You know as a speaker you need a book for the added credibility, but somehow you just can’t get yourself to sit down at a computer and write. You are not alone! Most of my clients are speakers who have this same issue. Between running your business, trying to secure lucrative speaking gigs, and general life circumstances, finding the time to write a book can be daunting.

But think about this: How hard is it for you to get up in front of a crowd to speak on something you’re passionate about for an hour or two? What if you could simply speak and turn your words into a book?

It is possible to speak your book! One hour’s worth of speaking can easily be turned into 35-40 pages of written text. Speak for only three hours and you have 100 pages you can turn into a decent-sized credibility-boosting book. Here are four easy steps to get your book done in record time:

Step 1: Speak and Record

This is so easy, it’s ridiculous. All you need to do for this step is to record yourself speaking on a topic you’re passionate about. It’s best to record yourself speaking on a subject you want to boost your credibility on the stage, as this will be the basis for the material in your book.

Step 2: Transcribe

Hire a transcriptionist to take your recording from Step 1 and turn it into a manuscript. This manuscript will be very raw, but all this raw material will be the foundation upon which you can build your book.

Step 3: Edit

Because we speak differently than we read, reading a directly spoken manuscript can be very difficult for the brain to comprehend. This is the most complex step to complete, as it will usually require a developmental editor. The good news is you can outsource this portion to a qualified editor and still remain hands-off for this part of the process.

Step 4: Publish

Now comes the fun part—watching your credibility-boosting book take shape before your eyes! The publishing process consists of cover design, layout, setting up for print, and distribution. After this step you’ll have a completed book to proudly display at the back of the room, increase your credibility, and land more speaking gigs and clients than ever before!

Advanced Strategy: Turn your webinars and teleseminars into small lead-generating Kindle books to reach an even larger market with your message! Want a more in-depth tutorial on how to speak your book? Grab my Kindle book Author’s Quick Guide to Turning Your Speech into a Book.

Speaking a book can be the best option for busy entrepreneurs who prefer the stage to sitting in front of the computer writing for hours on end. If this describes you, speak your book and get it done and distributed faster than you thought possible!

 

Kristen Joy

Kristen Joy

Kristen Joy Laidig is the founder of The Book Ninja. She has authored over 40 books, started over 50 publishing companies, trained over 10,000 authors worldwide, has her black belt in karate, and eats way too much chocolate. She currently changes lives through her students… one published message at a time, manages her two retail stores Toy Box Gifts & Wonder® and Nerdvana Outpost in the heart of her newfound hometown, Chambersburg, PA, is in the start-up phase of at least three new businesses at any given time, and generally causes anyone reading this bio to be out of breath. On her “off” time (what’s that?) she brainstorms business ideas with her awesome husband, the great Public Domain Expert himself, Tony Laidig, and hangs out with her two ragdoll kitties. She’s even been known to sleep... occasionally.

3 Comments

  • I love to write and fear public speaking!

    Perhaps someone could speak my books?

    Thanks, Kristen, for more great ideas.

  • Michael Ojelabi says:

    Somehow, we are not equally gifted.
    It’s kind of easier for me writing than speaking.
    Most probably ’cause I have not done much of public speaking or practice.
    I’ve benefited from the ideas here, should help me speak better, and bolder in communications generally.
    Thanks.
    Michael.

  • Phil Simon says:

    Good piece.

    And don’t forget speech to text (STT) software like Dragon. Not perfect, but it should expedite the process. 

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