How to write your own first book - experiences and opinions?

[schupp]

Professionally, the last few months were very exhausting for me.  But now I am finally on vacation. I have long dreamed of writing my first own book and have now decided to start. Of course, I already have an idea. But just writing away didn't work out well for me. I admire every author who just sits down, maybe drinks a glass of wine and writes. But for me, without planning, only nonsense comes out.

I'd be interested in your experiences. Have any of you written a book? What strategies worked for you to successfully write and publish your book?

[ms-bit]

Do you want to write it to yourself or do you want to publish it later? Because this makes a great difference. Anyway, i wish you a lot of luck with your dream!

[Ucy]

Professionally, the last few months were very exhausting for me.  But now I am finally on vacation. I have long dreamed of writing my first own book and have now decided to start. Of course, I already have an idea. But just writing away didn't work out well for me. I admire every author who just sits down, maybe drinks a glass of wine and writes. But for me, without planning, only nonsense comes out.

I'd be interested in your experiences. Have any of you written a book? What strategies worked for you to successfully write and publish your book?

Better to be moved to write before writing... By "to be moved" i means it has to pour into your heart to the extent of having a strong/uncontrollable desire to write it down at that particular moment. I was actually moved to write my books and they are faultless because it comes from the ONE moving me.
Focus on what you understand really well that it feels like it comes out of you naturally without you thinking too much about it... that also should help convince your readers that you know what you are writing about.

I used unconventional means to publish mine to reduce time and cost as I intended to give the books for free to those who can't afford them for money.

[Fretum]

I admire every author who just sits down, maybe drinks a glass of wine and writes. But for me, without planning, only nonsense comes out.

I'd be interested in your experiences. Have any of you written a book? What strategies worked for you to successfully write and publish your book?

I think that's more of a cliché. With Hemingway you probably think more of a glass of whiskey:)

There are two types of writers. Some write straight out without much planning, the second group needs an exact plan, has to prepare consistently and researches a lot in advance. You have to see which group you belong to. If you already have experience, you stick to it. But first you have to find out which type you belong to. It's relatively rare that you sit down and write your first book and then want to publish it right away. It also takes a lot of practice.
Of course, it can be a dream and will probably also become a goal one day, but putting pressure on yourself right away can also inhibit you.
You have to be aware that it takes a lot of practice. You never stop learning and must continue to develop. You need to know whether you are already at the point of publishing your own book. What experiences have you already made? Have you already written stories or is it really your first novel? What topic should it be about?

[btcbeograd]

I didn't write a book, but i wrote tethis  The only way to concentrate for me was strictly working for at least 12 minutes a day. The most difficult thing is to start.

[libertasbella]

Self-discipline. You will almost never "feel" like writing, so you'll have to force yourself to do it. Do not drink while you write unless you always drink while you write, and always edit sober. Spend time rewriting until each paragraph knits together like the gears of a Swiss clock. Do not share your work with anyone until it is complete. Remember that your book is better than any critique one could make of it, and read better authors than yourself in your free time.

[schupp]

Thinking more than feeling when I write is hard for me. Professionally, I'm used to thinking first and foremost, and it's hard for me to break free from that. Sitting down at my computer is easy. Writing a few lines is too. But then I read it again and delete it right away. I think I still need to figure out what type of writer I am.

As for sharing with readers, I'm nowhere near there yet. I'm only writing for myself at the moment, after all, it's about my dream. I wouldn't let anyone read it until I'm mostly satisfied with it. If I succeed in writing a good book, however, I would definitely like to have it published someday. But I don't know if you have a realistic chance as a new author.

[dragonb]

you have to keep in mind that you can't just write a book during a vacation... unless you're on vacation for months now, if not years :-) so I don't know to what extent you want to write a book... is it just for you or for friends and relatives or do you really want to publish it professionally? You'll have to come up with a plan - but you do, I see… at least thinking of one… :-)
If you don't have any experience with writing, I would also recommend workshops at special publishers for new authors. There you can learn a lot and avoid going in the wrong direction all the time... The professionals can help you in time and save you a lot of work when you think you're done with your book....
What is it about, if you don't mind me asking?

[Florin Lambert]

I haven’t written a book. If you want to write a book, you should know who you want to write for. If it’s something you expect to publish it later on. Then, you need to study about structuring and other details. You can join a creative writing class.

[Fretum]

You will almost never "feel" like writing, so you'll have to force yourself to do it.

Depends on why you are writing. If you consider writing as a hobby, then it can be a good release from stressful everyday life. Some people do sports and achieve the same result. Therefore, one can also have the need to write, just like sports.

I wouldn't let anyone read it until I'm mostly satisfied with it.

Feedback from other authors can help, too. If you're still learning, I wouldn't pass it up. Or go to writing classes and learn. Then go to professional writers who offer such courses. Look at offers from publishers who offer courses for writers (Novum publishing,...) read blog articles, look at tutorials on Youtube,.... There are many possibilities. But I would not be ashamed to show my creations to others. No master has fallen from the sky:)

[schupp]

Of course, a single, normal vacation is not enough to write an entire book. My vacation is over now, but I have made a lot of progress in writing and have rediscovered my joy in writing. I want to maintain that in everyday life and continue to work on my work. So I write for myself, but would also be happy to be able to reach readers with my finished book.

I am thinking about a workshop in creative writing. Taking a course directly with a publisher sounds like a good idea.

I'll read your article lacidamarketing right away. Do you have any experience writing and publishing books yourself?

[Uruhara]

I'm not a writer. but my sister is a writer. what he needs as a writer is that he is always looking for more inspiration while being alone. so that he can concentrate well on writing his book. and if it's a novel, then the difficult part is when we tell it, it must make the reader able to imagine what the author imagined. good luck mate

[ms-bit]

Once I also tried to write a book, but it was soo hard! I wish you a lot of luck!

[dragonb]

Joining creative writing classes is a great idea! I've also noticed that publishers specifically targeting new authors offer such workshops. That could also be very interesting.
It's also not just about "why" you write, but also "for whom" - you should always have a specific target group in mind. This is important for all areas in the book.
And as is said here - writing a book is a lot of hard work and usually takes a long time. Professional help is usually indispensable..

[Fretum]

It will also be important to read other books in your own genre and try to observe the market a bit yourself. Perhaps one recognizes a trend. If you come up with a book about vampires now, you're probably a little late. That would have been great 10 years ago.
You don't have to copy other authors, but you should learn from them. How do they build characters, how do they build a story...? You learn all that in such workshops.
You could also meet with other authors. Maybe there is a kind of book club only for authors. There are also training courses in the field of writing. Maybe that would be a good idea, or you could go to the university and listen to some literature lectures.

[schupp]

I'm not a writer. but my sister is a writer. what he needs as a writer is that he is always looking for more inspiration while being alone. so that he can concentrate well on writing his book. and if it's a novel, then the difficult part is when we tell it, it must make the reader able to imagine what the author imagined. good luck mate

Thank you! You're right, it's damn hard to write in a way that creates the same image in the reader's mind as it does for the author. That's why I think it's important to find beta readers every now and then who can give you honest feedback. Of course, this is no substitute for professional editing by the publisher before the book is published. People who deal with it on a daily basis know best what details they need to pay attention to and what can and should be improved.

[schupp]

Joining creative writing classes is a great idea! I've also noticed that publishers specifically targeting new authors offer such workshops. That could also be very interesting.
It's also not just about "why" you write, but also "for whom" - you should always have a specific target group in mind. This is important for all areas in the book.
And as is said here - writing a book is a lot of hard work and usually takes a long time. Professional help is usually indispensable..

When I envision my readers, I don't have a unified group in mind. I think it's similar to those who are interested in cryptocurrencies. They are people of different nationalities, different ages, with very different lifestyles and professions. All of them are certainly interested in the future and new technologies. There are also no children and probably relatively few old people. I think that would also coincide with the target group I have in mind for my book.

[schupp]

It will also be important to read other books in your own genre and try to observe the market a bit yourself. Perhaps one recognizes a trend. If you come up with a book about vampires now, you're probably a little late. That would have been great 10 years ago.
You don't have to copy other authors, but you should learn from them. How do they build characters, how do they build a story...? You learn all that in such workshops.
You could also meet with other authors. Maybe there is a kind of book club only for authors. There are also training courses in the field of writing. Maybe that would be a good idea, or you could go to the university and listen to some literature lectures.

I also read a lot, but not to copy from other authors, but to be inspired by their stories and also to reflect on which elements of the writing style I like well and which I like less. I think the knowledge and skills could also be well honed in a workshop. To see what my chances are, I contacted Novum Publishing with a sample of my book. I got feedback from the service publisher that they could see potential and that I should keep at it. I can contact them again when I am finished with my work and then they will see how they can support me on the way to publishing my book. However, I'm sure it will be some time before that happens. I've made good progress, but there's no end in sight yet. And when I'm done, I want to give the book to a few beta readers first and get feedback, and then start editing it myself. I think that will be a good piece of work again. But I'm looking forward to when the story is ready to be polished before handing the project over to professionals.

[dragonb]

Joining creative writing classes is a great idea! I've also noticed that publishers specifically targeting new authors offer such workshops. That could also be very interesting.
It's also not just about "why" you write, but also "for whom" - you should always have a specific target group in mind. This is important for all areas in the book.
And as is said here - writing a book is a lot of hard work and usually takes a long time. Professional help is usually indispensable..

When I envision my readers, I don't have a unified group in mind. I think it's similar to those who are interested in cryptocurrencies. They are people of different nationalities, different ages, with very different lifestyles and professions. All of them are certainly interested in the future and new technologies. There are also no children and probably relatively few old people. I think that would also coincide with the target group I have in mind for my book.

Having a target group in front of your eyes is already important, I think... but that's just my personal assessment. You would have to ask around for experiences, for example from publishers. If you are interested in such workshops, then such questions will certainly be clarified there.
As you say, having beta readers would certainly be helpful to get constructive and broad feedback... of course you can also do this with friends and relatives - but it is important that "professional" people take a look at it so that you get really broad (and honest!) feedback.
Have you already planned the next steps?

[schupp]

Well, what will be the next steps? My own first book is still not finished. First I'll finish it, then I'll put it aside for a while and then start editing.

When I'm done with that, I'll look for beta reader. Do you have any tips on where I can find some? I'm sure I'll get feedback from friends and family, but not a completely neutral one.

The next step would be to see how I can get my book published. I've ruled out self-publishing in the meantime, I think I'll try my luck with publishers and service publishers. After a thorough examination of the contracts, there should be something suitable at some point.