When I coach authors to get their books written, they commit to writing a certain number of words every week and submitting them to me. Even if you are working on your own without a coach, I recommend you follow the same principle. This will help you avoid having the process drag on and on.

So how do you decide the number of words to write every week? It’s simple arithmetic!

First, how long do you want the book to be? If you don’t know, have a look at some existing books that are similar in topic or scope to yours. Pick them up off the shelves in a bookstore or just look at them on Amazon. They won’t tell you the word count, of course, but you can see the number of pages. The number of words per page varies according to type size and layout, but you can use an average of 250-350. Multiply that by the number of pages in the book.

Next, when do you want your first draft to be finished? If you have a deadline for the actual complete book, you will have to factor in time for production. Now, how many weeks are there between now, when you start writing, and your target completion date?

Now divide the total number of words by the number of weeks, and you have the weekly output that will meet your schedule. Simple!

Now, of course, you have to actually produce those words! If you are self-disciplined and can stick to a schedule, you now have the tools to get your book written when you want it finished. One of my clients wanted finished books to sell at the back of the room at a speaking engagement four months after she began, and she did it because she made her plan and followed it. If you feel you’ll need some help sticking to your plan, drop me a line at helen@theexecutivesbookcoach.com and ask about my book coaching service.

Now get out that calculator!