So many people have asked, so I thought it was time to share. I self-published my Life Lessons of an Ironman Triathlete and my Rulon Rules: Strength Training & the Triathlete. I worked with a publisher for “Self Motivational Strategies for Women.” Each way had its challenges but learning in every which way! Click HERE to get on a call with me to see if you need help putting your book together! 

What holds most would-be authors back from publishing?

It’s not a lack of writing talent. It’s not a lack of knowledge. And for sure, it’s not a lack of desire.

If you ask most people why they have not finished their book, the answer is simple: time. Coaches are busy people. You have clients to serve, a business to run, and a family to care for. Not only that, but you’re spending time creating new training courses, marketing on social media, and managing your team, and as we know, the list is nearly endless.

When would you have time to write an entire book?

You’ve Probably Already Written It

It’s true. If you have a blog and have been maintaining it for over a few months, you will likely have already written all the content your book needs. All that remains is to organize and give it a light edit.

If you don’t have a blog (why not?), or your blog is young, blogging your book is even more comfortable since you can plan your content around your book topic.

Here’s how it works. Think of your blog categories as sections and each blog post as a chapter. You can loosely organize your book by sorting all your blog posts by type, then listing them logically. Your book may only contain a single category, or it might include several. The choice is yours.

Remove self-serving, time-sensitive, curated, or other content that doesn’t fit into a book. Remove the calls to action. For example, it won’t make sense to promote your paid programs—or affiliate offers—within a book.

What you’re left with is a rough draft of a book.

All that remains is a few passes with your editor engaged:

For flow: Books should follow a logical path from one chapter to the next, so you’ll likely have to add or edit the beginnings and endings of your posts.

For spelling, grammar, and punctuation: Don’t skip this part. Instead, get someone else to do it. It’s too difficult to spot our own mistakes, and book readers are less forgiving than blog readers.

For content: Enlist the help of a few friends or colleagues you trust to share their honest opinion with you. Ask them to read through and note any confusing content you could explain in greater detail.

That’s it! Revise, and you’re ready to publish.

Think no one will read a book that’s repurposed from your blog?

Think again. Bloggers have used this method to write books for years, and some of them are spectacularly successful. For example, Darren Rowse of ProBlogger.net fame wrote and published his wildly popular blogging guide based entirely on the content he’d already posted. He found that even though the content was freely available, people bought the book because they wanted the convenience of having it organized in one document.

Even fiction writers have discovered the power of blogging a book. Andy Weir, the author of “The Martian,” first published his book on a blog one chapter at a time.

Don’t continue to let excuses hold you back from publishing your book. Instead, use the content you’ve already written or strategically plan your blog to turn it into a book, but either way, get publishing!