Of course, I wasn’t going to leave you hanging or make you wait for the rest of Lynn’s advice 😉 If you haven’t read Part 1 yet where she gives you the first 5 steps to turn all that content from your podcast into a book, you can read that here.
Post below from Lynn "Elikqitie" Smargis from Write For You:
Step #6: Creating a simple table of contents
All right, so you need a table of contents to keep your work organized. You can create a simple chart in Google Sheets or in Excel to keep a word count. Besides a word count column, you'll also want to keep a running total of words using the SUM function, which is why the table of contents is a great tool to see where you're at in the writing process.
I would suggest having several columns in your table of contents chart. The first column can be designated for your chapter, the second column the title of your chapter, and the next two columns for a rough draft and edited draft. You can use a column for beta reader information and another for links used for research. Finally, you'll want a word count column.
Step #7: What do I do with the content that doesn't fit into my book?
You may have content that doesn't fit into your book. This happens to the best and most proficient writers, so don't feel that this is an indication that you're "doing it wrong." You may find that when you need to change or add information, you'll end up with content you thought you would use for your book but realize now that it doesn't fit.
What you don't want to do is throw out your content. Keep your content by creating a file or a document titled "extra content," and that is where you'll keep your repository of content that you may (or may not) use in another chapter, your introduction, or another section of your book. You may even love your extra content, but you'll want to take it out if it doesn't fit into your book. Suppose you don't use it in your book. In that case, you can always use it to write a LinkedIn article, or blog post, use the content in another future book, or use it as a script for a future video.
Ensure you have subheaders on your extra content to easily determine what topics are in that document. Remember, you don't have to use your extra content in your book; you also have the choice of not using it!
Step #8: I have my rough draft finished; what's my next step?
Once you have your rough draft finished, you'll want to start on your book marketing plan. We won't go into that subject here, but if you're looking for a good book on book marketing, I recommend You Must Market Your Book by Honoree Corder. If you'd like to add another revenue source from your book, get Monetize Your Book with a Course by Lucas Marino. I interviewed Lucas on my podcast, Your Writing Coach, so check out his interview, where he talks about how he came to be in the online course creation space!
At this point, you'll want to go through and read your book out loud. Yes, you heard me correctly. Reading your book out loud is the best way to find errors in your work. Why? Because our brains are programmed to skip over mistakes. So when we read our work out loud, our ears pick up the mistakes our brains have overlooked. You can also have your computer or smart device read your content to you if you'd like. Correct any errors you hear when you read your book out loud.
Next, you'll want to put your book in a grammar checker. I love the paid version of Grammarly and use it even though I'm a professional writer. Why? For one, it has an excellent plagiarism checker to instantly check your work for plagiarism. The guideline for copyright infringement is having your plagiarism check come in under five percent. Secondly, I like Grammarly because, like most people, I make the same mistakes repeatedly. This program points out my mistakes, so now, when I write, I've learned how to correct those mistakes!
If you want to create an application for beta readers, send it to professionals and others to read your book. I would recommend sending your beta reader application to the people who would most likely purchase your book so you can get a good idea of what needs to be changed. Once you've gone through your beta reader process and have changed the content in the book you want to rewrite, it's off to a professional editor.
Step #9: Hiring a professional book editor
Please, for all that is good and right in the world, do not let your book go to publication without a professional editor! This will make a huge difference in the readability of your book. I can tell you from my experience I know on the first page whether or not someone has hired a professional editor for their book. Even ghostwriters hire other editors for their books because they always want an outside pair of eyes to review their work. Write For You offers book editing, and I can edit most books within 30 days. Check out my services page to learn more about my book editing services.
Step #10: Buying your ISBN number, book formatting, creating your book cover, and publishing your book
You'll want to purchase your ISBN number from Bowkers and buy a set of ten because you'll need a separate ISBN number for your print, audio, and ebook. I would not go the cheap route and use the free ISBN number Amazon provides. Why? Because you won't be able to sell your book anywhere except for Amazon. Not your own booth, table, or speaking gig. So be smart and purchase your ISBN numbers from Bowkers if you're in the US to own your ISBN and sell your book where you want.
When formatting your book, you have to have an exact word count and know what book size you want to publish. If you want to know about the book scale, an "average" book is around 40,000 words and about 200 pages. The number of pages in your book also depends on the book size you choose.
Of course, some people publish smaller books, while some have bigger books. You can also publish a series of small, 100-page books or a series of 50-page books. The essential idea you want to keep in mind at this point is your title. If you want to have your title on the spine of your book, you need to have a minimum of one hundred pages. You can achieve this by creating reflection questions, note pages or by making your book physically smaller. You don't have to fill all your pages with words.
Once you have your page count and book size, you'll want to find a book cover designer. There are many book cover designers on Fiverr. I've also heard of people having success using 99 Designs. You can also reach out to me on my contact page for book cover designer references.
You'll now need to hire a professional formatter or learn how to format your book independently. You can purchase two programs for around $200 each: Vellum and Atticus. I use Atticus because it has more formatting options, such as fonts and flexibility, to make my books look how I want them to look.
Spend the money and format your book - if you don't, you'll have a book that looks unprofessional, has squished pictures, and doesn't have a consistent layout. I wouldn't take any author seriously who didn't invest money in book formatting. This process makes the difference between a self-published book and a self-published book that looks like it came from a publishing company.
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These ten steps are a basic overview of how to turn your podcast into a book. Although there are more details to publishing, marketing, and formatting your book, if you follow these basic steps, you will be on your way to becoming an author!
Need help with writing, editing, formatting, or publishing your book? Maybe you just need an hour to bounce ideas off an experienced ghostwriter? Definitely grab a spot on my discovery call calendar to find out more. I'd be happy to work with you if we're a good fit to check off your bucket list of writing a book and becoming an author!
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Note from Emily: Thank you so much to Lynn for putting together this step-by-step guide for independent creative podcasters! I can’t recommend her enough and if you’re thinking of ways to reach more people and grow your podcast and authority in the process, she’s my go-to resource when a client mentions the possibility of a book. I’m forever grateful for all the advice she’s given me over the years and especially now that I’m working on a second book, myself! (EEEEEeeekkk!)
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