A couple weeks ago, an author told me he rewrote his entire manuscript THREE TIMES over the course of more than TWO YEARS before he finally got it right.
It was painful, he said. But he also said he didn’t think he could have done it any other way.
Which begs the question…how long does it really take to write a book?
Obviously, it depends. I’ve ghostwritten a book in 10 weeks, and I’ve got another ghostwriting project that’s almost 3 years old and still not done.
What makes the difference between the one and the other? I have a few ideas about what makes a book project go fast 🐇 or slow 🐢.
🐢 Memoir
Memoirs tend to take longer than knowledge sharing books because it takes time and experimentation to uncover the core story. That’s why many memoir authors write far more than what ends up in the final version of the book. Writing a memoir is also often part of a healing journey for the author, which can’t be rushed or forced. Knowledge sharing, on the other hand, is *usually* more straightforward.
🐢 Research
Whether it’s primary or secondary research, gathering information and synthesizing it takes time. The more you plan to rely on sources other than your own brain, the more time you should expect to take.
🐢 Other Priorities
Obviously, the less time you can carve out for your book every week, the longer it will take to finish it. That’s why so many experts and leaders opt to work with a ghostwriter. They have businesses to run, families to take care of, and a million other things to do, and having someone else do the bulk of the work means their books can get done in months instead of years.
🐢 Doubt
The more you doubt yourself, the more you’ll drag your feet. You might be unsure about what the core message of your book should be. You might question the value of that message. You might wonder if you have the “right” to say anything about it. This is normal, to a certain extent, but if you’re not careful, it can holds you back from the finish line, even when it’s just steps away.
🐇 Previous Sharing
Authors who have already shared their story/expertise in some way tend to get their books done fastest. Maybe they’ve taught, coached others, or given public talks about the core message of their book. Because of that, they’ve already thought a lot about how to communicate that message, which accelerates the writing process.
🐇 Consistency
The easiest way to stall a book project is to take a break from it. You tell yourself it’ll just be a few weeks until life calms down, but weeks turn into months, and when you come back to the manuscript, you have all these new ideas that make you want to rejigger the whole thing—which extends your timeline even more. Consistent engagement with the writing process keeps the project moving forward.
🐇 Deadlines
One of the fastest book projects I ever did was with an author who was pregnant and was determined to finish her manuscript before her due date. Real, meaningful deadlines have an amazing way of motivating us to make time, push through the mental resistance, and get that pesky inner perfectionist out of the way. (That said, you don’t want to publish a book that’s not ready, so be realistic, please.)
🐇 Expert Guidance
As you might expect, it’s easier to avoid time-consuming pitfalls and dead ends when you have an expert guiding you, whether that’s a ghostwriter, a book coach, or an editor.
If you’ve written a book before, does this resonate with your experience? Would you add anything to this list?
If you’re thinking about writing a book, what does this tell you about where you might fall on the spectrum of 🐢 to 🐇?
