You Have To Visualize the Big Picture

The fourth step in eBook authoring is called the Big Picture step since it is here that you call upon both your realistic and your fanciful self to envision the final product-- Imagination. This is the platform upon which dreams and goals are built. The size of your dreams and the emotional responses they create for you are important as discussed in the last issue of "There's A Book Inside of You." Donald Trump puts it this way, "As long as you're going to be thinking anyway, THINK BIG!"

Most books on goal setting discuss the necessity of creating goals; however, what is missing according to the philosopher Neville is how to properly use one's goals. Neville states an important paradigm shift in their use. He states, "Don't think of your goals, think from your goals." "Begin with the end in mind," according to Stephen Covey.

In his best selling series, "The Psychology of Winning," Denis Waitley describes the visualization techniques that all winning athletes use before competition. Among others, he uses an example from the legendary golf expert, Jack Nicklaus.

Dr. Waitley describes the mental movie that Jack Nicklaus uses from his book, "Golf My Way." Nicklaus states that the following occurs in his mind's eye before making each shot: "…[I] see the ball going there: its path, trajectory, and shape, eye its behaviour on landing…the next scene shows me making the kind of swing that will turn the previous images into reality."

In terms of eBook authoring, it is important to not think of your future eBook(s), but rather, to think from your published eBook. Imagine yourself a completed eBook author. Imagine your eBook cover published on a web site, your eBook being read by others, your professional and personal pride in your accomplishment, your exhilaration at earning money as an author (if you choose to sell your eBook),…your "dream come true!"

At this step you must also make decisions involving such big picture ideas as: the scope of your eBook, the number of eBooks in the series if more than one eBook is required, the topic or topics to be covered, the background information you already possess or need to acquire, the people who can act as mentors.

Remember, too, that mentors can come in many forms. Dale Carnegie states that potential mentors, although not living today, live on in their autobiographies and/or biographies. Mentors can exist as personal and professional development tapes, personal or work related experiences…anything from which you have gained a greater awareness of the attitudes, skills and/or knowledge in a particular area.

In visualizing the big picture from your goal as a successful eBook author, you must decide such things as: your target market for sales or use of your eBook; whether you will author a single eBook or a series of eBooks; the possible marketer of your eBook; whether your eBook will be compiled in HTML (EXE) or some other format for palm readers and eBook readers. These are some of the big picture questions surrounding your, as yet unwritten, eBook!

Goal setting and goal writing skills are very important at this step in the process. You must write your goals, break them down into manageable sub-goals, put time targets on them, share them with others, and write an action plan for each one. By sharing your goals (advertising your dreams) others will step up to help you. The alternative is that you do the work on your own! This is not the way to go as it is definitely not the most efficient use of time!

Visualize your finished eBook on a page at Teacher eBooks' web site. See your very own eBook cover. See the title of the eBook with your name under it. See your ad copy posted on the web site "pitching" your eBook. See a business card with 'author' on it. Picture other people worldwide downloading it and benefiting from your expertise. Picture your press release sent to local, national and international media.

How does it make you feel? See yourself celebrating!

Here are a few RaW Stems™ for your reflective enjoyment:

1. In general terms my eBook will be about _____.
2. The primary reasons for writing an eBook are _____.
3. The "big picture" decisions I have to make are _____.
4. Some good sources of information about the writing, editing, marketing,… of an eBook would be _____.
5. I know I can count on the support of _____ to help me succeed.

In next month's issue we present the second part of Step Four of the eBook authoring journey---You Have to Visualize the Big Picture---entitled "You Think Out of Both Sides of Your Brain."

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