You can always edit a bad page. You can’t edit a blank page.

Jodi Picoult

While many people are excited about the prospect of becoming a published author, there are a number of common doubts.

Over the coming weeks, let’s look at the top ten concerns people often raise about publishing their book.

Some things you may have heard or said yourself:

I don’t know where to start.

My days are already crammed.

I don’t have anything interesting to say.

…But there are already so many books in the world.

Publishing a book costs too much money.

A billion books, I’m only one person.

My writing is terrible.

Why would I want to publish a book?

What else does a book give my business?

Who doesn’t have a book? I don’t want to be the same.

If you have ever asked one of these questions, been concerned with these ideas or thought about them, I look forward to updating you over the upcoming weeks.

Where do you start?

Balancing the pros and cons to committing to write and publish a book is a big decision. One of the best places to start is to understand why you want to do this. Unless you have a compelling reason to embark on this journey you will not make it your ‘One Thing’.

To assist you with understanding why you want to write a book the following checklist will provide you will a foundation for building clarity for why you want to do this.

What have you already written about?

Think about articles, newsletters, or blogs that you’ve written. Or even webinars or presentations that you’ve delivered.

Why do you want to write a book?

Do you want to confirm your expertise, do you want to share your knowledge, or do you want to be able to allow your potential customers to understand more about what you do and how you can have a better relationship?

What is the goal of your book?

Are you wanting to build your business, will you use this as the basis of a training program, and who are the people that you are trying to reach?

What solution does your content offer the reader?

How much information do you need to provide to illustrate your expertise without overloading the audience?

Once you have considered these questions, you will likely have a better understanding of what you are trying to achieve.

Remember, this is not for everyone for everyone, and that’s okay. Do what works for you. If you decide this is for you then you need to make time to make it happen.

Make a decision.

As Seth Godin would say, ‘just start’. BUT as he also says, ‘Don’t just start. Continue, ship, repeat.’ And ‘anyone who watches an hour of TV a day has time to make art.’ Or in this case write a book.