Turn Your Speech Into A Book

Author: Alyice Edrich

Most speakers want to become published authors, but don’t know where to start; after all, their speakers, not writers, right? Nothing could be further from the truth. All great speeches start with an idea. That idea then finds its way to paper to be memorized and spoken in front of a crowd. All great books also start with an idea and make their way to paper. But instead of being spoken to large crowds, they’re read by crowds of thousands.

When asked what prevents a speaker from writing his or her first book, the answer is often a resounding: I don’t know where to start. That’s no different than an author saying to himself, “I have an idea, but I don’t know where to begin.”

With speakers the main obstacle is getting past the idea that they are no longer speaking to an audience face-to-face. Therefore, how can they take what they know and organize those thoughts into something that is not only readable, but comprehensive?

While it is true that speaking differs from books, it isn't difficult to take a speech and turn it into a book when you know where to start.

Begin With Your Speech

As a speaker, you’ve spoken on many topics. But not all topics will fit into the theme of a single book; therefore, your first step is to gather up all your speeches, on the same subject, and line them up on your desk (or kitchen table) by chronological order. If lining them up in chronological order doesn’t make sense, line your speeches up so that when they’re read, they appear to take your audience from step A to step B.

Find The Missing Pieces

Once your speeches are in proper order, do a quick glance over each speech. Pretend the person you are speaking to is new to your subject and will need you to take him/her by the hand. As you read from one speech to the next what do you find missing? Is there a speech you could write that fills the gap between paper A and paper B?

Write Those Speeches

For every gap in your order, write the appropriate speech. (The great thing about this task is you not only have new material for your book, but you also have a new speech!) Once you’ve written enough speeches to flow from point A to point B it’s time to begin the process of turning those speeches into a book.

Format Your Book

Formatting your book takes away from the creative process, but is a necessary evil. Your book needs to be properly formatted so that your readers don’t have trouble reading your book. Formatting consists of adding chapter titles, sub-titles, page numbers, a table of contents, etc.

Because each speech is usually spoken about one specific topic, it’s safe to give each speech a chapter title. In the same order you’ve laid your speeches out on your desk (or table), retype or paste your speeches into Microsoft Word®. This now becomes the basis (as it’s more than an outline) for your book.

Add More Meat

It’s time to add some meat, or more content, to your book. Go back to speech one, which is now Chapter 1. As you glance over your document, say a prayer for God's wisdom over your work. Ask the Lord to help you find clarity in what you write and help in turning your words from speech to book.

Take a deep breathe and trust your instincts. As you read over each one of your speeches, begin filling in the missing pieces. Add content to anything that could make your chapter clearer for the reader who knows nothing about your subject. Add statistics, examples from your business life, humor, and above all, don’t hold back the knowledge that is within you.

Find Expert Quotes

Once you've done this with each speech (chapter) let your book sit for a day or so while you find experts to quote. Once you get your quotes, go back to your book and insert the quotes in the appropriate spots.

Edit Your Work

Once you’ve completed the rough draft of your book, let it sit for a few days. You don’t want to go back to reading your book too soon, or your eyes will gloss right over any mistakes and/or typos. Once you’ve edited your book, you may want to hire a copyeditor to do the final editing.

Copyright Your Work

Before you decide to print, sell, and distribute your book, make sure you have it protected from thieves and plagiarists. Get your book copyright protected with the United States Copyright Office. The fee is only $30 and will save you great trouble should you ever have to appear in court over your work.

Sell Your Book

Since you are a speaker, the best place to promote and sell your book is at your speaking engagements. Make sure every contract you sign allows you to have a small table in the back of the room to sell your book. You can sell your book on disk, or you can pay to have it printed. But whatever method you choose, you’ll get more sales if you offer a small discount to attendees.

In a matter of 45 days you will have your very first book.