that if you don’t write the book in the first place. Take one of these ideas and get your book written. You won’t regret it.

Pat Iyer is a ghostwriter who works with authors to develop materials that share their brilliance. She has written or edited over 800 chapters, books, online courses, case studies or articles. See her website at editingmybook.com or reach her at patriciaiyer@gmail.com.