How to Write a Book in 30 Days

A lot of people desire to write that perfect book. And the best thing about having written a book is to brag about it. You are an expert on the topic. People will recognize your new status, but the best part, we can help more people draw near to the heart of God through our writing.

flickr.com / Victoria Nevland

So why write a book? I ask; why not? If you have a 5 or 7 part sermon series, you already have the outline to a book written. Think about it. We spend hours each week pouring over what to teach on a Sunday morning. It’s grueling work, but after we’re done preaching, we put it away and maybe rehash it again a few years later.

But, what if I told you, you could write a book using your sermons? It’s not as crazy as it sounds. In-fact you can have the first draft written in a matter of 30 days. If your average sermon is 45 minutes, that’s nearly 15-20 pages written. If you have a 7 part series you have 120 pages of your first draft.

So how do you write a book using your sermon series?

1. Write your sermon outlines. This takes the most amount of work, but if we think that this series might become a good book, you’ll make each sermon fit nice into the next.

2. Preach your sermons. No need to expound on this one.

3. Get each sermon audio transcribed. This will save you a lot of time trying to remember everything you spoke. In a matter of a few days, you’ll have your transcript back, and that becomes the first draft.

4. Edit your new book. Take each transcript and begin editing. Pull out your main points per sermon, create your headers, add bold or italics to the text. Format them into chapters, or even break up each sermon into two chapters. This can give you anywhere from 10 – 14 chapters for the book.

5. Give your book to a copy editor. Have someone you hire edit the book. This will cause your book to stand out from the crowd. Yes, it will cost some money – but if you want to make the biggest impact, you must have a professional touch to it.

6. Have a designer create the cover and typeset the book. Now it’s ready for print. This is always the last step, but if you hire this out, you’re book will stand out from the pack.

EXTRA TIP If you’re not a preacher, you can use the same formula if you’re a podcaster or simply write your outline, record your own audio then follow steps 3 – 6.

If we want to make an impact in people’s lives, what better way than for our parishioners to take your book and give it to someone in need. We have the power, through our spoken and written word, to impact people’s lives and help them draw near the heart of God.

There isn’t much more to it. You’ve written your book in a matter of a month. It takes a lot of work to create those sermons, why not utilize them to make books to bless those who attend our church and those who don’t. We never know who’s reading, but when we hear their stories, our lives are forever touched by what we accomplished, knowing that person’s life is forever changed.

What do you think of this way of writing a book? Any other tips you can think of? Share below, on Facebook or Twitter.