How to Start Writing Your First Book (Don't Start On Page 1)
27 Oct 2026 #writing #bookwritingDon’t start writing a book by writing a book.
It’s tempting to start your book by creating a new Google Docs and throwing words into a page. You’ll doubt every step in the process.
Start by writing about your book subject months or years in advance:
- You’ll validate your ideas even before they become your table of content.
- You’ll grow an audience to sell your book to.
After writing Street-Smart Coding, my first coding book, I write almost all my books backwards. That’s what I learned from a book experiment I ran earlier this year when I wrote 10 Surprisingly Simple Ideas That Changed My Life And Could Change Yours Too.
I start by validating ideas as posts, emails, or social media posts.
The top performing ideas will eventually become book chapters, and the ones with less performance become supporting ideas.
Once I have enough validated ideas, I come up with a book promise, title, subtitle, 1-line summary, an outline, and Amazon sales page. It sounds counterintuitive, but it forces you to clarify your messaging and packing it.
Your book will be your best ideas presented in a new format. Your real job is to become a DJ of your own ideas.
And if writing a 100-page book sounds intimidating, aim for a mini-book: a short, focused book a read could finish in a sitting that solves one problem.
If you’re curious, you’ll find my books here. Short and actionable books on coding and personal growth.