1. Find your target audience.

When you give your book a target, it will hit the mark of good sales. To be honest, not everyone will be interested in your book. When you target one audience at a time, each tip, each story or how-to will be more effective. Aim your message and you will have a competitive edge on many book writers. Create an audience profile.

Are your potential readers male or female? How old are they? Are they interested in self-help, mystery, romance, how-to books? What problems do they face? Are they business people or professionals? Are they techies or non-techies? Are they willing to spend $15-30 on your book?

2. Examine your book's significance.

Many writers tremble in their tracks with fear that their book won't sell. Don't be afraid. Your book is significant if its presents useful information, answers important readers questions, and impacts people for the good. If it's entertaining or humorous it could go further than you imagined.

It creates a deeper understanding of humanity, animals or this world. With one to three of these elements your book is worth writing. More than three, it has potential of making great sales even to best seller status. Go ahead, write your book and make the world a better place.

3. Develop your book's working title.

In the literary world it's called a working title for everyone knows it may change. You may decide to change it or your publisher. Even so, working titles help direct and focus your writing. Some non-fiction writing does better with subtitles. If needed, it clarifies the title. Obscure titles will miss the mark and sales.

Which titles grab you and stir a desire to read what the author has to say: Rich Dad, Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money - That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not! or How to Teach Others About Money; How to Win Friends and Influence People! or How to Make Friends.

4. Write your book's thesis.

A thesis reflects the main central thought and greatest benefit of your book. It should answer your audiences' question, "How will this book solve my problem of? Writing the thesis before you write the book will keep you on the path of focused, powerful yet easy to read content.

All chapters support your book's main concept. For "Win with the Writer Inside," the thesis is "How to write, complete, and publish your best book fast." The best titles often include the thesis statement in some form.

5. Design your book's 60 second "Poster" before writing chapter 1.

Make your 2-3 sentence blurb into a sound byte. Like a hallway poster that you only have a few seconds to read, you condense your sound byte message into a 60 second blurb to tell and sell.

Use your poster board at networking meeting, in the elevator, in the grocery line, anywhere you only have a few seconds to tell about your book. Composing your poster board should include your title, 3 top benefits and compare your book with a successful book in your field.

Writing a book is a journey. Most journeys go so much smoother with a map or travel plan. Taking the simple steps above will get you started and keep you going to completion. Start today then complete and release your significant message to the world. Write your first book and prosper!