Writing a Book a Week: How to Write Quick Books Under the Self-Publishing Model. Write Free Book Series

by Alex Foster

My writing method is a focus on writing short, high quality books that bring value to readers. Most of my methods are for nonfiction, but many examples and ideas work well for fiction books, too.


Learn how to be profitable writing a book a week for Kindle and other book sites. The process is a true test of discipline and character. I share ideas that work for writing under this model and the motivation and mindset it takes to succeed.

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Reference, Ebooks, Business, Productivity

31 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 7, 2013

Reviews

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an attractive idea, to write a book a week. I bought this because it sounded like an unachievable dream and I wanted to see how he thought we could pull it off.

After reading it, I concluded two things:
1. This was one of the books he wrote in a week (with lots and lots of editing afterwards).
2. It really could be done (as long as you're writing something you know a lot about and that you don't have kids).

The book was set up extremely systematically and it made it clear that this really could be done. I won't be able to write one in a week, but I can definitely use the tips he provides to directly apply to writing my own book.

This process is likely best for a nonfiction book, as he states, but I will challenge myself to do it with a fiction book.

[Shabana Mukhtar · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was okay

As in the title, the book goes on to talk about writing one book a week. While it does give a few action items, it mostly contained a lot of quotes and references of other writers, and softwares and sites.
At the end, the book gets one review, so I guess a job well done ;-)

And one may realize my review is just as long as the title itself :D

[Lennie Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

In between my binge listen of the "Mountain Man" series, I picked this up. My dream is to write as a full-time job and make a decent living with it. I figured picking this up couldn't hurt. especially since it seems that most indie authors need to produce a lot to get up a decent fanbase. :/ I got a long road ahead!

(I'm looking at you, Amy Cross! When I'm talking about producing a lot! over 100 books!)

It actually had some decent advice, so I'm glad I picked it up. It was well written, simplistic and easy to understand. I liked it.

I'm still not sure if I could actually write a long book in a week. Maybe a short novella if I really focus. But it'd definitely need a few rounds of editing afterward!

Still!

This short little book has a lot of good advice I can take away from it. So that's good. :D I can totally use the advice on outlining and focusing.

Recommended for all writers. Even if you just glance over it, it might help you. :D

Happy Reading!

[K.J. Chapman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book doesn’t pretend that writing a non fiction book a week is easy. The author recommends 5 hours a day to complete this task. That’s dedication for even some full time writers.
Although the book focusses on quantity with quality, I do wonder how good research and well written content can truly be produced in one week.
I would be interested to hear from readers who have tried this system.

[Miguel Jr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic.

This is the best book that I have read in the Write Free Book series so far. The information packed within is extremely helpful. This is a gold mine for indie authors, and I cannot thank Alex Foster enough for making this book. I highlighted a lot of texts as I read through it, and I highly recommend it.

[Myra · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick read about writing a book in a week. Quite possibly, this is the type of book the author means. I do want to write books, and while I don't necessarily want to write them in a week, this book still does add value.

The author provides actionable tips that you can use as a writer, aspiring or otherwise. Would recommend reading this if you have any interest in writing books, especially if your area of interest is KIndle self publishing.

[Cara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to say, this book got me pretty fired up to write a million books. When I write a book, it's usually in a binge over just a few days. I don't think I could do that in the long term, but maybe it's still useful to write a book a month or something. The author's calculations really got me thinking about Kindle publishing again. I definitely love the idea of building something that feeds me in the long term without having to work so hard forever.

Highlights:
Yellow highlight | Location: 250
“I am going directly to work.”


Yellow highlight | Location: 268
Freedom is the best friend of writers. Freedom allows you to limit and shut down the Internet during key times.


Yellow highlight | Location: 271
It’s like eating a salad on top of a huge cookie plate.


Yellow highlight | Location: 299
Don’t focus on the result, focus on what it takes: writing.


Yellow highlight | Location: 305
Make your goal in writing about getting better and not about being great.


Yellow highlight | Location: 338
By far the best place to do so is BookBub.com. They are expensive and hard to get a spot on especially with short or new books. Other sites I like are HUGEOrange.com, TheFussyLibrarian.com, BookGorilla.com and Booklution.com.


Yellow highlight | Location: 346
If you want to take it up a notch look into software like Scrapebox.


Yellow highlight | Location: 351
Sites like StoryCartel.com will list your book as free in exchange for reviews. Readers get your book for free. It's optional for readers to leave a review and it's completely unbiased. Netgalley.com is another great site for getting reviews.


Yellow highlight | Location: 355
HUGEOrange.com will distribute your book to the top Amazon reviewers and bloggers. They guarantee results, which is perfect for books that struggle with reviews.


Yellow highlight | Location: 361
On my site www.itsawriterthing.com I have a post with a link to a copy of top reviewer emails.


Yellow highlight | Location: 517
For example, you need the age or date of something you are typing out, but can’t think of it on the spot. To keep writing in flow you would simply write “TK” and keep going. TK stands for “to come.”

[Gisela Hausmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Writing a Kindle Book a Week" is an interesting read. Though I do not have any aspirations to do this I wanted to hear what the author had to say.

Indeed, I enjoyed reading this passionately written book so much that I was wondering if I should not write more books (even though I published 5 books last year).

Clearly the word "impossible" is not a part of Foster's vocabulary. He rebuts the thought of that people cannot write one book per week before the reader can even ponder whether it is possible or not.

"... You can generate more ideas in your life then you could ever hope to write about, so don’t be worried about running out. You may only have a few in your head right now but as you write and think about books, more and more will start to be added to your list..."

His formula for success?

"... Do more of what works and less of what doesn’t. That’s the formula. Write about what interests you and profits will come from niches you find..."

I think not only does his argument hold water, Foster makes a convincing case.

To sum it up, I believe all nonfiction authors should read this book simply as an encouragement to see how far they can take their ideas.

5 stars

Gisela Hausmann, authors & blogger

[Taylor Church · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was mediocre at best. I am not one for bashing a creative work. But this was lacking quite a heavily in creative flare. I admit a few pearls were found, and it was mega short so my time was not wasted. I was just displeased with the overall premise of the book. It is essentially encouraging the practice of "hack writing." He never said it outwardly, but his overall idea was basically quantity over quality which I completely disagree with. Alas, I gleaned a few things from a marketing standpoint. I give it a 4/10. I don't love the star system.

[Laila · Rating 5 out of 5]

Argh, if only someone had written this books five years ago, my journey might be different! If you're emerging writer, reading this book might be the tools you need on your journey forward. It's like having a fully powered headlight while walking in the dark forest in the middle of the night. Much obliged, Alex Foster.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well put together tidbit of info. Being a writer I am always looking for ways to hone my craft in the ever changing publishing game. I'm not sure if I can spin a book a week out, but I am going to give it a
Shot. That being said, a nice little informative read!

[Cal Bowen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is an example of a one week book

Writing a book a week is possible, if by book you mean 30K or less, and if by week you mean 5 days of 5 hours for 25 hours total. This is why Amazon is swamped with so many useless books, such as this one.

[Petrina Binney · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Writing, in general, can be a passion, but digging deeper and writing about what you are passionate about is magical.”
77% in, Plenty of Ideas, Writing A Book A Week by Alex Foster

So, is it a gimmick, or can it be done? As with so many things, it depends on what you mean by ‘book’.

There’s good advice on the types of software you might need to write a book at all, where to keep notes, the perils of certain writing packages when it comes to formatting, and the obvious bonuses of cloud-storage - all important things to know.

But the question is this: Can you write a book in a week? Taking a day for research, as recommended in this guide, and then writing the thing in the following six days… doesn’t really tell the whole story. If you’re planning on writing a standard novel (40,000-75,000 words total), you’re looking at writing approximately 10,000 words a day and, ultimately, not editing out very much, if anything at all. And an unedited book is often disappointing - due to too much fluff and extraneous detail, or misspellings. And heaven help the author who messes about with apostrophes.

If you’re looking at something closer to a short story or novelette (7,500-17,000 words total), it probably is possible to write a book in a week. But it’s worth bearing in mind that there will be extra time required for editing, beta-reading and proofreading. These are steps you really can’t afford to avoid.

However, whether you can, or indeed should, write a book a week, the author is correct when he says it’s about commitment and making yourself accountable. Ultimately, the writer needs to work both sides of the street: as the creator and the manager. It might feel like it’s enough that you have a talent for making something beautiful with words, but you still need the chutzpah and the skills to sell it.

My advice is this: if the stress of finding five hours a day just for writing is choking up your creativity, look at the longer term. If you can find an hour, it might not seem like much, but in an hour of writing, you’ll have more on the page today than you did yesterday, so count it as a win.

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent Insight on self-publishing

This book provided some insight on writing enough books to garner more income. It discusses the need for self publishers to write more books than authors who are backed by publishers simply because the self publisher will need to play the odds of how many and do all the work for themselves.

His opinions on software and apps that have helped him were useful and will help self publishers find what works for them while using his recommendation as a starting point.

The focus of this book is on motivation, consistency, quantity, and "getting started." I wish he would have delved a little deeper into how he creates a story without the usual in depth plot, character and world development, but that would have made the book the opposite of what he is trying to teach and how he makes money with his writing.

This is well written and easy to read. I would read more of his advice on this topic, and I can since it's a series.

Check it out if you are interested in learning more about writing and self-publishing and using the quantity method.

[Harry Hol · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are looking for a book on writing to blow your mind and open up previously unknown bursts of productivity... this isn't it. There's certainly some good advice here for novice writers, such as the importance of outlining and how much more productive you are if you manage your time. But none of this can be news to anyone who's ever written an article or book.

That's not to say this is a bad read. Sometimes you need to hear some of the clichés again to get back to good writing habits.

But don't think that you'll be cranking out a book a week based on some sort of magical formula. In fact, it seems to me that trying to earn a living this way is more trouble than it's worth.

If you want to make money writing, it's more efficient to freelance for websites and other publications. If you want to write a really good book, don't try to do it in a week. Do it in 30 days. That's why God invented NaNoWriMo :-)

[A.M. · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is what I do: I find a general idea that I have interest in, either fiction or nonfiction. I then write (at least) 4 books in one month on the genre under a pen name. That way, the same topic is fresh and in my head for the whole month. I don’t spend the month bouncing around from a cookbook to a sci-fi book about an alien invasion, then to a children's book about a talking hamster.

*eyes narrow* I guess that would work. Especially as he is publishing them under pen names so people won’t make the link that it’s the same author. He’s batching the task. This is ultimately to make money out of KU, I suspect.
And then he uses this to work out what sells and what doesn’t.
He does have some good points about strategies and ways to get yourself in the writing chair.
And even he admits that he has not managed to do 52 books in a year, life always gets in the way.
2 stars

[Brittany | BrittanyIsBooked · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 stars

This was a good book for personal development as one of my 2017 goals is to write a book. However, I realized that I am just not ready to go full force into a book just yet after reading this. My key takeaways were: that you make time to work on your book every single day, you pick one topic and break it up into many books, and you use a pen name for each genre that you write in to up your sales and your credibility.

The author provided sample word counts for non-fiction and fiction books, and I realized that in writing my blog posts before editing, I am in fact very close to being able to write a non-fiction book, however that is not what I want.

Summary: good book, quick read, great advice.

[J K Hoffman · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short book, which is what I imagine the author expects the reader to crank out, week after week. The numbers given for production, in fact, hardly constitute a "book" in the modern publishing sense, being as short as 10k words. That's really barely a novella.
Still, the work ethic espoused reminds me of the pulp writers, like Edgar Rice Burroughs and Lester Dent, among others. And, ebook self-publishing today is about the equivalent of the old pulps of the 30's and 40's. For that reason alone, treating writing and self-publishing like a business, I gave the very short book 3 stars. It's good for motivation, but not a lot else.

[Christie Stratos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Useful for all writing

This book is useful for more than writing a book a week. Even if that’s not your goal, it has tons of helpful advice as to how to move and keep moving forward with your writing—fiction or nonfiction—and how to stop stopping yourself. The advice is practical and straight-forward, even including quotes and evidence where it makes sense. I was really impressed with it, and it helped clarify some of why I write slower than I’d like. I came away with the feeling of motivation to write faster and try some different approaches, especially for different genres. I’m excited to put this advice to good use!

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Confucius Says...Great How To Guide and Words of Wisdom

Alex Foster has created a weekly time line for writing books and explained in detail exactly how he accomplishes it. He also shares his favorite software and apps that he uses. I enjoyed his research and use of motivational and relevant topical quotes from many greats such as Confucius, Bruce Lee, Stephen King, and many more. He used quotes of wisdom concerning determination, mindset, and the importance of continued practice. Great advice on how to stay focused and keep creating. I'll be downloading another of this author's books!

[Andrii Shybanov · Rating 5 out of 5]

good three advises

I have liked the advise of the author Alex Foster. That’s his pen name. I am curious though what is his real name?
1) The advise is that you write big books for traditional publishers and small books for Amazon Kindle. The number of published books matters for self published authors.
2) I also prefer to work five hours a day on my books ignoring any sort of writers’ block.
3) Another good advise is that I should make a achievable plan for a day, for example few pages a day. This will make me start writing.
I am the author myself. I write language learning books. I plan to start writing series on Aviation Security and City Planning.

[John Ziegler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, Solid Information, but...

This was both easy to read and informative. I finished it in one sitting (a real miracle in my life!). The book was a worthwhile read is that the author took information that is covered in other books and presented it from his own perspective, which made it easier to understand. The only downside is that nearly all of the information presented is more than amply covered in many other books. Still, for me it was a worthwhile read and presented me with practical information that I can use in my own craft.

[Lev · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good "break-out" book for the concept.

While I was a prolific article writer I could never say that about my book writing. Having read this book I came to understand why. It was the innate belief that write a good book took six months to a year.

But I came to understand that doesn't have to be the case at all and that a book a week is very doable.

What this book has in terms of psychology of writing, motivation and re-framing it lacks in depth. GREAT start but I would've liked a bit more meat!

[Patricia Morais · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think writing a book a week with other life commitments is too irrealistic. I spent 1 week alone on the fourth edit of my book. If you want to write books that are not the best you can do or already have years of experience maybe it's possible. If you are a beginner you may be destroying your career to start with if you write a lot of books but all bad.

That being said. I liked the advice given here. I think it's solid advice on how to commit to your writing and even with other minor things of publishing.

[Chivonne Campbell · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are some gem sin here for beginners. I don't know what I was expecting. Maybe a breakdown of how to achieve this with numbers and historical data? Some pointers on how to balance life and writing a book a week?

This is more of general information for beginners. In the end the author themselves say they haven't done it for a complete year and I find it much easier to do something once than to be consistent over a years time. Anyway, it was fine and gave the motivation I needed to stop putting my writing on the back burner.

[Candice Landau · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good, quick read that offers a broad overview of Alex Foster's approach to writing a book a week -- something I hadn't previously thought possible. While none of Foster's advice is "out of the ordinary," there are a few useful tips and techniques that make it worth the read. I only wish it had a little more information on the writing/researching phase as this is the most difficult. Won't take you more than an hour.

[Nicola Thompson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good tips for speed

There are some good and motivational tips for getting you writing and increasing you speed, but it does involve disregarding quality. If you're looking to produce novels quickly then this is a good book. If you're looking to produce a literary masterpiece , this book is good for getting good habits down but probably won't put you in the New York Times best seller lists. Worth a read regardless.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short read, but on point and very informative with no fluff.

Highly recommended for anyone looking for a motivational, no nonsense, list of comprehensive steps and strategies for writing quickly. Even if it's not really news to a well researched author, the kick in the pants to get going is well worth it. (Not to mention busting into laughter a few times from the authors style and humor)

Happy writing!

[Nix · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and sweet book with quite a few ideas on how to write a book in a week, or even less.

To succeed, Foster suggests a rather regimented structure to the week with dedicated creative, research, writing, and editing days. Also, he also points out that writing just one or two books won't give you any success; instead his suggestion is to aim for quantity, but still with great quality.

Foster also provides a few ideas on how to market the book; after all, writing is the easy part whereas ensuring it is seen and bought by people is partly in the hands of the algorithms on e.g. Amazon.

[Jo Berry ☀️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a short, free to download, kindle book. The advice in it seems sound for the absolute beginner. I’m not sure how good a fiction book written in a week can really be, but there’s no harm in trying. If it gets you off the starting blocks and practicing your writing, then try it. There’s also a few other good tips. Again, this book is for a real beginner looking at self-publishing, but if that’s you, then it’s worth a read.