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Want to Get Your Book Done? Get Focused and Get it Done! by Alan Baker
October 18, 2012
So. We’ve just had a power outage and I’m now writing in the dark, with only the eerie glow from my laptop to keep me company and a little more than half of my battery life left. Apparently, the city of Pasadena is having issues due to equipment failures and they have resorted to rolling brownouts (partially due to our abnormally hot October). Yes, rolling brownouts due to the heat in October.
I don’t really want to be writing this, but I have to. We have a schedule and I have to keep it. As a man of my word, I get my work done! So, inspired by the candlelight, I’m breaking from programming to impart some wisdom on those aspiring authors who are struggling to get their words down on paper (metaphorically speaking… you aren’t actually using pen and paper are you?!).
Several months ago, I had a conversation with one of our advisor, Chris Brogan – a bestselling author – and he relayed to me the question he gets asked most often: “I’m an author. How do I get my book published?”
Chris asks, “Have you written your book yet?”
The aspiring author responds, “No…”
His internal answer would be (this is my personal filler, folks) “write the effing book!” (Chris, if you’re reading this, apologies if you didn’t want this out there.)
Recently, we’ve just received a finished manuscript from one of our first Net Minds author, Mark Shulman, drummer for Pink, Foreigner, and many more. His book is called Nerve Breakers: Conquering Life’s Stage Fright. He’s an awesome guy and a busy, busy man, but he manages to stay on task. With how much he has going on, it’s a wonder he stays focused, but he does. To be fair, he has an awesome team (a Net Minds team, in fact) behind him, but he also has something many don’t: focus and discipline. I admire him for his strong work ethic.
If you read Tim’s interview with Todd Sattersten, Every Book is a Startup, you’ll understand why I’m harping on this point with books. In startups, we have limited cash, but a lot of talent and a fantastic idea, with product market fit. But a great idea without execution is meaningless. Yeah, I know, it sucks; sometimes you have to wear a lot of hats. But when you’re focused on what you want to accomplish and what you’re trying to impart on the world (your readers), it makes it easier to muscle through the noise and get it done.
Let’s take me as an example. First, I’m not an author, though I do have an unfinished novel (uh, we’ll call it 30% complete). What can I say? I lost steam on it; I lacked focus! Today, I have a million other ideas swirling around in my head and if it wasn’t for my wife, Beth, admittedly I’d have less focus to get things done. I basically need someone to slap me on the face to stay with the one good idea that needs to be executed.
I used to be able to do this on my own, but somehow, marriage made me dependent. (You get I’m joking, right?)
What my wife helps me to see is the simple lesson that not all of my ideas are great, and not all of them need attention. And if they did, it would be better to pass them off to someone else who can get them out in the world rather than horde them until I can get to them. She asks me questions to help me hone in on where my passions are and what I really want to get done.
Net Minds… my startup… your book… they’re sides of the same coin! Where is your head? What’s motivating you to publish your book? Are you writing the right book, or do you need to shift gears and write something more suited to you? Whatever your answer, you need the clarity and focus to answer these kinds of questions and give you the discipline to just... Get. It. Done.
But what do you do when you just can’t muscle through? I’m really more of a shovel through the snow with a flamethrower kind of guy. But what if you just don’t have a flamethrower, or you’re “not feeling it”?
Stay tuned for part 2 from Beth, “What to Do When You Get that Not So Creative Feeling”. Oh no… a cliffhanger!
About Alan Baker
I'm a tech entrepreneur, expert in marketing, UX, and coding. I design web products balancing business and people. I make the Internet a better place. I craft clever campaigns that make marketing meaningful. I believe in partnerships, fairness, and transparency. And I don't sell myself out, ever.
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