Craft a Book That Changes Lives – Especially Your Own
A. J. Harper

I picked up this book as part of my writing group, Bookcamp, in which we read through the book and applied it to our writing. I was excited to read it because like any author, I want to produce a book that people value. The author did not disappoint. The book is full of great advice on how to develop and edit your book. She includes a bonus chapter about publishing as well.

She introduces her book by talking about the various reasons people become authors and write books. Many of them just want to be called an author. But once a book is out there, it doesn’t go away. She says that a book is forever. If you are going to write a book that lasts forever, you should take the time to write an excellent book.

The author leaves a note for fiction writers. This book works best for nonfiction authors. If you are a fiction author, you can still use parts of the book but it is geared toward nonfiction writers.

In the first chapter, she stresses that a book is always about the reader. The reader is first, last, and always in the mind of an author who writes his successful book people recommend to everyone around them. Chapter 2 goes a step further in helping the author put them in the first by making the reader profile, similar to a reader “avatar” but not so narrow that you get caught up in how to serve your reader.

In chapter 3, the author moves to help you craft your core message to your audience. This is easier to do when you have worked on your reader profile. The message guides your book and keeps you from “writers block” or not wanting to work on your book at all. I found this chapter to be very helpful and encouraging.

Chapter 4 is all about the promise you make to your readers with your book’s subtitle and all the copywriting you will do for it. This keeps you grounded so you don’t go off on tangents. Every part of the book fits within the core message and promise of the book. This is a challenging thing for me because I don’t always make sure everything I write fits into those two things.

Writers have trouble with knowing what content to keep and what to file away for later. Harper helps us in this respect by guiding us through three questions that help us know if content belongs in our books. This was a very helpful chapter for me because I like to include everything.

Chapter 6 gives you guiding principles for how to make a transformative outline. As you think about your reader first, it helps you to see that reader on a journey where you are the guide. Knowing this helps you to make your outline a transformative journey that brings your reader to a change in their lives that lasts. What writer doesn’t want that?

Part 2 talks about the first draft of your book. She begins with chapter 7 in consoles writers who are concerned about the terrible writing they do in their first draft. She says that’s okay. It’s supposed to be bad. Then she gives you some pointers on how to handle your first draft, how to avoid your inner critic, and how to get through that first draft.

Chapter 8 focuses even more on your inner critic. The author has a good way to help you kick that critic to the curb. This was helpful for me because I don’t realize how much I try to edit my manuscript instead of just writing it. That judgment to process kills the creative ability of the writer.

Part 3 of the book is all about the editing process. Through chapters 9-13, the author does through a 17-point checklist for how you edit your manuscript to make it “reader-first.” She says the editing process is the hardest part of the book. You will want to get your book into the world prematurely but you must not skip this process.

Most authors don’t realize the editing and finalizing process has not been fully done before they release their books. This was a very helpful section of the book to me. I am one of those authors that releases the book before it is fully ready. Harper goes through her whole process of book edits and this is the goal in the book.

If you are the kind of writer who does not think of marketing or doesn’t want to do it, if you go through the book as a workshop, she helps you to be proactive about marketing your book. At the end of each chapter is a moment where she challenges you to do something that will help you get your idea and your book out there before it is even finished. The book concludes with a bonus chapter on the publishing industry discussing three types of publishing. This was also helpful to me. My favorite part of the book is the workshops the author gives you to do. As long as you keep up with them, each part of the book ads on to the foundations you set in the chapter before. This is much more a workbook than it is just a book about writing the book. If you are writer who struggles with any part of the writing process, this book is for you. The author guides you through everything from knowing your ideal reader to publishing your book.