Imagine your book already finished. Think about the benefits you've gained. You know the added respect from your colleagues, the added income to help pay the bills or fund your next vacation. Visualize your customers writing in about how much your book has helped them. Hear them telling all their friends about your well-written helpful book. Imagine how excited you feel about finally fulfilling your dream of writing a book.

Did you dream the bigger dream? Great! It can happen; you've already seen it. Now follow these seven principles and make your book dream come true this year:

1. Write with passion. Choose a topic you're passionate about. Perhaps you're passionate about your work or a cause. Your customers can be your biggest resource. Solve their problems. Answer their questions. If you're a speaker, use one of your main talks and expound on that subject.

2. Write with intention. Write a plan. Get the necessary resources in place to accomplish your dream of writing a book. Educate yourself about book writing. Sign up for a class, course or seminar. Set aside a special bank account for book cover design, editing, page layout and promotion. Without the money needed to fund your project, your book dream may die or stall at the finish line.

3. Write with a vision. Write your vision down and make it plain. Write the dream you just dreamed. Be specific with the details. Name the date you will complete it. Write the specific outcomes you will have as a result of writing your book. For example, see yourself watching your bank balance grow from book sales. Write, "I see myself with increased income and more clients." Anyway you get the idea; create your vision statement including see, hear and feel.

4. Write with focus. No, you don't have to sell your soul anymore to write a saleable book. Use the cumulative effect of doing a little bit at a time. Even so, unless you want it to take years to write, you must schedule writing time each week. For example, you could write 2 pages a day and have a short book in weeks.

5. Write solutions. Your audience is looking for solutions to their problems. They are looking to you for encouragement to overcome their challenges. Mine your background, your files, and your speeches for the gold called your knowledge. Use speedy book writing techniques and finish your book faster to sell sooner.

6. Write with realistic expectations. If you think an hour here or a couple there will get your book done, rethink your commitment. Plan to fit at least 8-14 hours into your schedule to get your book done and out to the world. It may mean getting up in the wee hours of the morning before your family gets up or burning the midnight oil after work. Either way, know consistency will drive you and your book to a successful completion.

7. Write with persistence. Persistent writers become successful authors. Don't give up. Take your dream out of the back seat. Bring your book writing plans to the front. When you do what it takes to author your book, you can reap the rewards through an expert status, increased fees, respect for your know how, fame that grows and many more opportunities that manifest.

Don't wait a minute longer. Take your book dream off the shelf. If you wait, you can be this time next year without making your dream of writing a successful book come true. You have the knowledge and the solution. Now write it down. Your audience is waiting. Focus, use the principles above and make your book dream come true this year. Make it different. Make it count. Make it yours.