

Book 1 of the Adventure Author Series

Writing

for

Adventure Authors

Turn Your Travel Journal into an Amazing First Draft

By Jon Doolan

Dedicated to the members of the Adventure Writers' Club. Keep adventuring!

Copyright © Jon Doolan 2018

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photography, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the author except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review.

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Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1 – The Fundamentals of Book Writing

Chapter 2 – Build Your Platform

Chapter 3 – Planning

Chapter 4 – Writing

Chapter 5 – Attaching Your Butt to Your Chair

What to do Next?

My Favourite Podcasts

Sneak Peek – Book 2 – Self-Publishing for Adventure Authors

Thank Yous

About Author

Other Books By Jon
Foreword

There are three reasons to write the story of your adventure.

1. To get so rich that you can retire with a red Ferrari and a hot tub.

2. Because reading travel books inspired you to travel, and you want to pass that feeling on to other people.

3. You enjoy the process and challenge of writing, and you want to record the

memories of your wonderful adventure.

Many aspiring travel writers make the mistake of focussing on Reason 1. Why is it a mistake? Partly because it almost certainly won't happen: I have published nine travel books, with three more in various stages of completion, and I am still jumping into cold rivers, not hot tubs! But mostly because the best way to earn money from writing is to forget about earning money from writing and instead focus on writing the best book you can write. If it's good enough, the rest will come. Ask Cheryl Strayed or Bill Bryson.

Which leaves writing because you love reading stories and sharing stories, and writing because you loved your travels and want to keep the memory alive. These are both excellent reasons, and this book is a strong start point for getting you up and running.

If you are thinking of being an Adventure Writer, and if you are anything like me, there are a few obstacles that you need to overcome before beginning. These probably include:

  * Feeling like an imposter. "An Adventurer? Me?! A Writer? Me?! I'm just an ordinary person..."

  * Being daunted. "Writing a whole book? Me?! That sounds really hard..."

  * Procrastinating. "Start writing a book? Definitely. But first I need to buy a fancy MacBook and some new pens. And have a cup of tea. And check Twitter. Again..."

I like that this book launches straight in with tackling these misconceptions. If you have been on something that feels like an adventure to you, then you are an adventurer. If you want to write a book, you need to attach your butt to a chair, and begin. But first, maybe read this book. And have a cup of tea. And Tweet to your friends about this book. But after that? It's time to begin!

Good luck

Alastair Humphreys

(April 2018. Procrastinating from writing my own book.)
Introduction

This book is the first in a three book series that will take you from a scrappy old travel journal to a fully Self-Published Adventure Book in 90 days.

Over the next 30 days, with the help of this book, you will learn exactly what you need to know to create the first draft of your Adventure Book.

But first of all you need to ask yourself one question.

Are you an Adventurer?

How would you know?

It's quite simple really. Read the following statements ask yourself if any of them apply to you:

  * Have you travelled to exotic landscapes or faraway places?

  * Do you spend your hard earned cash living a life of experiences rather than hoarding things?

  * Do you have constantly itchy feet, always looking for the next thrill or escapade?

  * Do you embrace engaging people from exciting cultures?

  * Do you push the boundaries on what is possible, for you and/or for mankind?

If you said 'Yes!' to any of these questions then you are most definitely an Adventurer.

Throw into the mix the fact that you're probably skint, in need of a wash and are more than likely harbouring a handful of tropical diseases then you can officially call yourself a certified Adventurer.

Maybe you didn't say 'Yes!' to any of those questions.

Maybe the most exotic place you have been to is Blackpool on a Saturday night.

Maybe you've been on a completely different adventure.

Maybe your adventure took place within your mind.

Maybe you were faced with some visible or invisible barrier to living the life of your dreams.

Maybe you have an illness or a disability to contend with.

Maybe it's a social, emotional, financial or cultural barrier you faced in being the person you want to be.

Maybe your adventure has been a learning adventure.

Maybe you've discovered something or learned a new way of doing something that you that you think would be of value to the rest of the world.

Maybe you feel that you haven't had any adventures at all.

I bet you have.

I bet if you really thought about it, that there would be at least one achievement that you're really proud of. Something that took more effort than you thought possible. Something that pushed you outside of your comfort zone. Something that involved hard graft and determination. Something that you really strived for and stretched you physically and emotionally.

_That_ is your adventure.

Maybe you don't think your adventure is inspirational. Let me tell you it is. No one has been through the difficulties that you have. No one has faced the world in the way that you have. And no one can tell your story better than you can.

That is why I strongly believe that EVERYONE has a story to tell.

ANYONE can be an ADVENTURER!

And now, thanks to the wonder of Self-Publishing, **ANYONE** can also become an **ADVENTURE AUTHOR**.
The Adventure Author Book Series

This Book Series has been designed to help you turn your travel journal or incredible life story into an amazing book that you can be proud of.

I'll also be sharing with you the tools you need to get the book in front of as many people as possible and, potentially, make some money out of it.

I say 'potentially' because I don't want to lead you up some dark alley in some god-forsaken town only to shank you and run off with your travellers' cheques. Save that for chapter 15 of your book!

It's a fact that MOST books that are published, whether through Self-Publishing or Traditional Publishing, do not make much money. Unless you already have a huge following like Ranulph Fiennes or Bear Grylls you're unlikely to be swimming in a pool of money Scrooge McDuck style (can you actually imagine Bear Grylls doing that? I bet he'd still find a snake in there that he'd have to bite the head off of!).

Or you could get hit by the lucky stick like J.K. Rowling. We can always hope.

No, you're unlikely to make wads of dough. But that's cool. There are other great reasons to write a book which we will come on to shortly.

Like a ninja from the night, here's your first tip.

I gave up my job as a teacher to become an Adventure Author.

Financially, it was the worst mistake I ever made.

Thankfully, I've got a long-suffering and incredibly supportive wife who was willing to pay the bills for a year while I found my feet.

But if you don't have someone who's willing or able to take on the mantle of sole bread winner then you're probably going to want to keep the steady income rolling in.

In this book series I will teach you how you can Write, Publish and Market your book without handing in you notice. It's going to take some sacrifices but the financial stability of you and your family is understandably not a sacrifice you should be willing to make.

So, as long as your job isn't slowly grinding you into an early grave, keep hold of that income. Think of it this way: you're going to be actively working towards an incredible career where you are in control and you are doing something that you are passionate about (i.e. writing and adventuring. If you don't like those two things put this book down now and step away). If the boss is getting on your nerves just go to your happy place. You'll be at your peaceful writing desk soon.

This Book is For Adventurers

If you haven't noticed already, this Book Series is targeted specifically at Adventurers. All of the processes are described with an Adventurer's perspective in mind.

As mentioned, there are a few common traits among adventurers. They don't mind not washing for days on end and they're normally short of cash.

Now one of these traits will be addressed in this book series. I will take you through the entire process, from start to finish, and by the end you could have spent exactly no money whatsoever on publishing your book if you wish.

That's right! You can create a Self-Published book FOR FREE!

(NB: I can't do anything about your stinking feet)

However, I will also mention where I would recommend that you spend money. I will also recommend services that I think are good value for money. None of these services pay me commission (yet) and you are free to choose which option, paid or free, you take throughout the book series.

Throughout I will be giving examples from my own experiences Writing, Publishing and Marketing books in the adventure world. I'll be sharing my successes and also my mistakes. Especially my mistakes. I've made loads of mistakes. I've made more mistakes then Scott of the Antarctic (though obviously with less serious consequences). I want to make sure that you don't make the same mistakes as me.

I'll also be raiding my adventure book shelf for case studies to make things a little less like the consistency of a Welsh bog during the World Bog Snorkelling Championships.

I'll try to keep things light. Reading some of the How to Write a Book books is often like standing next to that intensely boring bloke at the party who keeps banging on about his expedition credentials. It's mind-numbingly dull and all you want to do is head for the hills. Hopefully you'll want to take this book with you for some starlit reading.

This 3 book series will described PRECISELY what you need to do to WRITE, PUBLISH and MARKET your first adventure book. Each book will take you through a step-by-step process that has been proven to get results. Each stage of the process will have actionable steps that you should complete before you move on to the next stage. Yes, I'll actually expect you to DO something. Getting a book published just doesn't happen by magic, you know!

If you follow my processes then you will have an incredible book to be proud of. If you choose to go down your own path (and let's face it, taking the trail less travelled is to be expected with Adventurers) then that's fine. There is no ONE way to publish a book. There is no 'golden bullet' to successful book publishing. There are many different routes you could take and, I'm sure, some of them will potentially be more successful that the route I am going to take you.

However, what I can promise you is this. If you follow the process outlined in this book series then:

  1. you WILL have an amazing published adventure book in 90 days or less.

  2. you WILL sell that book and make some money from it.

Book 1 – Writing for Adventure Authors

This book, the one that's in your grubby mitts right now, is your bible for turning your travel journals into an awesome first draft. It will take you from DAY 1 of your writing journey to DAY 30 and the following topics will be covered:

  * Building your author platform

  * Planning an incredible book

  * How to write a first draft in 30 days

  * Some of the psychological hurdles you may come across

  * A sneaky trick to write the book without actually writing it

Book 2 – Self-Publishing for Adventure Authors

Book 2 in the series will cover the essentials to bring your book from the first draft stage all the way to being 'Publish-ready'. It will take you from DAY 30 to DAY 60.

Book 3 – Book Marketing for Adventure Authors

Book 3 in the series takes your amazing book and makes it work for you. This is not the time to take your foot off the accelerator. From DAY 61 to 90 you will be MARKETING the bejezzus out of the book and making money from it.

Each book will be accompanied by a workbook. You can get ahead of the game and download the workbook for the ' _Writing for Adventure Authors_ ' now by hitting this link.

If you got it already I bet you were one of those kids who did their homework on a Friday night, weren't you? Good on you!

And if you are super awesome and incredible then you might be interested in joining the  Adventure Writers' Club. It's a FREE Facebook group that is full of Adventure Authors, bloggers, travel writers and poets. It's a really friendly community that will help support you in achieving your writing goals.
Why are there 3 Books?

You might be thinking 'Why 3 books?'. Maybe I've broken the publishing process up so that I can make loads of extra dosh out of you.

That's only partly true.

(Just kidding!)

For starters this book is 100% free and it will always be free. And secondly, the following two books in the series together come to less than what I would have charged for the entire series anyway.

What I'm trying to say is I'd probably make more money as a Syrian tour operator than I'll make from selling these books.

That's NOT why I wrote them.

I've written these books because I want to show YOU how surprisingly simple it is to WRITE, PUBLISH and MARKET your own books.

I'm just a massive fan of adventure books. Whenever I'm not on adventures myself I'm travelling down the Amazon with Ed Stafford or cycling round the world with Alastair Humphreys.

All I want to do is make sure the world (and my bookshelf) is full of incredible adventure books.

And that's where YOU come in.

I fully believe that everyone has a story to tell. Whether it's an adventure big or small, everyone has got some hurdle they've faced, or some incredible place they've been or some challenge they've succeeded at.

However, some of the most amazing stories are locked up in people who are too fearful to commit them to a book. Or too humble to think their story is worth reading. Or are just plain unaware that the ability to self-publish is now comfortably within all of our reaches.

My end goal is ultimately to have more inspirational stories in the world, which will in turn inspire more people to go on adventures. I can inspire people with my books. But imagine how many people I can inspire if I can teach a hundred people how to write down their adventures?

So why the hell are there three books? Why not put it all in one book?

Oh, hello Reader. I was just talking about you. Are you going to be popping up in _italics_ throughout the book?

Only when it suits me. Now, answer the question, Jon. Why are there three books? Is it because you like to be intentionally annoying?

No. The reason that you are holding in your hand only one third of the entire process from bringing your book from a blank page into an awesome memoir is because I am a strong believer in 'Last Minute Learning'.

Last Minute Learning

What on earth is 'Last Minute Learning'?

I'm glad you asked. 'Last Minute Learning' is the process of only learning things directly before they are needed. There is no need to learn about publishing your book before you've even written it. There's no point learning how to run a book launch until you are ready to publish.

Take it from me. I went into this Self-Publishing world wanting to learn absolutely everything there was to know about Self-Publishing. I was desperate to absorb every bit of information from every possible resource. I scoured Amazon, Audible and iBooks. I subscribed to as many podcasts on Self-Publishing as I could. I delved into author coaches' websites until my eyes were bleeding.

I realised that I was massively overwhelmed.

I was learning about using my book as a business card to increase the fee I could charge at speaking gigs. This was before I had a book. Or had done any speaking (apart from, you know, normal speaking. Been doing that for years. I'm fricking amazing at it!).

I was learning about the different forms of Facebook and Amazon advertising before I had anything to advertise.

I was learning about translations and pricing points in India and China before I had any words to translate. Or prices to... er... price.

What I wish I had been given is this book.

Just the basics. Simply how could I turn the stuff that was inside my journal and whirling around my mind like a murky river into words that fit neatly onto a page.

Then I wish I'd had my second book. How to make that pile of messy words into the most incredible book ever.

Then I wish I'd had the third book in this series. A step-by-step process to turn the book into a success and reach as many people as possible.

That is why I have written three books. That is why I have broken the process down. Does that answer your question?

Yes, thank you.

And will you be back later in the book whenever you might have a question?

Yes, I will. See you in a bit.

What YOU don't need to have is all the information RIGHT NOW.

It's like I'm in the MI5 and the information is strictly need to know. You can pretend you're James Bond in this metaphor if you like.

I mean you could cheat. You could read all three in one go if it took your fancy. No one would know, apart from you.

But how could you live with yourself? How could you look at yourself in a mirror? Shame on you!

Trust me. I will only give you the information that you need at the time that you need it and I'll only give you just enough information to complete the step and know WHY you are doing what you are doing.

Read the books one at a time and complete the processes within the book before moving on to the next one. Be a good egg.

It will save your brain from leaking out of your ears.
Why Self-Publishing is for you

Now you may be thinking that you don't want to go down the Self-Publishing route. Or you may have an open mind about what Self-Publishing really is. You may be wondering if Self-Publishing is really for you.

Do you know what? I'm not going to tell you.

Why not? Isn't it essential that I know how to Publish my book now?

No. Right now, it doesn't matter.

Whether you are planning on Self-Publishing or following the Traditional Publishing route, at this stage, it really makes no difference. If all you want to do is write an incredible book and not even publish it at all then that's fine too.

To be honest, you could write the first draft, print it out and use it as toilet paper. I really don't mind.

As long as you write the blessed thing in the first place.

This book is about WRITING, not PUBLISHING.

If you want the ins and outs of Self vs Traditional Publishing, check out the first chapter in the next book (after you have completed your first draft of course!).

And here's a tip, if you're an absolute cheap skate (like me) you can go and check that out over at Amazon any time you want without buying the book. Just click on the 'Look Inside' button and you'll get the first few chapters anyway.

See how this whole 'Last Minute Learning' thing works now?
A Little About Me

Here's some background about me and my story. If you don't give a monkey's who I am then skip ahead a chapter. I won't feel sad, honest. I probably won't even know.

So, my name is Jon Doolan, which you have probably guessed as it is on the front of the book.

Kenya 2001

I've loved travelling since I went on an expedition to Kenya at 17. I had to save up for 2 years to fund the trip which was organised by World Challenge. 30 hormone driven immature kids descended on the unsuspecting population of Nairobi and with the general ignorance and ineptitude of a new-born giraffe we managed to survive for a whole month without killing ourselves, or each other. We had an incredible time climbing mountains and dropping down white water rapids. We met slum orphans and Maasai tribespeople. We travelled by matatu and train and camel and raft. It was an absolutely earth-shattering experience. Literally, mind blown.

Well, I don't mean literally. That would have been a bit messy and I'm sure would have involved a lot of paperwork for the school.

What did I do when I got home?

I spent a year extracting every detail from my journals and from the rapidly depleting memories and writing it all up into a huge word document. When I say every detail I mean EVERY detail. Every single thing of any interest no matter how small was included.

I called it 'Kenya: The Doolan POV' (which stands for Point of View).

At 18 I went to uni and forgot about it.

Until one day I was handing my dissertation into the university print room to be bound into a book. A thought occurred to me.

'I wonder if I could write a book and get it bound here.'

So I did. I went back to the library and printed out the Kenya book and got it bound.

That was my first ever experience of Self-Publishing an Adventure Book.

I've still got it on my shelf. It's really awful!

Sardines 2009

Fast forward 8 years and I'd just finished a year of acting like a complete douchebag. My best mate, Harry, and I were sat in a pub in Soho when we dreamed up this imaginary figure. We called him the Mission Challenger. His purpose was to inspire the general public to complete exciting and positive challenges. We then spent 12 months creating challenges for each other to complete, from befriending a tramp to starting a fashion statement to doing a stand-up comedy gig.

In secret I wrote up the whole wonderful year into an adventure book as an account of what we had achieved. This time, without the luxury of a university binding facility, I saved on the trees and just emailed it to Harry. The word document was called 'Sardines' after the name of the group (which was 'Sex for Sardines'. Don't ask. It's an embarrassing name and I'd rather not talk about it).

About a month later a package arrived through my door.

In it was a book. On the front was a picture of some sardines in a tin.

'No way!' I said out loud. To myself. Clearly the first sign of madness.

I was holding my own book in my hand for the first time. This thing which I had written was bound in a book with a nice shiny cover on it. Inside were words which I had actually typed. With my fingers.

It was like magic.

I'd always been a massive fan of books (which writer isn't) but I'd always thought that they were only for people who were actual writers. People who had contracts and agents and publishers. People like Terry Pratchett and Stephen King and Andy McNab.

Here I was holding a book which I'd written and Harry had published and we'd done it with none of that stuff.

If I could write one book, maybe I could write another. But then life got in the way and I put it out of my mind.

Jon and Harry's Year of Microadventure 2015

Fast forward a handful more years and I'd married my university sweetheart and we'd had our first child. Despite the usual pressures of family life, Harry and I managed to spend 12 months sleeping under the stars attempting to complete Alastair Humphreys' Year of Microadventure challenge. I sat down in my evenings and wrote another book.

This one was crazy and brilliant in equal measures. Both my wife and I were working full time. My young child was in nursery part time and at Granny-care for the rest of it. I was constantly driving between the in-laws, work and my home with barely a moment to think or do anything.

However, I managed to wangle one evening a week where I was alone in the house. That time was precious. I dedicated every moment to either going on adventures or writing. Every evening when I arrived in at the in-laws, I put the Sprog to bed then I sat down and typed. Every spare moment for the whole of November and December was spent writing.

In the New Year the book was finished. I'd wanted to give it to Harry for a Christmas present but I was a couple of weeks too late.

I then found out that Alastair Humphreys, the initial inspiration for the challenge, was talking at local school for my town's literary festival so I set that as the deadline. I got the publishing done in a couple of weeks and me and Harry went down to watch him speak.

After he was finished he spent some time talking to the audience. I queued up sandwiched between a pair of cub scouts, which is not somewhere where an upstanding member of the society should find themselves.

At last it was my turn. I awkwardly greeted Alastair like a shy teenager at a One Direction concert (which shows my age because I'm pretty sure they've split up), handed him the book (which I'd wrapped in tin foil as I'd run out of wrapping paper), bowed and backed away like I imagine people greeting the Queen might have to do.

Alastair held the tinfoil wrapped book like it might have been a bomb. Or dirty underpants. Or whatever else groupies give their idols. 'It's my book,' I mumbled.

Alastair smiled and said 'Thanks. See you soon,' before he started talking to the cub behind me.

'He actually said, "See you soon!"' I said to Harry giddily as we walked home. 'That's, like, contractual, right?!'

Harry just looked at me with pity.

About an hour later I was linked into a Twitter comment.

It was him. It was Alastair. Oh. My. God!

This is cool! Someone's written a book about their Year Of Microadventure! Well done @jondoolan1. Love this.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh!! He loves it!!

Harry loved it too and told me that I should publish it. I wasn't sure so ummed and ahhed about it for about 6 months.

Long story short (or shorter at least) I asked Alastair (or Al as I can call him now because we're on first name terms and everything. We're practically best mates. Only I'm not sure that he knows this fact) over email whether he thought Self-Publishing it would be a good idea. He did. So I did.

And I did what everyone does. I put it up on Amazon and sat back to watch the royalties rolling in. That's how Self-Publishing works, right? I'd written it. I'd published it. It was only a matter of time before my genius would be discovered.

But nothing happened. Obviously.

Fast Forward to Now

A year later and, due to circumstances (like starting to fall out of love with the daily commute and starting to fall into love with the idea of being having the word 'author' as my career title) I jacked in my job as a teacher.

I wanted to be an Adventure Author full time so, in between being a Stay At Home Dad and doing the odd bit of supply teaching, I have been writing and self-publishing and listening to podcasts and reading books and learning, learning, learning.

So cut to today. I have 5 books published. I've created the _Self-Publishing for Adventurers_ online coaching course (well almost) and I manage the closed Facebook Group ' _The Adventure Writers' Club_ '.

I'm still not earning millions but I realised that there are more ways (better ways) to measure success than with money.

More on that later.

For now, like a wild swimmer thinking about the best way to enter a Scottish loch in January, let's dive in.

# CHAPTER 1

The Fundamentals of Book Writing

You could just start day 1 by writing. You'd already be 24 hours closer to finishing your first draft. However, I urge you to stop for a moment and think about the following questions.

  * 'WHY?' you want to write a book.

  * 'WHO?' your PERFECT READER is.

  * 'WHAT?' changes you want to see in your PERFECT READER from before they start reading your book until they have finished the final page.

(By the way, PERFECT READER is in capitals because they are just that important!)

In this chapter we will go through these questions one by one and identify your answers.

But you said that I can just start writing if I wanted to...

Yes, Reader. You could. But I can assure you that within a week you will have lost direction in your writing, you'd have lost motivation in completing the book and your chances of success will have massively dwindled.

Getting to the end of the first draft doesn't need to be painful.

Take the time to establish the Fundamentals of Book Writing and you will save so much pain and heart ache later. You'll save time wasted in writing needless rubbish and effort in editing pointless drivel.

If you get your Fundamentals in place and you'll speed through the rest of the Writing process with purpose and determination.
Know Your 'WHY?'

So you want to write an Adventure Book.

Why?

What possible purpose would there be for you writing this book? What do you hope to gain from writing your book?

This single question (alright, that was 3 questions. Stop being pedantic) is THE MOST important piece of knowledge that you will have in the writing of your book. To be truthful, if you read this chapter and this chapter alone, you could probably go away and, with a bit of common sense and creativity, write a decent Adventure Book.

(That's not to say the rest of this book is pointless. It's definitely worth a goggle.)

Once you've established WHY you are writing a book then you can easily work out your 'WHO?' 'WHAT?' and 'HOW?' It's like the 'WHY?' is the key that unlocks the whole writing process and makes something that is unwieldy and unmanageable into something logical and possible.

Here are the most common reasons for writing a book.

'I want to write a book to reach as many people as possible.'

Or

'I want to write a book to make as much money as possible.'

Let me just be clear that both of these reasons are absolute garbage!

They're rubbish because they apply to every writer since some Ancient Egyptian stone mason started scratching pictures of animals on the inside of a pyramid.

(Ok, bad example. He probably didn't think there were be much of an audience for his hieroglyphic graffiti on the _inside_ of a tomb.)

Who in their right minds writes a book that they intend for no one to read? Who passes up on the opportunity to make a 'passive income' from their book?

(Yes, I'm aware that I am giving THIS book away for diddly-squat but, if you haven't worked it out already, I'll explicitly tell you why that is in the MARKETING book.)

Making Money While You Sleep

While I'm mentioning 'passive income' it's probably worth delving into that topic very briefly.

One of the reasons that I love being an Adventure Author is that I can earn money while I sleep.

As long as my book is on sale online, anyone in the world at any time of day or night can buy it.

That means I could be earning money in the bath. I could be earning money while I'm out on a run. I could earn money while I'm stuck in traffic. I could literally earn money at any moment in my life without lifting a finger.

I could even earn money while I'm out on another Adventure!

Obviously I've got to put the hard work in to start with by actually producing a book that people are going to want to buy.

However, this sort of 'passive income' money making capability is amazing and worth taking a moment to consider. Every time I write I am adding something to my 'body of work'. Every time I put my fingers on my keyboard I am creating assets that I can sell at a future date. My ideas become my products, but only when they are committed to paper (or computer).

I'm going to talk more about money and business in future books. Just be aware for now that every time you create something you are potentially making your future self richer and more relaxed.

The REAL Reason You're Writing This Book

Ok, back to the main topic of this chapter.

What is the REAL reason that you want to write this book? Be honest.

You might say:

  * 'I want to write a book so that I can have it on my shelf at home.'

  * 'I want to write a book for the enjoyment of writing and for the fulfilment of completing a project.'

  * 'I want to write a book for a gift for someone. My children for example.'

These are the answers a hobbyist would give. Someone who is writing purely for the joy of writing. These are the sort of people who don't want to make money out of their books. Mad, I know!

However, there is nothing wrong with these answers. They are clear on what their end goal looks like and they are extremely achievable.

They are also the answers that I gave when I first started writing and self-publishing.

Here are some different answers:

  * 'I want to write a book to inspire people to get outside on their own adventures.'

  * 'I want to write a book as a way to invite people into my on-line community / into other products that I have to sell.'

  * 'I want to write a book as a way of giving myself more recognition in the world of adventure.'

  * 'I want to write a book as a calling card to get more speaking gigs.'

Now we're getting somewhere. These are the responses of a professional who is looking to further their career. They are for people striving to build their audience and sell more products.

These are the answers that I NOW give when asked what is my 'WHY?'.

Here are some final ideas:

  * 'I want to write a book as a first step into a career as an author.'

  * 'I want to write a book to improve my writing craft and story-telling.'

  * 'I want to write a book to make £10,000 or to sell 5,000 books on the launch week.'

  * 'I want to write a book to become an Amazon category bestseller.'

  * 'I want to write a book to win a literary award.'

Again, all legitimate answers.

What is your reason for writing a book? Be honest with yourself. If you're not honest with yourself now then you'll be wasting your time later rewriting stuff to try and achieve your 'WHY?'

It's absolutely fine if you have more than one reason.

Come on Pinocchio, fess up. What's your 'WHY?'

Once you've come up with an answer click this link. It will take you to my website where your ' _Writing for Adventure Authors: WorkBook_ ' is waiting (if you haven't picked it up already). On it, in the first box, write down your 'WHY?'.

Measuring Success

Now you know what your 'WHY?' is, it's time to work out how you will know if you have been successful in achieving your 'WHY?'.

Basically, what you need to know is what success will look like to you.

For everyone it is different, and it will depend completely on your aspirations, ambition and, to be honest, how much you are willing to give to achieving this success.

So, as an easy example, if you're 'WHY?' is to win a literary award for your adventure book then success for you might look like this:

In 2 years' time I will have won the Edward Stanford Travel Book of the Year Award.

To establish what success will look like to you, you're going to create a target. An immovable objective that will let you know whether you have been successful in achieving your 'WHY?' or not.

This target needs 2 main components:

  * A Deadline

  * A Measure

Deadline

You need to know when you will achieve your target by. You need to set yourself a deadline.

In my example above I have 2 years to win that book award. That's by no means an easy feat but at least I know when my deadline is and when I have to achieve it by.

In the Self-Publishing for Author Book Series we will be following a 90 Day schedule to go from blank page to published adventure book. If you follow it exactly you can set your deadline to achieve your book publication 90 Days after you finish _this_ book, and start writing _yours_.

If your goal is to get a certain number of sales, or speaking gigs, or (dare I say it) money, then you might have to think about adding a few months to years to the 90 Day deadline depending on how ambitious you are.

A Measure

With my example it's pretty obvious if I have won the award or been completely neglected from the short list. With other targets, specifically money or readership targets, it's useful to have a specific number to aim for.

Though a word of warning. If your target is exclusively how much money you are going to make on a book you are going to give yourself a lot of undue pressure which, let's be honest, we all could do with a little less of.

My advice, aim for numbers of readership. Not only will this boost sales in the long run but it will increase your fan base and future earnings too.

Now it's your turn.

Underneath where you wrote your 'WHY?' in your workbook write down your Measure of Success. How will you know that you've reached your goal? What will success look like to you?
Know your 'WHO?'

One of the most common mistakes of people writing their first book is that they forget that the point of a book is for someone else to read it.

Of course I want someone else to read the book. That's why I'm writing it, isn't it?

Yes, it is. But human nature makes us focus internally when we write. We are taking stuff out of our own brain and putting it on the page. When we read it back to ourselves we forget that someone else reading it can't read between the lines. We forget that our enjoyment of our own writing, especially if it is about an adventure that we have been on, is exponentially greater than someone else reading it who wasn't there. They didn't see the vistas and mountains and deserted beaches that we did. They haven't heard the rush of the river or felt the ice crystals form on the end of their noses like we did.

When we are writing we transpose our own thoughts and feelings into the book. The trick of good writing is to trust the reader to put their own stamp onto it. We have to give them the tools to understand the story from their own perspective.

When we are writing we _have_ to remember that someone else is reading it.

For now all we need to know is WHO is stood beside us as we gaze out at a new dawn over the desert? WHO will be feeling the hopelessness of depression as they read about the lowest moments? WHO will finish this uplifting journey and beat the odds with you?

Put simply, WHO will be reading the book?

If we know WHO will be reading the book it will make it more clear on HOW you are going to write the book.

Be specific.

Your PERFECT READER

For example, when I write my adventure books I write them for my best friend, Harry. He is a fairly normal, middle-class, white guy with a bit of a bonkers sense of humour who is always up for a laugh. When I write with him in mind I find that I try to inject more humour into the book. The tone is much less serious and I'm able to go off on tangents and take the mickey out of myself and others.

Harry, though I doubt he realises this, is my PERFECT READER.

So WHO are you going to write your book for? Who do you think would get the most out of it? Which of your friends would your book be perfect for?

What characteristics does that person have? What books do they read? What TV programmes or movies do they watch? What leisure activities do they do? Are they wealthy or is money likely to be lean?

Where do they live? In the UK or abroad? In the city or in the countryside?

What is their family situation? Do they have kids? Is their elderly mum living with them? Are they single, married or divorced?

What gender are they? What sexual preference do they have? What race are they? Are you writing for a minority?

All of these questions will decide how you write your book.

Get your PERFECT READER in your mind's eye. Can you picture them? Good.

Now fill in as much detail about that person in the workbook. The more specific you can be the better.

Solving Their Problem

If you want your book to be a success you need it to solve your PERFECT READER's problem.

If you've got to this point in the book you probably already have a pretty good idea of what your book is going to be about. You've probably got an adventure or personal journey or specific knowledge in mind that you think would be the most inspirational / educational / engaging to share.

But just humour me for a moment. Let's explore exactly what your book is going to be about by examining the problem it will solve for the reader.

Think about this question: When someone gets to the end of your book how will they have changed?

For example: A superb adventure book is Alastair Humphreys _Microadventures: Local Discoveries for Great Escapes_. At the start of reading it I thought wild-camping was something for homeless people. By the end I was raring to get outdoors and sleep under the stars like a hobo. I'd already bought my first ever bivvy bag before I'd even reached the end of the book.

Another example: Jamie McDonald wrote the epic _Adventureman: Anyone can be a Superhero_. At the start I was just interested in his adventure across Canada. By the end I was inspired by his fundraising achievements, his ability to push his body through adversity and his unending positivity. I wanted to go and test my body to see what I could achieve. I definitely wanted to go and see him talk and, on a whim, I'd booked myself onto an ultra-endurance event in Scotland.

So what about your book?

Is it going to be a specific adventure, i.e. going from A to B using a specific method of transport?

If so, how do you want the reader to have changed from the start of the book to the end? Do you want them to believe that they could achieve a similar goal? Do you want them to understand some of the hurdles that you had to overcome? Was the trip emotional? Was it fraught with danger?

Or

Is your book about a personal journey, i.e. you had an illness or socio-cultural barrier to overcome to achieve your dreams?

Are you targeting people within your specific community or is this a book for anyone to read? Are you sending a message to the powers that be to create change in your area? Do you want the reader to have an emotional connection to your cause and so change their own lives? Do you want them to gain understanding of your under-represented predicament?

Or

Is your book a non-fiction How-To book?

Are you imparting some knowledge that will solve a specific problem? Are you sharing your wisdom on a certain niche in the adventure world? Is your deep learning activity aimed at improving the understanding of your readers?

Or

Is your book purely for entertainment purposes? Are you writing it solely for the enjoyment of the Armchair Adventurer?

So what is your book going to be about?

What changes do you want to see in the people that read your book? What problem are you trying to solve?

Once again fill in the workbook.
Title?

You'll notice that in the workbook it doesn't ask you for a title. This is deliberate. At this stage you don't need a title.

What? But I need a title. What will I call my book?

Sorry, Reader, you'll just have to wait. In fact, I'd actively avoid boxing yourself in with a title so early on. If you have a title you may end up writing towards that title rather than writing towards the reader experience.

I read a self-help book once which had the most incredible title (I won't tell you what it is). The first couple of chapters were riveting. I couldn't put it down. But as the book went on I realised more and more that the writer just kept coming back to the title of the book. It was like he was in constant turmoil. The moment he started to explore something interesting he did an about turn and talked about how the topic related to the title of the book. Clearly the title of the book was more important than the content.

Remember – The ultimate goal of your book should be reader satisfaction. Even if you are only writing for yourself, you want to have had a fun experience by the end of the book. You don't want to be constrained by the title.

I would call your book something intentionally bland, like 'Kenya Book' or 'Mountain Book' or whatever.

You will come up with the most awesome title but you don't need to know about that just yet...

Now you have a choice.

  * If your 'WHY?' was something that a hobbyist would say, like writing a book purely for the joy of writing, as a present for someone or for vanity reasons then skip the next chapter and start again on the PLANNING chapter. You don't need to know about website design and online interaction with your readers.

  * If you are serious about using your book to grow an audience / get more recognition / make some money then let's jump straight into the next chapter.

# CHAPTER 2

Build Your Platform

We're not building a literal platform here. You can put the hammer and nails down.

Instead we're going to jump into the marketing.

But, Jon, this book is about WRITING my adventure book. Why isn't this section in the marketing book?

Because it is paramount that you start the process of platform building AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

(Well, ok. Finish the chapter first, then get on it.)

Building a Platform, as you may be aware, is basically building a community of people around your brand or product that is interested in you and what you have to offer.

Your brand is YOU and your product is YOUR BOOK.

So how do we go about finding people who would be interested in buying your book, and why do this BEFORE we've even written the book?

The way we are going to build your platform is through a 3 step process.

  1. Build a website

  2. Create an email list

  3. Engage on social media

The reason we are doing this _before_ you've written the book is because it will give you the maximum amount of time to build your platform before your book is due out AND it will give you the kick up the butt to get your book finished on time.

In actual fact, you should probably have started to build your platform BEFORE you even went on your epic adventure, but I'm going to assume you forgot to do that before you drifted off to the other side of the world. You were probably too focused on booking flights, visas and immunisations. That's fair enough.

If you have a website or are a whizz on social media then feel free to skip ahead. No point wasting your time when you've got a serious amount of writing to do.
Website

The first thing you should do is create a place where people can go to find out all about you. This will be your own brand spanking new website.

Woah! Woah! Woah! You want me to create a website?

Yes, I do. Not only will this serve as a place for people to go to potentially buy your book (and in the process give you the best royalties) but it will be where people can learn about you and your adventures. They can get in contact with you directly and you can gain their email and contact them directly too.

But can't I do all of this through Facebook?

Yes, you could but you don't own Facebook (unless Mark Zuckerberg is reading this, in which case, could you lend us a tenner?). Facebook doesn't owe you anything. Facebook is well within its rights to pull down any fan page you make or delete any of the content that you put up.

You'd effectively be giving all of your intellectual property and your ability to make money to a faceless conglomerate and hoping they'll give you something back in return.

In 2015 Facebook changed their policy on their pages. Business pages and 'fan pages' saw a dramatic drop in the number of 'likes' they had plus their visibility to their audiences was drastically reduced. Coincidentally, around this time Facebook introduced Facebook Ads where organisations would pay to have their content made more visible to their audience.

Now, I'm not slating Facebook. Mr. Zuckerberg can do whatever the hell he likes. It's his business after all.

I'd hate for you to become a 'sucker-berg' (I'm here all night, folks!)

If you want to engage with your audience you need to have your own place. You need your own house that you can invite your potential readers to come and spend some time in. Your own little piece of author paradise. Casa de You. Your Website.

Most authors and bloggers start with a WordPress site.

This is what you are going to do:

  * Go to Wordpress.com.

  * Create a login (you'll need an email address).

  * Make a cup of tea. You're about to get down to some solid website design.

If you're going to do this properly, don't go to Wordpress.com but instead head to a 'web-hosting' company and buy a 'domain name'.

The 'domain name' is the name of the website. Famous 'domain names' include amazon.com or ebay.com or tiddlywinks.org (ok, the last one may only be famous in certain circles).

You can buy your 'domain name' through a 'web-hosting' company, like Squarespace, Wix, Bluehost, HostGator or any of the other companies. It's worth shopping around to see what kind of deals you can get.

I personally use Squarespace. I find their website design very easy to use and there are plenty of YouTube videos to walk you through how to add cool things to the website.

The negative of Squarespace is that I've heard they are not the cheapest option. In 2017 I paid £24 for the year. In 2018 that will jump up to £148.80 for the year (2018 EDIT – I couldn't take the price rise so now I now host through Bluehost who support Wordpress).

If you find anything that you like cheaper then I'd love to hear about it.

I would STRONGLY recommend buying your domain name (the name of the website) and paying for your web-hosting (i.e. pay rent for the space on the internet).

The benefits of this are 3 fold.

Firstly if WordPress (or whatever other free website hosting site you decide to go with) folds or changes their rules, you're screwed. They are well within their rights to just completely close down you webpage. After all, they own it. You don't.

Secondly, if you want to move your hosting service at any point, if you own your domain name you can easily shift it. Everything you put on your website is yours and you own it but if you want to get a better deal or change the design of your website (which is surprisingly easy to do) then you have the option to do that.

Lastly, your domain name (the name of your website) will look so much more professional. My website, jondoolan.com, looks far more professional than jondoolan.wordpress.com. In this same vein, if you have an email address through your website it will have your web address name in it automatically, e.g. jon@jondoolan.com.

You are a beginner author. This is your first website. I strongly advise that you DO NOT buy the biggest and best package that the web hosting site offers. The bare basic package is more than likely going to be enough for you. Remember we are trying to keep our outgoings to an absolute minimum.

Also, I would advise against spending thousands on a web-designer to create your website. It's ridiculously easy and I'll take you through a step-by-step process of how to do it.

You _shouldn't_ have a title for your book anyway but even if you think you know what it will be DO NOT use the title of the book for your website.

What happens when you go on another adventure? What happens when you write another book?

Are you going to juggle 2 websites at the same time?

Think long term.
Bank Account

Money coming in

It costs you nothing to open a bank account. All you need to do is pop into your local bank and ask to open a current account. If you bank online it's even easier.

Why should I bother opening a bank account?

Because it makes it tons easier to see how much money you are making and, if you follow my advice and pay for a website / editor / cover designer, then you'll want to know how much money you have spent too.

It'll also help with tax calculations if, down the road, you earn any significant money on your 'Adventure Brand'. You can put your earnings in there from other adventurous walks of life too, say expedition leadership or speaking fees. All of this needs to be declared to the taxman.

If you're concerned that suddenly you might have to start filling in a self-assessment tax form, don't worry. In all likelihood you probably won't see any profit in the first couple of years, anyway. Remember, we are thinking long term here.

If you are making serious cash you might want to register yourself as a 'Sole-Trader'. We'll discuss this in more detail in _Book Marketing for Adventure Authors_.

For now, all you need to do is open that current account to track how much money is coming in.

Money going out

If you're going to invest in yourself and your writing (which I strongly advise that you do) then chuck in as much as you can afford. Anything up to a £1000 is fine. Anything more than that and you are probably throwing your money away.

Separating your 'author' money from your 'personal' money just makes so much sense. It makes it easy to track exactly how much money you are investing in your authorship and stops you overspending on ridiculous, unnecessary things.

Investing money in yourself is one of the truest steps of taking your writing business seriously. The other is investing time and you are doing that already by reading this book and writing.

If you don't like the terms 'Investment' and 'Business' and you are still only thinking of this as a hobby then look at it from a different perspective.

How much money do you spend on your other hobbies? Climbing equipment. Horse-riding stables. A decent pair of hiking boots. Courses on outdoor survival or first aid training or tickets to festivals. All hobbies (especially outdoor hobbies) have some cost attached to them.

Seriously though, don't start taking out loans or running up credit card bills. It's not worth getting in debt for your writing. You'll only put extra pressure on yourself.

If money is an issue then don't put any in at all and only spend the profits that you make. Though this will be a slower process it is absolutely viable (I did it with my first 2 books) and means that writing a book is completely risk-free and cost-free.

So whether you decide to invest in your writing career or are doing it as a hobby then I suggest that you might like to think about spending some money on yourself.

HOWEVER, you don't NEED to spend any money at all.

Throughout this book-series I will be showing you how to scrimp and save like Scrooge and enjoy the feeling of being a cheap-skate (just like me!).
Designing your Website

So you've got your 'domain name' (whether you bought it or you used the free WordPress one). Now what?

Now you should design your website.

But remember, it doesn't matter how bling your website is, you're not going to make any money out of it unless you write some books. So, at this stage, you only need the absolute basics.

DO NOT spend hours and hours vajazzling your website. Your priority MUST be writing that book.

Home Page

This is the hub of everything. Think of it like a magic roundabout.

No, not the one with Zebedee and the gang.

It's a magic roundabout because no matter which signpost you follow, or which road you go down, you will, more likely than not, return to the homepage. All roads lead back to here.

Ok, now you're driving round the roundabout and you're looking at the signs. You don't have time to read a whole load of text on each sign because, by the time you've started reading it, you're already onto the next sign (or you're onto someone else's roundabout).

So the Home Page needs to be easily navigable with just 3 or 4 easy to follow signs (links) to other pages.

More likely than not, these other pages will include:

  * About

  * Blog

  * Books

  * Sign Up

  * Contact

About

Weirdly, people actually want to know about authors and their backgrounds. I know! Bonkers, right?

So just throw down a few fun facts about yourself you are willing to share and, if you aren't writing in a pseudonym, chuck your best picture on there too.

Blog

This is going to be the start of your content creation. You're going to be giving away your genius for free.

We'll talk more about how you're going to use your blog like a ninja to get people visiting your site and make them stay in the Marketing Book.

For now, all you need to know is that this is the place where you are going to share the news about how well your epic book is coming along.

Which in a slightly cheesy radio segue brings us neatly onto...

Book

Ok, you won't have anything to put on there yet but eventually this will have your front page with a link to where people can buy your book.

For now write a short description about what your book will be about and if you have a photo from your adventure, or whatever, put that up too.

Remember, don't go into too much detail for now. You won't know EXACTLY the content of your book yet. You've still got to write it obviously.

Contact

Here is where you can share your social media channels.

(Maybe read the next chapter before you go ahead and do that).

Sign Up

This page is where people will be directed to when they want to sign up for your email list. We'll cover why you need an email list and how to go about doing that in the next chapter.

And that is it!

There are bundles of videos on YouTube showing you how to set up your website. Whether you decide to go with a paid service like Squarespace or a free service like WordPress, you'll find what you're looking for there.

If you want an idea about what an Adventure Author website might look like I've made a fake Author website using Wordpress:

https://jondoolanadventurer.wordpress.com/

And my actual website using Squarespace

https://www.jondoolan.com/

Or you could just search up your favourite Adventure Author and see what their website looks like.

2018 Edit - GDPR

In May 2018 (one month after this book was launched) the big wigs in Brussels decided that anyone who has a website that anyone in the EU can access (so, literally, every single person on the internet) needs to have declare how they collect and store their visitors data.

But I don't collect or store any details!

You might not realise but your 'web-hosting' company probably collects data on visitors to your website on your behalf. They do it so that you can see analytics, like how many people have viewed your website, etc.

If your 'web-hosting' company offers you the chance to add a GDPR savvy pop up about cookies, then go for this option. In all likelihood you're not going to have a SWAT team descending on your house because you've failed to comply to GDPR regulations, but it's better to be safe than sorry.

While you're at it you may as well create a privacy policy. Feel free to use mine (jondoolan.com/privacypolicy) as a template.

Please remember that I'm not an expert (as far as I am aware, no one is an expert on GDPR). Any advice I give does not hold me liable should the fuzz come knocking at your door. So there!

Email List

An Email List is THE most important tool you will have to contacting, engaging and enthusing your fans about your book.

An Email List is yours. It's not like Facebook or Twitter or any of the other social media channels.

An Email List is yours and no one can take it away from you.

Well, apart from the individuals on that email list. They can leave at any point. This isn't the Hotel California.

The reason we develop Email Lists is because if someone is interested in you enough to click on a link and submit their email list then, more likely than not, they are going to be interested in buying a book off of you too.

You've piqued their interests. They're motivated by what you have to offer. They want to share in your world.

In other words, they are your PERFECT READER.

Therefore, you should treat anyone on your email list with the absolute respect that you would hope to receive.

In fact, more than that. You are going to give the people on your email list so much value that they are almost begging for your book once it is released.

You are going to exceed their expectations so that they are raving about you to all their friends. They are going to become your biggest cheerleaders.

Email is also proven to be THE best market tool in terms of conversions from someone opening your email to buying your products or books when compared to social media or paid advertising. The people on your email list are just committed to seeing you succeed.

Ok, I'm convinced. So, how do you create an email list?

Well, Reader, the mechanics of it are very simple. You will need an email retrieval service. The most commonly used one is MailChimp. Once you have set up your MailChimp account you are going to link it to your website.

You can also create a pop up box that appears on your website asking people if they would like to join your email list for a reward.

What reward?

You're going to have to have a think about that. You're going to create what is known as a 'Lead Magnet'.

A Lead Magnet is something of value that people will want to exchange for their email address.

As an example, if you go to my website and put in your email address you will receive a free eBook called ' _How to Have a Microadventure_ '. It is a collection of hints and tips for people going on their first Microadventure and some ideas of what they could do once they are there. This is a Lead Magnet for my book ' _Jon and Harry's Year of Microadventure_ '.

(I also credit my hero, Alastair Humphreys, for the creation of the idea of Microadventures as well).

In reward for their email address, and to keep my readers engaged in between publications, I send them a monthly email newsletter that has all of my news for the month, any videos or audio that I have put together, a book review for an adventure book and hints, tips, ideas, musings on adventure that I think they might find interesting.

Another Lead Magnet that I use is the workbook linked to this book. You may have already clicked on a few links already. It would have prompted you for your email address so that I could send the workbook through to you. I also mentioned that I'd follow up in a couple of days to see how the tool worked out and if you had any further questions.

I'm not ashamed to say that this whole system is automated. Sorry if you thought I was sending you an personal email. I do still appreciate you, dear Reader. Honest.

Anyway, the point is that I give you something of value in exchange for your email address and then I can send you other things that might be of interest too.

Sales Funnel

In Marketing Speak this is called a 'Sales Funnel'. It's like a giant tunnel you can walk down. At each stage of the tunnel you get offered something more expensive and higher value. The customer (or reader) can opt out at any stage in the funnel.

Your funnel is going to consist of:

Lead Magnet = £0

Your monthly email = £0

Your book = £0-15 – On the back of the book you can leverage...

Speaking Gigs / Expedition Leadership / Specialist Training / etc. etc. = £50 - £1000s

I'm just going to plant that seed in your mind for now. Just in the background have a think about where you are going to go after the book. What are you going to offer the loyal fans once they have read the last page?

If you're not interested in this 'Up-selling' then no worries, but you may be missing out on a trick to make some 'easy' cash doing something that you love.

And if you think this whole 'collecting emails to leverage higher selling products' is a bit scammy, it's not. You're going to be completely up front with what you will do with someone's email and if they want to stop receiving emails and want to stop progressing down the Sales Funnel they can click the link at the bottom at any time and leave.

Realistically, we don't want people in our email lists who don't want to be there anyway. If your email list becomes significantly big (bigger than 5000 for MailChimp) you have to pay for the each person that's on there. You'll have to start thinking of ways of cutting out people who aren't interested in what you have to offer.

At this stage, however, you want as many people on your email list as possible. Ask your family to join. Ask your friends. Ask the postman. Ask the weird lady down at the supermarket. You know, the one with the lazy eye which looks like it is chasing a fly round the room when she's talking to you. That's right. Chameleon Lady. Ask her.

So, what I'd like you to do is think about what thing of value, or 'Lead Magnet', you can create quickly for your readers. Is it a short story? Is it a how-to for your specific style of adventure? Is it a how-to to gain sponsorship / to win competitions / to combat a mental illness? Is it an FAQ? Is it a video of your trip? Is it an audio interview? Is it the 13 best meals you ate on your trip and how to cook them?

You don't need to take long making this Lead Magnet. I made my 'How to Have a Microadventure' book in a couple of hours on an overcast Sunday afternoon.

All you need is something that would be of value to your PERFECT READER. Something that you have some knowledge of that the PERFECT READER would love to receive.

Now, go and make that 'Lead Magnet' NOW!

Don't read any more until you've done that.

Have you done it?

Good.

Now, go to your MailChimp account and add a link to the PDF (or Closed YouTube video or whatever) to the first email that someone who signs up to your email list will receive. I'd jump on YouTube again and find a tutorial if I were you.

Once you've done this, every person who joins your email list will receive their free 'Lead Magnet'.

2018 Edit – GDPR

Make sure you select 'Double Opt In'. This means that your subscribers HAVE to commit to receiving your email and understand that you will be storing their email address and sending them emails in the future. It's also a good idea to tell them that they can opt out at anytime.

Test EVERYTHING!

You don't want to promise people that you will deliver them a free eBook only for technology to let you down. The trust that you had with that reader becomes lost.

Best case scenario – the potential PERFECT READER tells you that they didn't receive the eBook and you email it out to them apologising profusely.

Worst case scenario – they slate you on every adventure social network out there.

Test EVERYTHING even if it means setting up another email account that is used exclusively for sending your test emails to.

This tactic is also useful to find out if your emails have a tendency to disappear into spam folders or be classed as junk mail.

A way to avoid this is to use 'text only' emails with a limited number of links. Try it and see if it works.
Social Media

Ok, so you've got your website set up and you've created your Lead Magnet.

Now you need to get people to actually go to your website.

It's time to go on Social Media and invite people to get their free Lead Magnet.

Social Media CAN be one of the most time-consuming and energy sapping things in the world. If you are viewing it exclusively as a tool to engage and excite potential readers then you're all good. If you're using it to invite potential readers back to your webpage for a coffee and a snuggle then that's fine.

If you're using Social Media to watch videos of cats falling over then have a serious look at yourself, put your phone away and go outside and get some fresh air.

To start with, take a really good look at the social media that you are already on.

Do you really want all of your normal 'friends' on Facebook to be bombarded with talk about adventures and book writing? Probably not.

But then again, are they really friends in the first place? And aren't your REAL friends going to be excited about you writing a book?

It's up to you what you do.

Personally, I created an alternate, professional 'Jon Doolan' on Facebook and changed my last name to my middle name on my social account. On Twitter I kept the same account as I had barely used it before becoming an author (and only for fun stuff anyway). And I created an Instagram account specifically for the Adventure Author career.

Whatever you do, you're going to start doing some tactical targeting using your social media.

Where are your PERFECT READERs?

First thing is first. You'll want to identify the people who would get the most out of reading your book (hopefully you've done this already).

Who are your PERFECT READERs and where do they hang out? Are there groups on Facebook that are related to what your book topic is about? Are there online forums that you could join?

Befriend, like, share, comment, follow and give little love hearts to anyone that might be interested in the topic of your Adventure Book.

Chuck out a message on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: 'I'm writing a book about... would you be interested in reading it / is there anything you could contribute?' Make friends with all the people who comment and follow up with a private message inviting them to come and get your Free Lead Magnet.

Engage in conversations and debates with people. Offer advice where you can. Be positive and supportive of people starting out on adventures, especially ones like yours.

Although sometimes the internet can seem anonymous you must remember that your online persona is your brand. The way you present yourself online will determine whether people decide to read your book or maybe even work with you at a later date. Be polite. Be engaging. Be professional.

Real World Engagement

What about in the real world? Are there physical events that you could attend?

There are hundreds of national and local adventure festivals and book or literary festivals around the country every year. Even a quick (and enjoyable) search on Google brings up a ton of exciting and intrepid events that you could attend.

The obvious hurdle, however, is the cost of attending all of these festivals.

If you can't afford every event in the adventure calendar then think about volunteering. Send an email to the event organiser and offer your services. Offer to be the one handing out name tags at the front door and you'll be the one who greets EVERY single adventurer as they enter the venue. Offer to be the one recording video or sound on the stage and you'll have the opportunities for one-on-one chats with the Big Names in the Adventure.

Sometimes it can be nerve-wracking meeting people in a professional setting (especially for introverts which many Adventurers and most authors are).

Key tips for 'networking' at events (and God only knows how much I hate that word) include:

  * Take baby steps. You don't have to talk to everyone at every event. At your first event have the goal of speaking to just one other person.

  * If you are stuck for conversation then talk about something that is happening at the event. Did you just watch an adventure film? Which adventurer / author just gave a talk? Did you see that dog dressed like a Christmas tree? (That's a conversation starter that I've actually used.)

  * Listen and ask questions. Far too often people are too eager to be talking about themselves. You don't have to. Just listen to what the other person is saying and ask questions. People are far more likely to want to talk to you again if they feel that you are interested in what they've got to say.

  * Don't feel like you have to talk to the same person all day like a conversation limpet. People are quite happy for you to break away from conversation if you feel trapped. Just say you are going to the loo or you really want to go and hear an adventure talk.

  * If you really want to be remembered, get yourself some basic business cards made (about £10 on Vistaprint) with your name, the job title 'Adventure Author', email and social media on it. Give it out each person that you have an engaging conversation with. You could even put a QR code on it. This QR code below was easily made on a free online QR generator website and will take you directly to my website if you scan it with your phone. Wouldn't that be cool on your business card.

  * If that really is a step too far, collect the business cards of other people. You can always follow up with an email or message at a later date.

  * Relax and have fun. You're at a festival. You're not there exclusively to hand out business cards and 'network' like a corporate schmuck. Enjoy yourself.

The Big Names in Adventure (BNA)

As well as targeting individuals and groups you'll want to think about the Big Names in Adventure (the BNA). Which individuals in the Adventure World would have the most influence on the sales of your book? How can you engage that person (or persons) in conversation?

You could just start stalking them, commenting on their posts, sending them creepy emails, camping outside of their front doors...

Or you could be much nicer about things. How could you be of assistance to that individual? What could you offer that BNA to help them in their career / life?

Here's the secret... BNAs are just people. But they are also the sort of people that have people begging for their help almost every day.

Don't be that person. Don't ASK them for help. OFFER them assistance instead and you'll stand so much higher in their opinion.

As you are probably aware, my BNA for ' _Jon and Harry's Year of Microadventure_ ' was Alastair Humphreys. It wasn't quite as orchestrated as the above paragraphs make it sound but I did end up helping him out where I could, mainly because I'm a massive fan of his.

It sort of went like this:

  * I wrote Al the ' _Jon and Harry's Year of Microadventure_ ' book as a gift and gave it to him at one of his speaking events.

  * I attended his 'Night of Adventure' charity event and made sure that I went over and said hello. (I've actually been 4 times and it's a great night every time. You should go!)

  * I heard of a videographer who was looking for some help filming Alastair for an Adventure Film so I volunteered my time (it was a complete disaster but that is another story).

After this I felt a lot more comfortable asking Alastair to write a 'Foreword' for my book. I wasn't just a face in the crowd anymore and I wasn't just some bloke that was asking for a favour out of the blue. He knows who I am and we now have some sort of positive working relationship.

It's not that I feel like I am doing him a favour. Far from it. I am completely humble in the fact that I know Al is doing me a favour by giving me a quote for my book. He is taking a risk with his brand by engaging with my lesser brand. He has the reach and audience and I am at the beginning of my adventure career. He's been writing Adventure Books for 10+ years. I've only been writing for a few.

You have to be aware of who is doing who a favour on the long walk to success. Don't become arrogant and demanding and assume you deserve other people's attention. And also don't be afraid to offer a hand up to those below you too.

Social Media and You

Your impact and engagement on Social Media is a slow burn process. You are not going to become the most liked person on the internet overnight.

You can, however, take lots of pleasure out of this process. I do. I like engaging with people on Facebook. I'm a complete introvert so speaking face-to-face is a lot harder than sitting behind a computer screen typing (another reason why I love writing so much).

And I got to meet my idol too.

One thing you shouldn't let Social Media do, however, is take over your life. Facebook is a real addiction. The constant need for verification. The incessant buzzing at the back of your brain. 'Has someone liked my picture?' 'Why aren't there more comments?' 'Did that person respond to my tweet?'.

Always remember, Social Media is a tool to be used. It is not your life. _Most_ of the people on it are not your REAL friends. Your REAL friends are the ones that you actually make an effort to go and see. Your REAL friends can share a laugh with you.

That's not to say that you can't make friends with people from the internet. I definitely have. I've met people through adventure groups like the Yes Tribe or Explorers Connect. But the only reason I class them as friends is because we've actually met. We've actually camped out together in forests or at festivals or shared a drink together.

All I'm saying is don't spend your precious minutes on this earth wasting your time trawling through Facebook comments and staring at Instagram pictures.

You've got far more important things to do, like, I dunno, WRITE A BOOK!!

What I try to do is limit the amount of time I am Social Media to about 30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes in the evening. Or when I'm on the bog. Hands up if you Tweet from the toilet!

Anyway, I find this compartmentalisation of Social Media gives me far more time to write and gives me far better quality time with my family.

But we can't get rid of Social Media completely. It is a very useful tool for getting people to your website and on your email list as soon as possible.

Oh, and if you are writing in a pseudonym you can pretty much ignore everything I have just said. You're probably not going to want to be sharing your most recent adventure shots all over Snapchat.
Platform Ready

So hopefully your author platform is ready and raring to go. Maybe you've got a couple of people already signed up to your email list desperately excited about your upcoming book (thanks Mum and Dad!)

This pressure of people waiting for a book is (hopefully) a good thing. It will give you the incentive you need to get your story finished as quickly as possible to get your friends, family and fans the book they are desperately waiting to read in as short a time as possible.

We better get on with planning it then...

# CHAPTER 3

Planning

Before we start writing our first draft we'd better plan the thing out.

When it comes to Planning our book we need to consider the following factors:

  * Conflict

  * Story Structure

  * The Truth vs The Story

  * Making the book Evergreen

In this chapter we will be exploring these factors in depth as well as giving you practical tips on how you could plan your book.

But, Jon, I'm one of those amazing writers who just start writing and the words come out.

I'm sorry, Reader, but I don't care if you class yourself as a 'Pantser' (i.e. someone who doesn't plan and just writes by the seat of their pants).

Ok. But I've already got a plan. Surely my journal is my plan.

If you were thinking you were just going to write out your travel journal verbatim, then think again. Do you honestly expect someone to sit down and read your journal just like that?

Day 1 we did this

Day 2 we did this

Day 3 we did this

I'm sorry, but no. I'm already yawning just thinking about how dull that book is.

We are going to plan your book to make it the most epic book ever and to help us write it as fast as we can.

Planning in advance has two main benefits.

  * It will help you write faster. You will know exactly WHAT you've got to write next so defeat the myth that is 'Writers' Block' (more on this later).

  * It will help you write better first time. This will save you hours in the editing phase because your finished draft won't be all over the place.

Conflict

Any story has to have a conflict. I don't mean that you actually have to go to war (though that could be a pretty incredible Adventure Book) but you have to have one person, the protagonist, who wants to achieve something and someone or something, a nemesis if you will, who is trying to stop them for whatever reason.

The protagonist is probably YOU by the way.

Incidentally, the protagonist and the nemesis could very easily be the same person. Imagine a story about someone doing a skydive. Part of their brain is telling them that throwing themselves out of a perfectly serviceable airplane at 40,000ft is a bonza idea. Another part of their brain is telling them that it's plainly suicide. Conflict.

Also, the nemesis doesn't have to be one solitary person. Reading a story about someone breaking past their cultural barriers to go on an adventure is fascinating. That's not one person the protagonist is fighting against. The nemesis is a whole society.

The nemesis doesn't even have to be a person. In my first chapter of my book, _Jon and Harry's Year of Microadventure_ , Harry and I slept out on a January night. The nemesis could have been society with their straight-laced view of sleeping outside during the coldest night of the year. It could've been my wife, or the girl at the till in Sainsbury's who thought we were a bit weird. It could have been our own minds where we dithered about the reasonableness of sleeping under the stars.

But it wasn't. Our conflict was with the cold of the night.

And a bottle of sloe gin.

You have to have conflict for your story to be of any interest at all. If your adventure was well within your comfort zones, there were no hiccups or problems whatsoever and you achieved your goal without breaking a sweat, it's hardly going to be the most engaging of stories.

Remember, it's not necessarily the content of the story that makes it incredible. It's the conflict.

Imagine you wrote about going down the shops to get a pint of milk. Not too much conflict there.

Now imagine you've got to go and buy that pint of milk despite being recently made blind in a freak welding accident. Conflict – your internal fear of going outside alone. Conflict – the actual danger of getting run over on the way to the shops. Conflict – your pent up rage as other people are treating you differently because of your disability.

Immediately your trip to the shops for a pint of milk is an incredible psychological and emotional drama.

So what is your conflict going to be? Is it someone who told you it couldn't be done? Is it that tiny part of your brain that questions the sanity of your adventure? Is it you against the elements?

If you are the protagonist, who is your nemesis?

Time to get your workbook out again.
Story Structure

Most adventure memoirs or travel books follow a basic story structure. In fact almost ALL stories, fiction or non-fiction, follow a similar, simple story structure.

Whether you are going on a journey in the literal sense or within your own mind, you will be using a narrative to take the reader along on the journey with you. If you don't it will be just a hodgepodge higgledy-piggledy mess and following your train of thought will be like trudging along the rails on one of those old school pump trolleys you see in the black and white Western movies. And Postman Pat (Seriously. He has a pump truck. You can tell I've got a kid).

Whether it's Nick Stephenson's 7 point Story Engine, Blake Snyder's 27 Beat Sheet or any other story structure you choose to follow, they all have the same basic 3 act structure.

The 3 Act Structure is:

Act 1 – Set Up

Act 2 – Conflict

Act 3 – Resolution

Each act pretty much does what it says on the tin.

At the end of each act is a 'Climax' or 'Game-changer' where something significant happens.

Act 1 Climax – The Protagonist decides to do something to react to a situation change.

Act 2 Climax – The Protagonist faces a tough 'life-changing decision'

Act 3 Climax (which comes at the start of the Act) – The Protagonist does something impressive to achieve their goal.

Here are a few examples from my all-time favourite movies; Star Wars and Cool Runnings.

If you haven't seen either of these films then first of all ask yourself what you are doing with your life. Then go and watch them. Now. That's an order!

If you really don't have the time now but you don't want the plot spoiled for you then you better skip past the boxes!

So you see how stories are structured in a three act way. If you are thinking about your adventure in these terms it could look like this:

Act 1 – Set Up – What made you decide to do the adventure? What got you to the start line? What was it that changed your mind-set so drastically?

Act 2 – Conflict – What hardships did you face? Who or what were the barriers to you succeeding? Maybe you tried and failed and tried and failed. This is where this will go in.

Act 3 – Resolution – What was the final difficulty that you faced to get you to where you are now? How did you overcome it. What have you done since the adventure has finished? How has is impacted on your life going forward?

How did you Climax in each Act?

Once you have decided all this, write it in your workbook.

Then go and buy yourself some post it notes. Try and get at least 4 colours. You're going to need them.
Physically Planning Your Story

Each time I plan a book I grab a pile of post-it notes and outline each scene that happens (or happened) in the story.

On each post-it note write down one thing of interest that happened on your adventure. Write down the location, who was there and a brief comment of what happened.

Think about the 3 Act Structure (Set Up, Conflict and Resolution) and try to use different colours for each Act (e.g. pink for Set Up, orange for Conflict and yellow for Resolution) and a different colour again for your climactic scenes.

Now arrange all of the post it notes on a desk or table in chronological order.

It might look something like this:

Now you can see if your adventure fits with the Three Act Structure. Almost all adventures do.

You can also see if you need to move a scene to a different section.

Let's say that you've started your adventure so you are in Act 2 – Conflict – stage of your story. But then you find out that some sponsorship arrives in late. Maybe it could stay in the Conflict stage if you were desperately worried that it wouldn't arrive (it's another barrier to your success) or maybe it would be better being moved into Act 1 – Set Up.

Putting your best scene forward

Open almost any adventure book and you'll notice that the first chapter is not about how the protagonist sourced funding for their trip. Nor is it about their first training session.

More often than not it's a scene from the middle or end of the story. It's the most dramatic scene of the whole book.

Here are some examples:

  * Sean Conway – Hell and Highwater – Prologue – Sean is on day 2 of his swim and is has to clamber onto a rocky outcrop to escape the sea.

  * Dave Cornthwaite – Life in the Slow Lane – Chapter 1 – Dave is hit in a road accident while riding his bike car named Priscilla.

  * Sarah Outen – Dare To Do – Prologue – Sarah steps on land after months at sea (not technically the journey in the book but still a very dramatic start to the story).

Why do they do that?

It's known as a 'hook'. It's a way of catching the attention of a reader with the hope that they will buy the book and read on. There is, after all, only so long you can stand in a book shop reading a book without getting strange looks.

Remember that when you go to online stores like Amazon you often get the chance to read the first few chapters. If the first chapter sees you dangling from a precipice by an ice-axe or collapsed in a desert almost dead from a lack of water, then that is immediately going to pique the interests of the reader. They're going to want to know how you got to that point. What could possibly lead a person to be in that situation?

It's like an unanswered question or an itch that has to be scratched.

So I'd strongly consider setting the story up with the most exciting, daring, heart-wrenching, emotionally charged scene that you can think of and building the whole book up to that point. But, and this is key, don't resolve the Hook Scene until Act 3. In fact, it is almost definitely going to be the Climax from Act 3 that you are trying to resolve throughout the whole book.

Did you cross that finish line?

Did you row across that ocean?

Did you climb that mountain?

That is the dilemma that you might want to set up in the very first chapter of the book.

We'll talk about more 'hooks' that you will use in the Self-Publishing and Marketing books.

By moving the scene you're not lying. You're not rewriting the story. You're just 'restructuring' a little. This brings us neatly to a little moral dilemma that you feel you might be facing.
The Truth

You're writing a memoir. Do you absolutely stick to the truth or do you fudge it slightly to tell the story better? Do you stick strictly to the chronological order of events or do you move scenes around in the timeline? Do you only write conversations verbatim or can you have a little poetic licence?

Put simply, do you lie or tell the truth?

The way I see it is this:

  * If the book is purely for you, stick to the truth. Only you will know if you lied or not and it's not worth the emotional baggage.

  * If the book is for the reader then make it the best God-damn story you can. If that means fudging it a little here or there for the benefit of the story then go for it.

For me, the reader (and hence the story) is the most important thing.

I only have one stipulation.

I will not paint myself in a better light than the real life me. In fact, often, I go out of my way to put myself down to make the story more entertaining and enjoyable to read. No one wants to read a sycophantic, self-righteous pile of tripe that is clearly fabricated.

You're not just fudging the structure of the story. You're rewriting the main character.

Ultimately, only you are going to know where you draw the line on the truth.
Make it Evergreen

Whatever method you choose to structure your story, it's worth mentioning now before you go diving in that you'll want to, as much as possible, make your story 'Evergreen'.

What's an 'Evergreen' story?

Excellent question. Being 'Evergreen' means the story will stand the test of time and it doesn't matter how many years later you read the book, it will still be relevant.

This book that you are reading right now is a really BAD example of this. If I was just giving out woolly advice then I could probably make it 'Evergreen'. However, especially in the Building Your Platform chapter I wanted to give you PRECISELY the knowledge that you would need to get your Marketing off and running TODAY in 2018.

That means I had to include websites and companies that I don't know will be around in 5 or 10 years' time.

It's really hard to make an adventure journey 'Evergreen', especially if it occurred at a specific location and time. I'm reading Leon McCarron's _The Lands Beyond_ about his walk in the Middle East. Even though the book came out just a few months ago as I write this, the political world has already changed massively in the region. Against the advice of many leading bodies and countries, Trump declared Jerusalem the capital of Israel. This has led to more destabilisation and unrest in the area. Good job DT! But Leon couldn't include this in the book because when he wrote it, it hadn't happened yet.

(That last paragraph is a perfect example of how NOT to make a book 'Evergreen'. I will have finished reading Leon's book long before this _Writing_ book gets published and good ol' Donald's movement of the US Israeli embassy will be old news.)

So how can we make our adventure books as 'Evergreen' as possible?

By focusing on the core emotions of the adventure. By focusing on the enduring spirit of travel, of pushing against an unseen barrier, of testing the limits of human endurance. Mountains will always be there and will always have the draw of climbers. The oceans are ever-changing and yet are always the same. Disabilities and severe illness are not going to go away overnight.

Some things are only increasing. The constant stress of modern life. The pollution on our planet. Our over crowdedness. Mental illnesses. The gap between the richest and poorest.

So focus on the core of your story and don't put too much detail into exactly which phone you were using (like I did in my first book. I can't believe the iPhone had only just come out when I wrote it).
Story Planned

Give yourself a solid 24 hours to seriously think about your plan. Never forget your PERFECT READER and what they would like to read.

I'm counting this as Day 0 by the way, in case you were thinking how this fit into the 90 day Master Plan.

Also don't worry too much. It's a rough plan not the blueprints to a skyscraper. You can always change it later but you need to know where you are going (solving your PERFECT READER's problem) and, generally speaking, how you are going to get there (the Writing Plan)

Take a photo of your physical plan, head over to the Adventure Writers' Club Facebook group and post the photo to the group NOW!

# CHAPTER 4

Writing

OK, your planning day is done. Now you've got 30 days of writing ahead of you.

30 days?! There is no way that I can write my book in 30 days!

Yes there is.

If you stay focused and motivated you will get your book written in that time.

It's not like you're making it up (I'd recommend that you spend quite a bit longer writing a decent novel). The stuff you are writing about actually happened to you. You were there. That makes your job easier for a start.

And besides, if your aiming for a 30,000 word book then that's only a thousand words a day.

Depending on your typing speed (and more importantly, your focus), I'm confident that you could smash out 1,000 words in an hour.

A 50,000 word target is only 1,666.7 words a day.

But 30 days?! Can't I just write it in 60 days?

You could. I'm not going to be standing by your shoulder with a whip like Mr. Grey from _50 Shades_.

But my question for you is this, What's the point of taking longer to achieve your life dream? Why postpone it or slow the process down?

Parkinson's Law states that 'work expands to fill the time available for its completion'. If you give yourself 60 days, it will take 60 days.

If you focus your time and energy into getting the first draft completed in 30 days then you WILL manage it.

In this chapter you'll learn:

  * The tricks and tactics to write your book fast

  * The 'Art of Writing' to help you write well

I'm going to share with you the tools and strategies I personally used to write a book in 30 days. Some of the pieces of advice will work for you. Some won't.

My suggestion is that if ain't broke, don't fix it. If you're happy with your writing style and speed and you're not having any issues with the myth that they call 'Writers' Block' then crack on. Get the writing done as quickly and efficiently and with as much fun as possible.

If, on the other hand, it feels like your traipsing through a muddy bog and the words just won't come unstuck from the oozing mud, then maybe give some of these ideas a try.

Option 1) – The Daily Email

I'll even make it ridiculously easy for you. If you head over to my website (jondoolan.com/30daysprint) you will find a link on the page that says:

SEND ME A DAILY EMAIL

When you click this link it will start a series of emails that will arrive in your inbox daily for the next 30 days. Each email will either have a piece of advice or have a motivational mantra to help you get through the process.

The benefit of receiving the emails is that you have a daily reminder in your inbox that will prompt you to get writing (or make you feel guilty for not writing, which can be equally effective).

If you're the sort of person that finds it hard to motivate yourself then click here NOW.

(Of course if you join the email list but later don't want to receive any more emails you can just remove yourself from the list at any time).

Option 2) – The Self Motivator

Because I know some people won't like the pressure of a daily email I'm also giving you a second option. If you don't want to receive daily emails that's fine. But you'll have to motivate yourself to get your writing done.

Feel free to try some of the tricks and tactics in the following chapter. I will share with you the most impactful tactics to be a productive writer.

First Draft

Just a quick reality check on what to expect at the end of the 30 days.

You are NOT aiming for a polished wonderful finished story. That is NOT how this process works.

What you will have is anything between 30,000 and 50,000 words (or more if you don't have a day job. You didn't give that up to be a writer, did you?) that are ordered into some sort of logical story but it will be nowhere near a finished product.

We aren't going to be hitting publish on day 30.

In fact, we're going to have a whole month of editing to polish it into the most incredible book on the net but you don't need to know anything about that yet (See _Self-Publishing for Adventure Authors_ ).

For me, the definition of a First Draft is a document that you can read from start to finish and it makes sense.

You are going to have grammatical errors. Your descriptions are going to be pants. Don't even get me started on your spelling.

This is not your final stage. This is only the **FIRST** draft.

Be realistic (and lenient) with yourself on the quality of your writing for the first draft.

What this means is that it is more important that your first draft is finished rather than being any good.

Imagine 2 writers.

The first is called Bob. He is a perfectionist and he is forever striving to make his first draft absolutely perfect. He never publishes a book in his life. In fact, no one ever reads anything he has written. Ever.

The second writer is called Jenny. Her priority is getting her book finished. Jenny gets her book done and Self-Publishes it. She then moves on to her next writing project and continues to build her body of work, enjoying the money that she is making and the thrill of having a book on her bookshelf. She is invited to literary festivals and into collaborative projects and other exciting adventures. She's bossing it!

Who do you want to be more like? Jenny, the actual Adventure Author, or Bob with his Word document that no one's ever seen?

Your focus shouldn't be on completing a perfect first draft. Your focus should be on FINISHING your first draft. An Adventure Book that is finished but not quite incredible is far better than spending the rest of eternity attempting to make your book perfect.
How to be a Productive Writer

Here are some incredible tactics to make you a Productive Writer. These have been gleaned from bundles of self-help podcasts and books that clog up my shelves and phone app.

Each section of tips and advice is split up to counter a certain problem that is faced by writers who want to write fast and well. So if you've got a specific 'pain point' or problem that you think is holding you back from being the Mo Farah of the writing world then feel free to skip to that subheading.

Deferral or Doing the Hoovering

Deferral is that feeling of putting off writing because something far more immediate is pressing on your mind. Like the hoovering. Or updating your Facebook status.

Deferral is saying, 'Oh, I'll get to the writing later. Let me complete this other task first.' Only the later never comes and the writing never gets done.

But I have to get the hoovering done. It's a job that just needs doing.

Ok, but it's not that the hoovering is more important than writing a book. It's just that it is right here and now and in your face.

You focus on an immediate goal that can give you immediate results.

In terms of time management this happens all the time, if you'll excuse the expression.

Think of your biggest life goal? How much of your daily time is spending reaching towards that life goal. Probably almost none. And for that reason many people never achieve success because they focus on fire-fighting the issues of the here and now rather than aiming for the far off targets of their dreams.

There is something in the time-management sphere called the '80/20 Rule' or the Parento Principle. Basically it says that 20% of your activities will result in 80% of your results.

What happens for most people is that they focus on the 80% of trivial tasks that will have limited impact on their life goals rather than the 20% of important tasks that could revolutionise their lives.

I don't know for certain but I can guess that writing this book might possibly fit into the '20% of your life-long important goals' category.

If that is the case you've GOT to focus on it. Here are some ways to make completing your writing an UNAVOIDABLE task.

Plan a date with yourself

Look at your schedule for tomorrow. When is the best time to sit down and write? Is it last thing at night? Is it first thing in the morning?

Stop watching TV

If you can't find any time to write then stop watching TV. In fact, stop watching everything. YouTube. Streaming sites. Catch up. The lot! Think honestly about how much enjoyment you get from watching TV. Does it really inspire you to be a better person? Does it really push you to achieve your life goals? Or do you turn into a brainless sofa-zombie when Big Brother comes on? Think about how much more rewarding _in the long run_ having written a book would be. Think about how incredible you will feel when you can feel that book in your hand. Hell, just think about how amazing you will feel about becoming even a few hundred words closer to your dream.

Get up at 5am

If you've looked at tomorrow and there is no time whatsoever, then get up an hour earlier than you normally would. There are added benefits to this tactic rather than leaving it to the end of the day.

  * The rest of the world is asleep (so you won't be getting any calls, texts or emails)

  * Your household is quiet (so you can focus)

  * Your brain is still in the flux state of being just woken so is more creative and malleable (this is complete speculation but I believe it!)

  * You will be more productive for the rest of the day because you will be self-satisfied with having already completed a major milestone before the day has even started.

Put it in your calendar

Make the date official and put it in your calendar. Defend that date as if it were another important engagement like going to the dentist.

Schedule time for rewards (like social media)

Ok, I know a moment ago that I said that you should stop watching TV but if, like me, you can't resist an episode of DIY SOS then schedule that in too. If you know Silent Witness is on at 9pm on a Monday night then book yourself in to write from 8pm. The added incentive that you know your partner is going to watch the show without you if you don't get your writing done will have you smashing your daily word target.
Multi-Tasking

In the modern day we live in there are hundreds of thousands of things designed to distract us. Each thing is begging for our attention, encouraging us to spend more time on this product or staring at that app.

It's any wonder we ever look up from our phones to see the wondrous world around us.

I'm exactly the same. My wife says that I am addicted to my phone. I don't really listen to her though. I'm too busy checking my WhatsApp.

But when I'm writing I need to be in the zone. My focus needs to be entirely, um, focused on what it is that I'm trying to communicate.

That's because I know one infallible truth.

No matter what well-meaning house-wives everywhere say, Multi-Tasking DOES NOT EXIST!

I'm sorry to burst your happy little bubble, those do-gooders out there who think they can bake a cake and do the washing up at the same time.

That's not Multi-Tasking. That's Switch-Tasking, where you switch from one task to another.

Here's some proof. Have you ever read a book while watching TV. No matter how hard you try you will miss some action in one of your chosen forms of entertainment. Or how about trying to sing a song while listening to a podcast. You'll miss part of one or the other.

Oh, but Jon, I can read my phone while I'm sat on the toilet.

Of course you can. But have you noticed that at the very moment of expulsion that your focus on your phone wanes?

No, I'm sorry to say that Multi-Tasking is a myth. So here are a few tactics to help you avoid trying to 'Multi-Task' and drill down into the focus of the work.

Tell your family that during your writing time you are not to be distracted

You're family, bless their little cotton socks, can be one of the most annoying distractions on the planet. If your family are awake, make sure they know that during this protected hour you will be writing and you should not be distracted. Unless the kitchen is on fire or there's an impending natural disaster.

Turn off the phone

Physically turn off your phone. In fact, turn it off and put it on a charge in another room. You'll have 100% battery when you've finished writing. Perfect for another game of Super Mario Run.

Turn off the Wi-Fi on your computer

On my laptop I have the option of turning it on to Airplane Mode or turning the Wi-Fi off completely. If you haven't got that function, then you can get apps like Cold Turkey or FocusMe. If you need the internet to research, I'll show you how you can still do this with the Wi-Fi turned off in a later tip.

Delete everything from your computer apart from Word

This is an extreme option, but if you just can't resist a game of solitaire then delete everything apart from Word (or Scrivener or whatever you are using). Or just hunt around in the garage for that old laptop that has none of the distraction on it that today's laptops do.

Use headphones and listen to rainfall / your own playlist

This is a massively popular option among the Adventure Writers' Club members. Huge debates go on about what music to listen to. I'd definitely opt for something with no words. You don't want to accidentally start typing explicit Eminem lyrics (unless that's what your adventure was about, of course). Spotify has some great focus playlists.

Go somewhere with grey noise like a café

Now this one doesn't work for me. Every time I'm writing in a café I have to chuck headphones in and blast out rainfall on loop until my bladder is ready to burst. Some people, however, enjoy the gentle clinking of coffee mugs and the occasional cry from a baby. It does give you a chance to steal conversation or personal traits if you're in need of some for creative padding for your characters.
Beat 'Writers' Block'

First and foremost, I'm calling BS on 'Writers' Block'. It's a load of rubbish. 'Writers' Block' DOES NOT EXIST.

All it is an excuse for writers who have failed to plan.

Luckily for you we have just spent a whole chapter planning the living daylights out of your book so you know EXACTLY what you are going to write.

You are a WRITER. You write.

You wouldn't hear a trucker say that they've got 'Truckers' Block'. 'Oh, I couldn't drive the artic' today. I just don't have it in me.'

Or 'Talkers' Block'. No one has ever had 'Talkers' Block'. If you can't think of the word that you are looking for you just say it another way. There are over 172,000 words in the English language. It's not like you aren't spoilt for choice.

Having said all of that, there are a few tactics you can use if you feel like the words aren't quite tripping off of your tongue.

Follow the energy

Don't start writing at page 1. Which chapter interests you the most? Write that one first. Write what simulates your brain. Write the scene that you can see most vividly. Write the part of the story where you have the most emotional resonance. Then write the second most exciting the section. Then the third. Suddenly you will find that most of your book is written.

Know what you are going to write the day before

When you go to bed check your writing plan. Pick one chapter that you are going to work on tomorrow. Let your unconscious brain play with the scene while you sleep. Let it revisit the landscape and re-feel the emotions. When you wake up, you will be raring to go (another good reason to write first thing in the morning).

Write the first sentence for tomorrow

When you come to the end of section or chapter that you are writing and you are in the flow, write the first sentence of the section that you will tackle tomorrow. Similar to the tip above, this will give you sleeping brain a chance to play with the scene. You may wake up in the morning and delete it and completely change tack. However, if no brainwaves come in the night at least you have starting point to continue writing from.

Picture it

Hopefully you took some photos on your Adventure. Go back and look at those images now. Do they inspire forgotten thoughts and feelings in you now? Write those down.

Mix it up

If you feel yourself stuck in a writing rut, change something about your process of writing. Change the time of day you write. Change the geographical location. Change the method of writing. Change the music in your headphones. Even changing the room you are in will stimulate your brain in different ways.

Exercise

Often overlooked as writers are supposed to be these hermits who never leave their caves. But you're an adventurer too. Get outside. Get some fresh air. Get your body working and as you're completing your 32nd lap of the park I bet the idea you're searching for to move your book forward will come to you in a flash of inspiration. If nothing else you would have made yourself fitter, ready for your next adventure.

Write something else

If you are really feeling that you are up against a brick wall, try writing something else. A blogpost on a completely unrelated topic is a good place to start. Or even a blogpost on so-called 'Writers' Block' would be great for your audience to hear (to show that writing a book is no plain sailing). 'Free writing' is a nice trend at the moment where you literally write down whatever comes into your head. Even if it is 'Write something, write something, write something'. It will stimulate the grey matter responsible for creativity and get you back on track. It also means that you won't have a blank page menacingly staring back at you.
Not enough time in the day

We are all desperately important people with busy lives to lead. At least that is what we keep telling ourselves. Most of the time we are busy because we don't use the time we are given efficiently.

We each have the same 24 hours as the next guy. We'll only ever have 365 days in the year (well, except a leap year of course).

So why is it that some people seem to get more stuff done in the same amount of time?

It's to do with how they are able to focus exclusively on one task.

We've already talked about the myth that is 'Multi-Tasking', so hopefully you've found a time when you can focus exclusively on your writing (and have scheduled that into your calendar).

In this section we are going to drill down into the efficiency of your writing time. We want to make your writing time the most productive that it can be so that you can get the writing done as quickly as possible.

Using the methods below I was able to write AT LEAST 1,000 words an hour. I don't know if that is fast but it felt fast to me.

Set a 25 minute timer

This is known in productivity circles as the 'Pomodoro Timer' named after those little tomato shaped timers that chef's use to stop their coq-au-vin becoming a coq-au-charcoal. Set the timer for 25 minutes (which is about the amount of time that the human brain can focus on one activity) and write solidly. Don't stop to think. Don't stop to drink. Just write. At the end of the 25 minutes get up from your laptop and walk away. You have 5 minutes to make a cup of tea or go for a whizz. Do something that doesn't involve looking at a screen. After that time is up set the timer again and punch out another 25 minutes of intense writing. Trust me, this one works!

Once you are in the zone, stay there

On other days, when you have longer to write, try to get in the zone. You'll know when you're there because the words will be flowing out of your fingers tips like magic. Once you are in the zone, stay there. Do whatever you can to keep that flow going. You will write quicker and better when you are in the zone. The only downside of this tip is that usually, once you realise that you are in the zone, you fall out of it.

Don't edit as you write

This is KEY to efficient writing. Writing and editing use two completely different parts of your brain. The creative left side controls your writing while the logical right side helps you to edit. What this means is that when you are trying to write and edit at the same time your brain is working twice as hard. You are effectively 'Switch-Tasking'. It doesn't work. Instead just focus on writing. Ignore the fact that the grammar doesn't always make sense. Ignore your spelling mistakes. Just get through the writing process and trust that you can fix any mistakes in the editing phase.

Turn off the red and blue squiggly lines

As an aid to this, you can actually turn off those annoying squiggly lines that appears under spelling mistakes and grammar errors on Word. You know. The ones that keeps screaming at you 'You've made a mistake, you idiot! Come back and correct me now!'. Click File, select Options and then Proofing. Then uncheck the boxes that say 'Mark Grammar errors as you type' and 'Check Spelling as you type'. Voila. The annoying squiggly lines disappears.

Use XXXXXXXXXXXX if you can't think of the word

So many times I'm sat there wasting valuable minutes staring into space trying to think of the perfect word to describe a majestic scene or stupendous character. Instead of sitting there waiting for your brain to kick into gear and fish the perfect word from the depths of your vocabulary, write this: XXXXXXXXXXX. This will remind you to come back in the editing phase (when your brain is in its logical mode) that you need to come up with an appropriate word or phrase.

Reference later

The same thing with references. Instead of thinking, bloody hell, I've quoted someone but I can't remember who it was or when they said it, find out later. If you think an amazing fact about the population size of the city of Timbuctoo would be appropriate for your adventure story, find that fact out later. It's not important in the creative phase. Use your XXXXXXXXXXXXX to remind yourself to come back later and, literally, fill in the blanks.

Write an 'edit' sentence at the start of the chapter

If you write a chapter and then later change your mind about something significant within that chapter don't change it now. Write a short sentence at the start of the chapter so you remember what it was you need to change. Something like: 'XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Reduce the section about the climb up Gibraltar Rock and increase the bit about the monkeys. Everyone loves monkeys.'

Get enough sleep

This is essential to allow your brain to work at its full capacity during your writing hours. This is especially important if you are either a) getting up an hour earlier or b) going to be writing late into the night. Put the TV on record and go to bed. You can always watch whatever it was at a later date but you'll need the sleep right now. If you struggle going to sleep, use things like lavender oil on your pillow or ocean noises on your mp3 player. I'd also recommend reading for half an hour to an hour before dropping off. And I mean reading a book or an eBook, not on your phone. The white light of a phone tricks you brain into thinking it is daytime and keeps you awake longer. Allowing your eyes to become adjusted to the darkness of night time will allow you to drift off more swiftly and give you better, more rejuvenating sleep.
Motivation

Sometimes all we need is a little motivation to get our butts sat down in our chair and writing. Here are some tips to help you stay motivated.

Be accountable

Tell someone your goal. I don't care if it's your mum, your dad or Mabel the dog. Actually, maybe Mabel might not be the best person to tell. It's not like she can ask you how your book writing is going. It is proven that if you make your targets public you are more likely to complete them, purely so that you don't get ridiculed for having a shared goal and doing nothing to try and reach it. By telling the people in your influence circle about your dreams and aspirations you are inviting them into your inner thoughts (which will make them extremely chuffed) and you are inviting them to ask you questions, to check in on you and to keep you on track to achieving your goal.

Share on the Adventure Writers' Club Facebook page.

Get over to the  Adventure Writers' Club Facebook group and let people know that you are on your 'Writing Sprint'. You'll receive loads of support from people who have been there. We've all busted a gut for a month. We all know pretty much what situation you are in. Come get the support you deserve. If you're not already a member come join us.

Make your goal visible

Write it down and put it somewhere you are going to see it every day. Like on the front of your fridge, for example. In massive letters with a bright pink permanent marker if possible. 'I WILL WRITE (x) WORDS BY THE END OF THE MONTH!' This is a public display of your target for yourself (and possibly anyone else who needs a glass of milk). Each day you will be reminded of the goal you set yourself and you are more likely to sit down and achieve it.

Set word count targets

You know how many words you are aiming for. So work backwards from there. Remember, if it's 50,000 words total then it's 1,666.7 words a day. ON AVERAGE. If on Monday you're working a 15 hour shift, you've got the kids to pick up and drop off from school, oh and little Daisy has just told you she needs a working papier mache volcano built by tomorrow morning, then maybe you won't get over a grand and a half of words written. No sweat. But at some point in the week you are going to have to pick up that slack. Or, even better, factor that slack in and work your arse off on Sunday night just in case these sort of situations occur on a Monday morning. It's like Wayne from Wayne's World said, 'it's like doing your homework on Friday night so you can spend the rest of the weekend partying'. Set yourself daily word counts and get ahead of the game early on to enable you to have less intense days later in the month.

Don't look at the word count target

I know you've got a word count to reach by the end of the day. You know you've got a word count to reach by the end of the day. The only thing that doesn't know is your creative brain. So don't tell it. Write and write until you've run out of time. Only then should you check your word count. If you've smashed your target, good on you. If you're a little shy of your target then just crank a few more sentences out until you reach it. But don't keep checking it as you go along. A watched pot never boils. More often than not in my case, an unwatched pot boils over.

Write every day

Even if you write just one line on your phone, then you will be one micro-step closer to your goal. It is much harder to re-start writing once you have stopped then to continue in one long unending stream of daily writing. While writing my last novel one of my days consisted of exactly 14 words contribution (to a sentence that I ended up editing anyway). It doesn't matter how much you write. Just write.

Use the calendar in the Writing for Adventure Authors Workbook to record your progress

Can you create an unending chain of writing days? Record each day in your calendar and watch how that big chain grows and grows. The Calendar also helps you to plan the days in advance so you know what your aiming to do for the rest of the week AND takes into account your other, non-writing activities.

Listen to podcasts

I can't tell you the amount of times that I have returned from driving somewhere where I've been listening to a self-publishing podcast and I've been desperate to get in front of my computer and write. You can do the same. At the end of this book I have listed my favourite self-publishing podcasts.

Set rewards

Celebrate milestones by rewarding yourself and recognising your achievement. You've written 10,000 words? Have an evening out with friends (and tell them all about your book). 20,000 words? Treat yourself to a spa day (and tell the masseuse about your book). 30,000? Romantic evening with our partner (and DEFINITELY tell them about your book). You get the idea.

Write a to-do list

When you are getting to the end of the first draft and you've got about 7 days left to go try writing a to-do list. Write down every chapter that you have left to do on a sheet of paper and take great joy in scratching through each one with a biro. This will make your finishing energy burn.

Relax

Remember that this is meant to be an enjoyable process. It will feel tough at times but relax. If you don't achieve your goal by the end of the month than it's not the end of the world. You'll still have another day to write. But, if you look back and you realise that you COULD have finished the book but by your choice you DIDN'T, then I give you permission to feel as guilty as the puppy whose scoffed the Sunday roast.
The Art of Writing

I'll be honest. I wrote a whole chapter on the art of writing. It was full of tips that you probably heard in your English classes as a kid.

'Use metaphors.'

'Write with your five senses.'

'Make dialogue sound realistic.'

But in the end I decided that it was all rubbish. It doesn't matter if you write a masterpiece or if you write a pile of garbage. What matters is that you DO actually you write it, and you write it in your own words.

You can sprinkle similes all over your writing like hundreds and thousands on a cupcake. You can use personification to bring inanimate objects to life, but will your book really care? You can learn and understand all of the 'Art of Writing' knowledge in the world but at the end of the day this is your book written in your way.

That's the point. That's the reason that YOU are writing this Adventure Book. Because it is YOUR story told in a way that only YOU know how.

So if conventional knowledge says that you should avoid using exclamation marks (!) but you feel like you want to dot them throughout your work like an over-enthusiastic aboriginal pointillism artist, then go for it!!

And if you want to begin sentences with connectives even when your English teacher always said you shouldn't, then do it.

If you were told to avoid telling poo stories because it's not big or clever then poo-poo those nay-sayers and give the most graphic faeces tale you can come up with.

Whatever you do, tell your story in your own way. Don't be tempted to look up elegant long synonyms for something that you could tell in your own wonderful language. This is your story being told with your voice.

Tell it like you would if you were sharing a pot of tea with your mates. Tell it like you were sharing your tale down the pub.

Tell the story the best way you know how.

#  CHAPTER 5

Attaching Your Butt to Your Chair

Now you have all the skills you need to create an amazing memoir.

You have:

  * Created an 'Author Platform'

  * Written your plan

  * Learned how to write the book fast

There is only one thing left to do and that is literally attaching your butt to a chair and typing out the words. No one is going to write the words for you...

... or are they?

The Secret Way to Write a Book Without Writing It!

There is an alternative to WRITING your memoir and that is to SPEAK it. The advancements in voice recognition have been incredible over recent years and you can now dictate your book, if you so wish, and then submit the audio file for transcription.

Be warned - it can get very expensive very quickly.

However, maybe you are the sort of person that can't possibly sit inside for longer than it takes to boil a kettle. If so, then you can always go out for a lovely long hike dictating your story into your audio recording device (probably your phone) and then upload it all when you get back home.

If you've got the cash, go for it.

The benefits are:

  * Most people can talk at least 4 times faster than they can type. You could potentially 'write' 4,000+ words an hour!

  * It's healthier because you're not sat hunched over a laptop for hours. In fact you could be out walking and _improving_ your fitness.

  * You can get outside more which is perfect, especially for us solar-powered adventurers.

  * There are less steps between your brain and word creation (you don't have to deconstruct what you are going to say into words and letters) so your creativity can be much better.

The issues are:

  * It can become expensive for equipment and software (though there are ways around it).

  * You could feel a little self-conscious talking out loud while out on your walks.

  * You have to learn a few skills (like speaking punctuation and drafting chapters before dictation)

  * There's an added stage of editing where you have to check the words were transcribed correctly. On average, though, more than 90% of the words will be correct.

  * The voice recognition software may also have trouble with some words, like names of exotic villages or people, for example.

If you are going to go this route then definitely investigate Dragon Transcription or Speechpad.com who currently seem to be the leaders in this arena.

If, like the rest of us, you don't have the money to invest in voice recognition software then you could always try using the 'voice to text' software that is already available on most laptops and phones. It won't be as good and will need more time editing it will still be effective.

Otherwise your only option is to just sit your butt down and write the bloody book yourself. There's no two ways around it (other than what's been described already) but just sit in that chair and write the words.
Writing Syndromes

For me the hardest part is the emotional drain that writing has on me. Here are some nasty illnesses that you might want to keep an eye out for:

  * Your brain – 'You're not a writer! And you're definitely not a specialist in [insert chosen area here]. How dare you ever think that you could write a book! No one's even going to read it.'

  * Diagnosis – Imposter Syndrome

  * Remedy – You'd be surprised by how much you know about your chosen topic compared to the average person. I didn't think I knew much about Self-Publishing until I realised that my friends didn't know what I was talking about when I mentioned 'Print on Demand' or 'KDP Select'. The moment you publish your book you become the authority on your chosen area anyway. Also, the research that goes into writing most books will educate you to become an authority as well. If you don't feel like a specialist now, trust me, you will by the time you publish.

  * Your brain – 'You're wasting your time. You're spending hours inside on your own when you could be outside socialising and embracing life.'

  * Diagnosis – FOMO (Fear of Missing Out)

  * Remedy – Yes, you need a balance in your writing life and social life but the key thing is balance. Remember what your 'WHY?' was. There is a specific, probably long term, reason that you are writing a book. You are sacrificing short term enjoyment (of that pint and salty nuts) for a long term reward (your 'WHY?'). Focus on what will make you happier in the long run.

  * Your brain – 'You're going to fail so why bother starting?'

  * Diagnosis – Fear of Failure

  * Remedy – Identify your measure of success and then aim for that. Also, identify the moments of success along the way. If you complete your first chapter, that is a major moment to celebrate. If you finish the first draft, again a time to cheer. Got your front cover sorted? Do a victory dance. You've finished all the edits? High five a stranger. The book is published. Break out the champagne. The key is to realise that every milestone is a moment of success and even if you don't achieve your overall goal of making a certain figure in sales, for example, you will have already achieved so much and learned so much along the way. Even if you fail, you win!

  * Your brain – 'You thicko! You just don't know what to write.'

  * Diagnosis – Writers' Block

  * Remedy – Just a quick one as I STRONGLY believe that Writers' Block does not exist and is just an excuse for authors to avoid writing. If you are stuck for what to write then you haven't planned it out correctly or you're nervous about putting down what's in your brain. Don't be afraid, especially in the first draft phase. It doesn't matter what you write down. No one is going to see the first draft anyway. All that is important is that you DO write it down.

  * Your brain – 'That's not quite right. I'm sure you could use a better way to describe that. And that. And that.'

  * Diagnosis – Perfectionism

  * Remedy – Again to be avoided at all costs during the first draft phase. Dodge this perfectionism bullet by refusing to edit as you write (some tips on how to do this will be included in your 30 days of emails. Click the link to get your emails sent to your inbox today).

  * Your brain – 'Everyone else is so much better at writing / adventuring / public speaking / being a human being (*delete as appropriate) than you are!'

  * Diagnosis – Comparisonitis

  * Remedy – The worst of them all! If you are an adventurer you know this feeling. You've probably experienced it a hundred times before. This adventurer has been to a far more extreme place then you. That adventurer has travelled further than you. This adventurer gets paid more per speaking gig than you. That adventurer has a way sexier beard (yes, I'm looking at you Sean Conway!). There is no way to avoid Comparisonitis other than the classic method of denial. It doesn't matter what other people are doing or where they are going or what they are writing. What you are writing is important and the world needs to hear it!

So good luck over the next month. I'm not saying it's going to be a cake walk. If it was easy EVERYONE would have written a book by now. It's going to take commitment and dedication but you will get there. I know you will.

Because you won't be alone...

# What to do next?

Go and find the **Adventure Writers' Club Facebook group** and comment telling everyone the date that you are starting writing your first draft.

Use the free writing tools that you can pick up over on my website:

  * Download your Writing for Adventure Authors: Workbook.

  * Get your website and email list started by following the Website Checklist.

  * Fill in your Writing Log as you go along to keep you motivated.

  * Click the link on the first day of your 30 Day Writing Sprint to get the daily motivational emails.

Now, go write!

Oh, and try and enjoy the writing. In all likelihood you won't enjoy it every day but there is much pleasure to be had by retracing steps in an old travel journal and dredging up forgotten memories of times gone by.

In a way, I envy you. Have fun!

# My Favourite Podcasts

As a way to motivate myself I am an avid podcast fan. I listen to loads of podcasts, especially self-publishing. If you want some inspiration then I definitely suggest you head over to iTunes and have a look at what's on offer. My favourites include:

  * The Creative Penn – Joanna Penn is without doubt the most incredible inspiration in the Self-Publishing sphere. She's been in the business longer than most and has a wealth of knowledge. She's also really funny, in a geeky kind of way.

  * The Story Studio Podcast (formerly the _Self-Publishing Podcast_ ) – Johnny, Shaun and Dave are three American lads who just chat about story and its importance in the publishing (and business) world. I love the banter that they have between them.

  * Mark Dawson's Self-Publishing Formula _–_ James Blatch interviews people who have had success in self-publishing and learns along with us. He then discusses it all with the wise old head of Mark Dawson back in the studio. I love the fact that Blatch is a new author and asks the questions that I want to know the answers to.

  * Sell More Books Show – Bryan Cohen and Jim Kukral discuss the news and cutting edge book marketing tactics. Probably a bit ahead of the curve for a new author but interesting none the less.

  * The Book Marketing Show – Dave Chesson of the Kindlepreneur delivers an entertaining and educational podcast full of ideas and tactics for a new author. He breaks it down so even a simpleton like me can understand the book marketing tactics.

  * Smart Author Podcast – Mark Coker, the Smashwords founder, gives a no frills basic tutorial in how to package and market your book. Perfect for a brand new author who is thinking of going wide.

  * The Self-Publishing School Podcast – Chandler Bolt owns it on this show with his characteristically youthful American enthusiasm. More of a book marketing show than a writing show. Good for later on in your writing journey.

#  Sneak Peek

# Book 2 – Self-Publishing for Adventure Authors

Introduction

Welcome to the second book in a three book series that will take you from a scrappy old travel journal to a fully Self-Published Adventure Book in 90 days.

(What? You haven't read the first book? _Writing for Adventure Authors_ is FREE. I'm going to be referring back to it A LOT so I'd read it first if I were you.)

If you're reading this book then you are taking the next big step. You are taking your writing seriously. No longer will your manuscript be some forgotten Word document stuck on your hard drive.

By the end of this book you will have a physical bound copy of your book that you can hold in your hand!

But maybe Self-Publishing is not for you. That's cool. Most of this book will be completely relevant, especially the first few chapters. Almost all first time authors get their books edited in advance of submission to agents anyway.

The end of the last book, the one on WRITING, left off with you having just completed your first draft.

This book covers day 31 to day 60 of your 90 day Master Plan. It will take that first draft that you finished writing on day 30 and turn into a well-crafted beautiful book that you can be proud of.

In this book you will learn:

  * How to get your manuscript professionally Edited (even if you have a tight budget)

  * How to create an incredible Cover

  * The importance of Front Matter and Back Matter

  * How to Format the book into an eBook and a print book (and more)

  * How to actually make some money out of this Adventure Author career

At the end of the whole process you could just chuck your incredible Adventure Book on Amazon and see what happens. However, if you really want to take your adventure writing career up another notch then check out the third book in this series, _Book Marketing for Adventure Authors_ , AFTER you have read this one.

As I stated in the last book, I'm a firm believer in 'Last Minute Learning'. That means that I will only share with you the things you need to know when you need to know them. You'll learn how to bring your book from a higgledy-piggledy mess to a fully form book ready to publish on the web and no more. You'll learn exactly what you need to do at exactly the right time so that you can put it into practice immediately.

You wouldn't be reading this book if you weren't thinking about publishing your book to the wider world. So before we dive into the learning let's explore your publishing options so that you can make an educated decision on what route you are going to take. Self-Publishing or Traditional Publishing...

Available for Pre-order at all good online retailers NOW!

# Thank Yous

My greatest thanks have to go to my editors, proof readers and cover designers. Heidi Smith, Amber Harrington, Vicky Cable and Anthony Doolan. This book wouldn't be the same without each of your very different inputs.

Thanks also to my long suffering wife, Sally and the Sprog.

Thanks to the Adventure Writers' Club members for continuing to give me something to work towards.

Thanks to my inspiring mentors – Joanna Penn, Mark Dawson, Johnny, Shaun and Dave, Nick Stephenson and Chandler Bolt who are smashing it in the Self-Publishing world.

And thanks to YOU for getting my book. I hope you've found it helpful and an enjoyable read.

Please leave a review

If you did like the book or found it useful please can you do me a MASSIVE favour and go to Amazon and leave a review.

The Amazon algorithms mean that the more reviews a book has, the more likely they are to promote it to their readers. So if tons of people leave a positive review for this book then it will reach more readers and hopefully we'll have tons more Adventure Authors bringing their books into the world, which is a win for everyone!

In fact, if you do nothing else after you have finished this book, go to your FAVOURITE Adventure Book (not mine – unless it _is_ your favourite of course!) and leave a positive review. Go on. It'll make the author's day knowing that someone likes their work and you'll be helping them get in front of more readers too.

If you DIDN'T like my book (and that's fair enough, I can't please everyone) please could you email me with suggestions for improvements. I love receiving critical feedback as it just makes my books better and better.

jon_doolan@hotmail.com

Whatever way your feedback comes, thank you!

# About the Author

Jon Doolan is an Adventure Author and Adventure Author Coach. He is also a Stay-At-Home-Dad and a part-time teacher. In between doing the ironing and dashing down the road on the school run he loves to write about adventures and read other people's adventures.

He resents TV for taking over his spare time and is certain that he should be spending more time outdoors. He also prides himself on being a cheapskate.

He likes to get out on Microadventures when he can. He loves the British countryside, however he's looking forward to the day when he can take the Sprog on her first multi-day overseas expedition.

Watch this space...

Find out more about Jon at his website or connect with him on Twitter or Facebook.

# Other books by Jon Doolan

If you enjoyed this book maybe you'd like to check out his other books too.

Jon and Harry's Year of Microadventure

Inspired by National Geographic's Adventurer of the Year, Alastair Humphreys, Jon decides to take his best mate, Harry, on a Year of Microadventures. Join the hapless pair as they negotiate river rapids, pop princess song lyrics and their own mid-life crises. Marvel as they dodge being caught trespassing, being bummed by badgers and Jon's parental duties. Ponder as they explore the Welsh valleys, their own neuroses and the meaning of life.

This is a yomp through the mind of a normal middle-aged man who strives to get more from life and more often than not fails.

Available on Amazon

Sardines

When Jon and his best mate, Harry, decide that they need to inject some more fun activities into their lives they set out on a year-long challenge to complete 12 arbitrary missions set by a mysterious man from Facebook.

The Mission Challenger was born!

Available on Amazon

