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Before You Write Your Book, Organize its Parts
by Judy Cullins

If you are a serious writer who wants to publish and sell books and informational products, you need to know where all the parts of your book are before you write it.

After you decide on your topic, working title, audience, thesis, and "tell and sell" and before you write a single page of a chapter, you must organize your book and its chapters.

Stop Piling and Start Filing!

Maybe you're a stacker (horizontal multiple piles), a stuffer (look organized, but can't find things, a spreader (spread one pile to another place, then another), a slinger (undecided, you sling into a place behind closed doors).

If your book is important to you, you need to be able to find the myriad of parts that go into it when you need them. Plan ahead to either keep all of your book's parts in a file, (on the computer and in hard copy), or in a huge three-hole binder with various sections.

When each part of your book is nailed down on an 8 1/2 by 11 inch paper, with information put on one side of the paper only, so its category can be quickly seen, filed and found when needed, then put into its hard copy proper chapter file or other front and back matter, I guarantee you can find any part of it within two minutes.

First, you will need a book file to include chapter files and other related information. Second, you will need a promotion/marketing file. Before you start writing, have them handy. Buy files or boxes that can hold manila folders and all of your notes and clippings 8 1/2 by 11 size. You may also keep other versions in a file in your computer. Whenever you see something, a book title, a quote, an article that relates to your book, pop it into the proper file.

Write your book fast--find it fast!

Keep every piece of important paper vertical. If you take notes, jot down a great quote, make sure it gets taped or stapled to an 8 1/2 by 11 inch paper, on one side of the paper only, so it is easy to file and retrieve. When you take different notes on one page, or allow your scraps of brilliance to get into the horizontal piles, one of those great ideas will get lost. Along with 20% other important papers, make your book the number one priority in your life. Give each paper a special place in your file to assure you can write your book fast!

In Your Book File

In one box or file, fill it with manila folders. Arrange and label by "Front Matter," which includes your acknowledgements, testimonials, copyright and ISBN information; Chapters 1-end, within each you will put your research, articles, partially written chapter, and four-fifteen questions you want to answer in each chapter. Put a color divider between each section. Arrange by alphabetical order if that works for you.

Sample Files for your Book:

• Talks you create on your topic
• The Book's Audience
• The Book's Introduction in Five Steps
• The Book's "Tell and Sell"
• The Table of Contents
• Mentions (quotes from authors, their names, titles to use later when seeking testimonials)
• Back cover (Copy others and be sure to include benefits and testimonials)
• Front cover/title (Include your best 10 and ask friends to vote for best)

Copyright © 2001 Judy Cullins

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