Juiced On Writing

Recently I reviewed the free ebook, First Time Author Workbook, available from The Creative Penn website. This week Joanna Penn has published her first commercial e-book, From Idea…To Book…

Developed for first time authors, the From Idea to Book e-book is currently available for only US $1, with a paypal payment system. Given the price, I decided to take a look at it, and bought it myself.

From Idea…To Book…

Statistics:

• 106 pages long, including Title cover page, contents and About the Author informational pages
• Table of Contents, Introduction and Appendices
• 3 Sections, and 40 chapters.
• Purchase for $1 (currently)

Contents:

The e-book works on from the First Time Author Workbook, guiding the author through three sections. The first provides some goal setting thoughts on writing a book. Section 2 includes 20 brief chapters on the process of writing. Section 3 provides basics on publishing, self publishing and print-on demand, explaining, amongst other things, how to go about getting an ISBN number.

The basic contents can be found listed on the e-book’s page on the Creative Penn’s website, as below. Full contents are found linked through from the From Idea to Book page also.

• The psychology of writing and tools to help you along the way,
• What should I write about?
• Where do I find inspiration?
• How do I actually get on with writing?
• what is editing and why is it important?
• What about a cover?
• how do I decide on a title?
• What is self-publishing?
• Do I need an agent?
• What is print-on-demand?
• How do I make an ebook?
• How do I get my book on the Kindle or the iPhone?

Working through From Idea…To Book

The Process of Writing

The largest section of this e-book is towards the process of writing. Joanna uses simple text, personal examples from her 11 year writing career, and several graphs and images to help convey her process. She also deals well with the age-old question of finding time for writing, using quotes from other authors in where they found the time to write their own first books. Unusually, the book also deals with the reluctant typer, and gives options for those people who want to dictate their book rather than write it out.

Placed also towards marketing the book in the future, From Idea to Book also includes ideas towards choosing a title which will make marketing easier (such as finding keywords from the start). Those in business will also recognise the author’s use of Top-Down and Bottom-Up principles in structuring their book. In fact, the book even includes a flow chart example of structuring ideas and paths for a book.

Publishing, Self-Publishing and POD

The last section involves some basic but helpful information on going down the self- publishing or e-book route, cover-design, publishing via kindle or the i-phone, or if attempting the normal publishing route, how to go about locating an agent.

This leads on successfully to the next e-book in the series, From Book to Market, which according to From Idea to Book, is available for $9.99, however the website is currently showing only $1 again.

My Verdict

From Idea to Book is an excellent resource for the first time author, including many workable ideas, and basic knowledge which I’ve previously had to search and compile from all across the internet. The writing processes, graphs, author quotes and resource links included will help any person considering writing a book.

At the current $1 this is a bargain, but I expect would remain so at even $10 (which I would suggest is the correct price for the e-book itself). I would thoroughly recommend that any first time authors take a look at From Idea to Book as their first point of reference, and I intend working through some of those structural applications myself, even when writing a fictional work.

LinkMes:

• Purchase From Idea to Book e-book
• First Time Author Workbook review on Juiced on Writing,  and the free workbook which complements From Idea to Book.
• Follow-up e-book From Book to Market (not reviewed here).

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