You might be surprised at how much the process of building a house can teach us about writing, designing, and publishing a book. Authors Yvonne DiVita and Tom Collins combine decades of experience in both house building and book building to share with you in this insightful, inspiring, and yet practical how-to book. From foundation to flooring, from fixtures to furnishings, they reveal how the steps in a home construction or renovation project give us important guidance on the essential sequence to follow from your idea to your first book signing appearance! Part 1 lays out the steps and shows how the seemingly disparate kinds of work really do correlate. Part 2 examines each step in building a quality book in depth, with lots of practical tips from these two book publishing veterans. Then, in Part 3, they treat you to more than a dozen "Stories from the Trenches" by a group of published authors they've gotten to know over the years, including Guy Kawasaki, Ellen Langas, Robert W. Bly, Michele Miller, Andrea Learned, and Dick Richards, to name a few. You'll come away knowing not just how to write your book, but how to publish and market it, too. And with a new confidence that you can become "the author of ..."! Raves from the galley readers: "Aspiring authors ... quit planning to write your book. Get this one! Spend a weekend with it, get fired up, and get going!" - Anita Campbell, Founder and CEO of Small Business Trends "A great primer for bringing authorial dreams to life! The authors' analogy to building a house is a great way to frame the need for conscious planning, solid foundations, and creative design in creating a successful publication." - Katherine McGraw Patterson (KP), Business Strategy, Speaker, Founder of WEBO Network, author of Lunching with Lions: Strategies for the Networking-Averse "A gem! Covers all the bases with wonderful, vital, essential insights and tips for producing your book." - Lonnee Rey, host of the "Midlife My Ass, I'm just getting started!" podcast, and #1 International Best-Selling author of Life lessons learned from a lousy mother