My process for writing my book was an interesting one for sure! I am often asked why did I choose a “little book” instead of a regular size.
The assumption is I did not have enough to say! So far from the truth. When I thought about my favorite non-fiction books that I FINISHED I realized they were ALL 100 pages or so. Here are some of them:
Besides, when I work with my Platinum Mastermind clients, I PREACH-short, sweet, powerful! Why wouldn’t I intentionally create a powerful book, that captured your attention, was packed with content, that inspired, and you finish! In addition, this allows me to expand on topics from the book in my blog and when I speak.
My goal is to build a series of books related to this first one. Remember as a child reading a poem by Shel Silverstein poem about Melinda Mae who ate the whale….
…one bite at a time
These books will allow you to take bites!
Bigger picture? Where do YOU need to start taking bites? What things do you want to achieve that feel SO BIG that you need one bite at a time?
Ann M. Evanston is a “Chief Breakthrough Officer” teaching other Business Warriors how to slow down, and find the most unique part of their business that makes them stand out among the crowd. She has been named one of the top marketing consultants by About.com, is a guest blogger for Showcasing Women and takes pride in moving you from “blah, blah, blah” to “BOOM, BOOM. BOOM!”
I think this is a brilliant approach because most people don’t read much anymore and attention spans are quite short. I’ve also heard it said that most books contain about 20 pages of real content and the rest is filler. I’d rather have the content. I just finished a 7-year writing project. It had to proceed with small bites because the information was both dense and broad. After total immersion in the material, the linkages between different research groups became clear and I ended up with a beautifully crafted, coherent multidisciplinary work. Now, to get some of that published–the next step!
whoo hoo and congrats @MaureenaBivins ! I have a feeling it was a dissertation?
I couldn’t put The Four Agreements down. I was mesmerized and it is one of my favorite books and I quote from it often! You always have some amazing and thought provoking nuggets in your presentations! Thank you!
Julieanne CaseAlways from the heart!Reconnecting you to your Original Blueprint, Your Essence, Your Joy| Healing you from the Inside Out |Reconnective Healing | The Reconnection| Reconnective Art |http://thereconnectivehighway.com
Small bites is something I need to often remind myself of. And you are so right about shorter books. Especiailly business books or other life changing books. As my business has been morphing and evolving and is finally settling into it’s new format, I am seeing all the systems that need to be created and I go into overwhelm. Small segments of time spent on aspects really help me to make progress. I am looking forward to reading your book and will look into several of the books you showed. Have not read many of them.
Ann, thanks for this short & sweet message! I agree 100% — focusing on the essence achieves the greatest impact. I aim for that in my music, and I wish I could make my own writing and speaking behave similarly. So I read a lot of good examples for inspiration. Two of my favorite authors writing short books (or books with with short chapters) are Seth Godin and Tom Peters. And now I look forward to reading YOUR book.
-Robbie
Big picture, I am taking bites out of a very big outrageous goal. It appears to others that I am delusional. Suffice it to say, I am done sharing it. I shall now just do it.
You have been showing us ways to be “short and sweet” for some time now, and your discussion here fits right in. I see your book as part of your total message and package, so of course it has to be congruent with all the ways you present yourself.
Sometimes I love long writing, but I’ve also challenged myself to experiment with shorter pieces. so much depends on what the purpose of a particular piece is. I’m going to keep your “bite” example in mind for my readers.
Flourishing with words if superfluous are just fill-in. Descriptive so you see a picture is meaningful. Short and sweet can be impactful. Thanks Ann
Sue Bock
http://couragetoadventurecoaching.wordpress.com
I love that this is going to be a series and that you strategized with intention to get a book out that people will actually read. Taking my book and putting out “little bites” is my next step. Although my book doesn’t really contain much fluff, it is long. It is also Very full of material, from stories to exercises of different types (qigong, writing, meditations, life observations) so many people have now called it their “Bible” and open it at random to read something to inspire them for the day. I love that people can use it that way, but I also am acutely aware that I want to reach people who want to get info “one bite at a time”. So once again you inspire. Plus I Can’t Wait to get my signed copy in the mail SOON!
CONGRATULATIONS on your smarts and your accomplishment
Ann- Your reasons for why you wanted to do a little book are exactly some of the strongest reasons we started Our Little Books back in 2008. With the communication/information age, people receive information in little bytes and pieces- TV on when you are doing something else; radio in the car while you are getting someplace; video on the computer- all short bursts of info. We realized that people’s brains are now trained to receive information in that fashion (no opinion on whether that is good or bad, it just is what it is!) With the size of a little book, people can get short bursts of info and go back again and again (waiting in the car-pool lane picking up kids; waiting in a doctor’s office etc.,) and being little, it is easy to throw into a purse or stick it in your pocket.
Love that you got that and we were honored that you chose Our Little Books as your publishing format! Fun to work with you.
Candace Davenport
http://www.ourlittlebooks.com ~ Little Books with a Big Message