Welcome, physician author!
The time trap: How long will it take to write your book?
Don't put off writing your book because you fear it will take you longer than your allotted time on earth. You may need years to plan, research and write your book, but it doesn't need to take that long.
Most books on health topics for non-medical people run about 50,000 to 75,000 words. That's about 200 to 275 manuscript pages, or 20 pages per topic if you divide the subject into 10 or 12 chapters.
The simplest way to write a book is divide the topic into 10 or 12 subtopics. Devote a file folder or notebook to each topic and collect the information you want to cover. Set a reasonable schedule for completing each section of the book. If you give yourself a month for the first draft of each chapter, that comes down to only four or five pages a week.
For the second draft you'll look for opportunities to place bullets, boxes, headers, graphs or photos. You'll fine-tune transitions between paragraphs and make sure you have enough stories or examples (with identity carefuly concealed) to illustrate your points. If your book has too much text, an editor can help you cut it to size. If your text is skimpy, beef it up with historical information related to the topic, stories or examples that support your points and conclusions reached by medical researchers.
You can spend 5-6 years on your book, but by following the above steps you should be able to finish your book within 12 months. Allow another 3 to 6 months for final editing and professional packaging by your publishing consultant, and your book is ready to share.
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Copyright © 2008 by Griffith Publishing, all rights reserved
Caldwell, Idaho
208 454-9553
800 359-9503
Note: At present we are accepting English language publishing projects only from citizens or residents of the U.S. and Canada. We consider projects by all reputable medical professionals, including those with M.D., D.O., D.C., O.D., D.D.S., D.M.D., N.P., P.T., R.T., R.N., O.T, P.A., N.P., and other academic and medical credentials.
Publishing traps
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