Hey, y’all!
It’s been a while and I’ve missed you so. I haven’t been blogging much but your girl has been writing. I’ve been laying low and working on a goal that I’ve had for the past two years and I’m happy to report that it’s almost accomplished.
I’m sure you read the headline so ain’t no need for me to beat around the bush… I wrote another book. This means I am officially an AUTHOR author, lol. In my first book, What Teaching Taught Me, I shared the lessons I learned in my years as a middle school teacher. I’m so thankful to all of you who purchased WTTM and if you haven’t yet, there’s still time. In addition to online sales, I was blessed to sell my book at the Essence Music Festival not once, but twice and I even got invited to do a signing at last year’s festival.
I learned a lot from my experience with my first book and from the time I finished writing it, I had the idea for my second book in mind. I knew I wanted to write something that would showcase my personality and for the money I made from the book to help me pay off my student loans. So I wrote…
I Wrote This Book To Pay My Student Loans is a timely collection of essays about life, relationships, parenting, pop culture and more.
It’s slated to be released later this month.
So what do you think of my book cover? I know some people do cover reveals and they’re kinda a big deal in these internet streets. I’m still playing graphic designer and trying to figure out exactly how I want my cover to look but I figured I’d give my loyal blog readers a sneak peek even if it’s still in progress…
Now that I’m finished writing the book, I want to take some time to encourage others who have the desire to become authors as well. If I can do it, so can you. I personally had no experience in self-publishing, book formatting or nothing Jesus, but I made it happen not once, but twice!
If you want to write a book but don’t know where to start, I recommend these three tips:
- Start now. Stop talking yourself out of doing the work that you need to do to get you where you want to be. I must’ve answered the “How do I write a book?” question for at least 20 people but to my knowledge, only one of them has actually taken the time to start writing.
- Use Google Docs. I started writing both of my books in Google Docs because it enabled me to write anywhere, anytime and on different computers. I kid you not, Google Docs is the simplest, most convenient writing tool ever so don’t be afraid to use it.
- Write as often as you can. I made the most progress when I decided to stick to a set writing schedule. I wrote every night before bed for nearly a month straight. Start with something as simple as one hour per night or wake up earlier than usual and get it done in the mornings. You can even dedicate your lunch breaks to writing. “I don’t have time” is no longer a valid excuse, just get it done.
If you want more writing tips like this and to be the first to know when my book is released, sign up for my mailing list!