How long does it really take to write a nonfiction book?
You’re ready to write a nonfiction book but perhaps you’re feeling overwhelmed by how long it’s going to take. What will it be: months? years? Decades?
I know you’ve been dreaming about this for years but somehow it hasn’t quite happened.
Having a big project like “write my book” on your wish list is taking up a lot of your emotional energy, am I right?
No one else can really tell you how long it will take to write your book. Which is good news and bad news! Because it means YOU are in control of this timeline.
It’s ultimately great news that you’re living in the golden era of self-publishing because you have so much creative control over the process. You can truly write and publish a book in a weekend. Or in two weeks or two months.
However, you do need to be aware of the three main factors that will influence the time it takes you to go from idea to having your finished book in your hands and ready to share with the world.
1 - Determine the scope of your project. How many words or pages? Are you pulling from content or materials you’ve already written?
2 - Honor your true capacity to work on your book. You’ll need to set aside or create the time and energy you need to dedicate to the book.
3 - Create a support plan for yourself. This could look like a book coach, writing group, or other form of encouragement and accountability that helps you sustain your creative momentum to reach your goals.
This advice is focused on writing a book, but it’s based on universal wisdom for getting big projects done.
And it’s directly related to the methods I talk about in the Sacred Unplanning Workbook around honoring your creative cycles and making spacious, flexible commitments.
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I'm Leah Kent, a writer, book coach, and book designer.
I help radiant, creative visionaries just like you to bring their books and sacred body of work to life.
Click here to learn how we can work together to write the book that embodies and amplifies your visionary message.