How books really come together

The best books aren’t written. Rather, they go through a rather odd process...

Let me explain.

You probably already have a message— an angle, story, purpose. If you didn’t, you wouldn’t here. Don’t be surprised if it takes some time to refine that message— I’m still refining mine. Rest assured, yours is in there, too.

Here’s how I pull the message together.

First, aggregate— I get it out of my head and onto paper.

An aggregate is a “whole that’s comprised of several disparate elements.” They form a group— and often look like a cluster.

Your message doesn’t have to look pretty or polished at this point. In fact, it probably won’t look presentable at all.

But, once you get the words out of your head onto paper, you can begin working and reworking it. It’s always easier to edit something you have than something you don’t have— so move out from your mind into some form— print or computer— where you can mess around without it.

Second, assemble— I work and re-work the content.

Once I heard a creator say, “Books aren’t so much written as they are assembled.”

That’s true. Yes, books are comprised of written words, but— more specifically than that— books are an amalgamation of written groups of content that all come together.

Because of this, books rarely ending up looking like the way I first envision them in my mind. In fact, they generally take a few twists and turns as they come to life. The fonts change, the colors I use change, and the order in which the elements appear changes. Each time I assemble and reassemble the book, it gets better.

Plus, most inspired ideas require a bit of time to develop. And, as they grow, they sprout into something which often takes a life of its own.

In the same way you assemble and re-assemble Legos, adjust and readjust your core concepts. Look at them from different angles to see how they best fit and flow together.

Third, finally, I amplify the message— I share my ideas(s) with the masses.

Whether your project takes the form of a website, a podcast, a workshop, a video course, or a combination you create, share the message with others.  That’s why you aggregated and assembled it in the first place.

Again, as we teach in other places in the Amplify resources, I believe a book is a great place— the best place— to begin. However, it’s a horrible place to stop. Once you digest your message into a unified place, it’s time to amplify it. Again, that’s why you created it— to empower others.

Your next step = Learn how to write your book

Watch the short video here and see how to take pull your message together, as well as WHY you should begin with the book (even if you want to do other things and choose NOT to publish the book).