One sure way to be happy, loved and remembered is to write a book
I’m talking to my graphic designer this morning and he tells me he’s been in the hospital for about a week. Besides the usual malaria and typhoid, he tells me, he has “BP.” He is about 36.
A few days ago, a friend told me that she lost her older sister last December at the hands of “BP”. She was 35 years old. She had lost her job at the bank five years earlier and she suffered a minor stroke three years later due to high BP. She died five years to the day she lost her job.
What does this “BP” have to do with the book? I must say, a lot. “BP” by the way, is blood pressure. High blood pressure is a killer.
Writing a book is one of the most rewarding endeavors, nothing compares. Not even make love. Keeps high “BP” away.
During one of his visits to the White House during the Reagan era, John H. Johnson sat at the same table with Maureen Reagan.
After telling young Maureen how she made a living, Maureen said, “write a book.”
Emily Dickinson said: “There is no frigate like the book.”
An unknown author wrote: “If you drop a book and three pounds of gold, choose the book first over the gold.”
Charlie “Tremendous” Jones once said, “Of all the things in this world, only two will have the greatest impact on your life, the books you read and the people you meet.”
According to Uthman Dan Fodio, “The scholar’s ink is holier than the martyr’s blood.”
Benjamin Franklin is quoted as saying, “If you don’t want to be forgotten, as soon as you’re dead and rotten, write things worth reading or do things worth writing.”
The people we admire most are those who have chains of books behind their names, be they fiction or nonfiction. Names like William Shakespeare, Leo Tolstoy, Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, Agatha Christie, Maya Angelou, Seth Godin, Malcolm Gladwell, Daniel Pink, Susan Cain, Chinua Achebe, Chimamanda Adichie, JK Rowling, and Stephen King easily come to mind. .
In fact, there is no more exciting feeling than stumbling across the world’s most iconic airports, libraries, stores and websites and finding your book displayed alongside those of the planet’s most revered authors and icons.
There are tons of reasons why you should write a book. John Kremer has listed 30 solid reasons, including:
• Seal of Credibility
• Support for the cause
• Share a message
• Become a consultant
• Become a speaker
• Become a celebrity
• Arrive at Buckingham Palace
• Earn money
I always tell my friends that if they don’t like the money part, donate the money to their beloved charity.
Writing a book, like any other serious project, seems intimidating at first glance when you look at all the moving parts at once: writing, design, proofreading, editing, publishing, pricing, distribution, marketing, and selling. But when you break the project into small parts, you find that it’s an effort you can easily tackle if you have a little guidance.
As complex as it may seem to write a book and get it into the hands of your readers, there are actually 8 simple steps you can take:
• Step 1: Decide what you want to write about
• Step 2: Decide on the title and subtitle of your book
• Step 3: Decide on the content
• Step 4: Decide who will write the book
• Step 5: Write, proofread and edit your book
• Step 6: Publish your book
• Step 7: launch your book to the world
• Step 8: Market and sell your book
Actually, there is a ninth step, writing more books.
The end of one book should be the beginning of your next book, as Stephen King, author of more than 60 books, has emphasized.
The world’s most revered authors have dozens of books to their names, most of them bestsellers. In order for you to join their ranks, you have to write more than one book, seven being the magic number.
The easiest way to write a book is to just start. Thats the secret. Get started, and your brain and subconscious mind will take control from there and lead you to the final destination.
This piece wouldn’t be complete if I didn’t mention that Amazon has made it very simple to get their book out into the world. Amazon will even give you a book cover design if you don’t have one.
Don’t wait any longer, if you want to be happy, loved, remembered and even immortal, write your first, second or third book today.
Remember, the best time to have written your first book was yesterday, the next best time is now.
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