[Beta Author deets below. Or click here.]

NaNoWriMo starts today! 

November is National Novel Writing Month and, in case you've missed it, this is the 14th year of this nutty annual event.

NaNoWriMo is a writing spree for thousands of would-be novelists who commit to churning out 50,000 words in 30 days.

The folks who run this free program are quirky and wonderful. 

NaNoWriMo.org gives you loads of practical tips on how to defeat writing demons and slay procrastination, keep the creative juices flowing and move forward every day.

The site features pep talks, forums, cartoons and more.  

I'm a huge fan of the event even though I haven't written fiction (yet).

How to apply NaNoWriMo to a nonfiction eBook

More recently, nonfiction writers have wondered if they can participate in NaNoWriMo. 

The answer is yes, even if you can't pronounce NaNonFiWriMo (National Nonfiction Writing Month). I can't.

Here are 3 ways to leverage the momentum of NaNoWriMo to help you write a short, nonfiction eBook. I participated last year, BTW. And am trying it again.

Today, I'm counting this newsletter and updates to my site for a total of 1,000 words. 

A short eBook can be as short as 15,000 words (that's about 60 pages) so I've reached my goal for the day.

Tip #1: Organize

Do you have content already written that you could use? Articles or blog posts?

Organize it electronically. I recommend using Evernote to scoop up and keep track of everything you come across - or have in hand - that relates to your book idea.

Dump your existing content into one Word document and then print it out. This gives you a chunk of raw material to start from. Once it's printed out, it's easier to organize.

Tip #2: Track your progress

Take advantage of word progress widgets to spur you on. The best ones do more than a word count. They show you visually how much you've written and how close you are to your goal.

Once you register on NaNoWriMo.org (free), they offer a number of widgets to show your progress: http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/widgets

I've used one that is embedded in writing software Scrivener.  

Other good ones include Writertopia's Word Progress Meters: http://www.writertopia.com/toolbox/meters

Tip #3: Don't write sequentially 

This is one of the oldest secrets to writing a book. Once you have a rough organization of the topics you plan to cover, pick ONE topic and start writing. Don't worry about where it will end up in your book.

Hint: don't start with your Introduction. It's easiest to write that when you're finished.

Start with NaNoWriMo; then join Beta Author Boost 

And yes, registration is open for my Beta Author Boost program: 8 weeks of professional guidance and feedback from me to help you complete a high-quality, short eBook for Kindle.

Emphasis on high quality, BTW.

Start with NaNoWriMo to rev your engines. Get a chunk of writing done. If you're pounding out the words, your writing will be rough.

Then join my program on Nov. 15th. You'll be way ahead of the game with the content you've created.

Deets here (enrollment is limited): http://voxiemedia.com/beta-authors 

Yours in the publishing revolution,











Debbie Weil
Founder & CEO, Voxie Media
Big Ideas. Short Books.™
email: debbie@voxiemedia.com
phone: 202.255.1467
twitter: @debbieweil
web: voxiemedia.com