Creating your book is the product of seven key steps:

1. Fact-Finding

I need to get inside your head, know what you want to say, and understand your voice and perspective.

You give me every scrap of content you can possibly dig up, including a rough draft (if you have one), outline, articles (including relevant third-party articles), audio and video recordings, podcasts, interviews, etc.

2. Finding the Angle

Having something important to say matters more than how you say it.

The goal of this step is to figure out how to make your content as impactful as possible. It’s not about clever words (bluffing with fluff) — it’s about big, substantial, world-changing ideas.

The bigger the idea, the easier it is to write.

At this step we’ll also determine the style of your book, whether it be strictly non-fiction, a story, a parable, etc.

3. Creating an Outline

Our fact-finding sessions will result in a basic outline, a skeleton that gives us direction for adding flesh and blood.

Getting it right from the beginning saves massive amounts of time on the back end; don’t be surprised if I don’t actually put words on paper in the first month of working together.

We take our time up front to avoid wasted time later.

4. The Long Haul

At this point, I dig down and write the content — day in and day out, pounding away to clothe our naked outline.

5. Editing

Do NOT underestimate the editing process. I can’t stress this point enough. Editing is extremely painstaking and time-consuming.

It’s not a simple matter of handing the manuscript to the publisher and waiting — it involves input and revisions as the editors make recommendations.

6. Graphic Design & Interior Layout

Once we have a final manuscript, it’s turned over to the design and layout team.

I go back and forth with them for as many revisions as it takes to get a final product to send to print.