A Personal Letter to You

(BTW, I'm writing this on my laptop in my car. I'm at the City of Hope cancer hospital while my wife does her chemotherapy. No visitors allowed, only patients. My pup and I are here making this letter for you!)

Hey

I am so stoked you signed up to watch my live presentation of Newbie Book Writer. It is proof that you are (highly likely) an aspiring author. Or maybe you’re already a writer in some capacity, but you want to take it to the next level and learn how to create and publish your first book.

Whatever your reason for joining, I’m stoked you found me.

Now obviously I will talk about my course, Newbie Book Writer, the ultimate course for aspiring authors. But I have some other things about me and my journey that I want to share with you.

Let me quickly recap a few important points,, but mainly I want to share more of my story with you on how I started writing and what that has done for me (us).

7 Reasons You Should Write a Book NOW

Because You Are a Writer at Heart. You love writing, and it’s in your blood. This is me. I’ve written for the last 20+ years. It’s my go-to place, my zone, my escape, and my outlet for all the stuff bottled up inside me. When I write, I find my flow and feel my purpose. If this describes you, I suggest it’s time to take your thoughts, ideas, and writing to the next level.
To Share Your Story or Knowledge with the World. Do you have an amazing story that you need to share with the world? Do you possess special knowledge that can help other people? Do you have a special set of skills that can teach people how to transform some aspect of their lives? Share it! Let your story out!
To Fulfill a Bucket-List Goal. Maybe writing a book is on your bucket list. Now is the best time to cross it off the list.
To Grow Your Business. And of course you want to grow your business? A book about your industry or one that teaches people valuable information about your industry is an effective way to establish yourself as an expert and attract new business. You can sell your book, or you make a simple eBook to use as a lead magnet. People download your eBook for free, and you get their email addresses. This email list represents a warm market to whom you can pitch other products and services.
To Present Yourself As an Expert. As a published author in your specialized area or niche, you will establish yourself as an industry expert and authority. Solo entrepreneurs like coaches (e.g. fitness, health, food, life, sports), financial advisers, insurance agents, contractors, computer specialists, marketing gurus, and individuals involved in the arts can make themselves something of a celebrity in their specific field.
To Create Passive Income. Publishing a book—or two or three—can provide you with an additional source of income and maybe even your primary source. The coolest part is, once you finish your book, it’s done forever! That passive income will continue month after month.
To Change Your Life. My first book gave me a whole new purpose and path. I recently finished the manuscript of my fourth book! Writing and publishing has not only satisfied in me all six of the reasons for writing that I just listed, but it has given me a whole new purpose in life.

I am energized and motivated to wake up early and work my butt off. Publishing my books has opened fresh opportunities for me. I’ve had speaking invitations, done interviews, and had blog and magazine articles published about my writing—and I’ve met a ton of amazing people along the way.

Writing a single book can change your life in unexpected ways—and it’s a great way to both leave a lasting legacy for your kids and become the hero of your own story.

Okay, if you’ve read this far, you’re probably convinced—by at least one of these reasons—to write. So now let me tell you a little about myself and how I got started.

Who I Am & How I Got Started

I live in Southern California with my beloved wife, Rebekah. I have two great kiddos and we recently got a cute pup named Penny who is giving us a run for our money—literally (pee pads and food).

I’ve lived in Orange County, California, my entire life. I was a “C” student and barely passed high school. I just didn’t like school. I was too cool for school, or so I thought.

Throughout high school, I raced motocross competitively every weekend. But after breaking my leg a couple times, I fell out of the sport and by my senior year; I fell into the party scene and got myself in a lot of trouble—with my parents, teachers, and the law.

I graduated high school, barely. I had always enjoyed and had a knack for art and design. I enrolled in a two-year graphic design college and earned an A.A. degree. I did well with computers and designing. I worked for a while as a freelance graphic artist until… I got my butt kicked.

At least that’s how I like to see it looking back. Remember I mentioned getting in trouble? Yaaah, I was a punk. I was an angry, racist, childish man who lived to drink, party, and look for chicks. I mellowed out a bit by the time I graduated from design school, but I still acted like a prideful jerk.

Then I encountered someone cooler, tougher, richer, and smarter than me. His name is Jesus. Yep, I became a Christian. I describe it as a total worldview revolution and I write about this in my books. But it changed everything for me.

When I became a Christian, it was like the light bulb finally turned on in my brain. I suppose that was God flipping the power switch on! My love of books, reading, and writing birthed from that point on.

After a couple years, I felt strongly called to become a pastor. After much thought, I gave up graphic design and pursue the pastorate, whatever that were to look like. It was the biggest decision I had made up to that point of my life. While my parents stood by me in whatever I pursued (they were not religious), they thought I was loosing my mind.

I thought, where could I work that would pay me to study and study the Bible? I got a job at a little gas station during the night shift. Every work night, I’d show up with a stack of books and my laptop. I’d read, study, memorize Bible verses, and write. I sucked at writing! I had a lot of catching up to do since I did so little in grade school. But what I had was the passion and the heart of a writer. That was enough. All the details would fill in over time. I kept this routine for nearly four years at that little gas station. I also attended my local community college, where I earned another A.A. degree with Cum Laude honors.

I transferred into a local university and did a B.A. degree in philosophy. My mind fully turned on by that point, I excelled in my courses and earned honors and place on the Dean’s List. Finally, I also graduated from seminary receiving a degree in Christian ministry.

I pastored at two churches and loved it. I also got married and had two children. On the outside, all looked sweet and dreamy, and it was much of the time. But cracks existed. My books go into more detail about ALL of of my story, but sadly, the marriage fell apart and ended in divorce.

The divorce and dissolution of my family—the only life I knew—left me a very broken man. For a couple years I languished trying to find my way. I struggled with depression, anger, and paralyzing fear. I drank heavily and a lot. I picked up smoking during those days. I felt lost. I felt like a loser. There were plenty of days I just wanted to go to sleep and not wake up.

My faith and my kids kept me going, though at times, barely. I started making wiser choices, like going to support groups, recovery groups, seeing a therapist, joining a gym, and staying connected with friends. Little by little, healing occurred.

A year or so after that, I landed a new job that I enjoyed. I was 34 at the time. That’s when I met my second wife, the lovely Rebekah. We fell in love and after a year-and-a-half, we got married. I was 35 and she, 25. Wow, it was exciting! A whole new future opened up to us. The future looked bright and exciting. We were making plans, like having a child. You know, those kinds of things. But then…

Everything changed.

The future went black again.

Fear kicked in the front door and made itself home in our lives.

Just eight months into our new marriage, Rebekah, at 26, was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer. A month before that, my dad was diagnosed with stage 4 stomach cancer. Doctors predicted that both my dad and my wife had less than a year to live. Rebekah and I were terrified, lost, angry, and felt very, very alone.

What in the world do you do?

What do you say?

Out of those feelings and experiences, my first book came to life—in my mind. It’s titled HELP! Someone I Love Has Cancer (http://cancercaretakerbook.com/). Then came my second book, In Your Corner: A Caregiver’s Journey of Life, Love, Cancer, and Hope (http://www.inyourcornerbook.com/). Then I wrote, EPIC Hope for anyone who needs hope in life. I talk a lot about my story and what gave me hope through the darkest times. Next, I wrote, Why Does God Allow Things Like Cancer? As I write this to you, I’m working on a book titled Find Your Purpose (http://letsfindyourpurpose.com/).

Writing is how I fought back. It helped me find an expression for my emotions and feelings. Writing gave me a new purpose and mission in life. Writing helped me find healing. It still does. When I went through my divorce and dark years, I filled at least 15 journals and notebooks. There is power and healing in writing. There is also power and healing in reading what others write. I wanted to help others on similar journeys, whether it be cancer, illness, or just despair.

Rebekah and I also teamed up with an amazing filmmaker, and we created (the now award-winning) documentary on Rebekah’s life and journey with cancer. It’s called A Brave Hope (https://www.rebekahshope.org/) and is set to be released by the end of 2020.

Out of all this, we formed our company, Rebekah’s Hope. Rebekah’s Hope exists to equip those fighting cancer, illness, and despair to find hope and healing through our books, movies, e-courses, and apparel.

That last sentence… That’s my WHY. That’s my purpose. That’s Why I write and labor and persevere.

The books I’ve written and published have also opened up many unexpected yet awesome doors of opportunity. Rebekah and I have spoken at events, conferences, and charities. Our story and my books have been featured in blogs and magazines. We’ve met dozens of new people, made new connections, and have grown quite a following.

And out of all that, Newbie Book Writer came about. Newbie Book Writer is the biggest, most complex project I’ve ever worked on. It’s over a-year-and-a-half in the making. I truly think that it’s the best course on the market (probably the history of the world) on how to go from Idea to Publication made just for newbies. But I’m probably a little biased.

Now, in doing all this creating and activity, I’ve had to learn a LOT of new things. I’ve had to learn about filming, cameras, lenses, lighting, sound, editing, writing, scripting, publishing, marketing, social media (yuk), website creation, business, and how to create and host a live stinking webinar. And a hundred other things! While I love it all, I often bemoan to Rebekah that I need a team!

At the start of 2019, I took a huge leap of faith and quit my job. The job was really starting to suck, and it wasn’t paying the bills. I had received an inheritance after my dad lost his battle with cancer, and after a lot of thought, I decided to invest that money in myself. That investment has allowed me to stay at home with Rebekah and work on our all projects every day. I force myself to wake up around 4:30 AM and typically put in 10-12 hours of work a day. I try to rest on the weekends.

I am working harder than I’ve ever worked, putting in more hours than I ever have, living on a joke of a budget, yet I’m more driven than ever and happier than I’ve ever been. Why? I’m living my purpose—or at least making a solid effort at it!

WHY did I share all that with you?

I share all that with you because it all started with one little book that took me about three months to write. That one little book, just 120 pages, sparked and spawned dozens of other ideas, which lead to writing more books, filming a movie, creating online courses, and launched two businesses (Rebekah’s Hope and Newbie Book Writer).

One little book opened dozens of new doors, new opportunities, and new friends.

AND—I’m actually helping other people in doing it all! Just last week, my sister, Jen, texted me. Someone she hadn’t seen since high school, but who follows her on Facebook, sent my sister a message. That message is what my sis texted me:

I wanted to share something with u because it really made an impact on my family. Towards the end of last year, my stepmom was in a very ugly battle against cancer. I was scrolling on fb one day and saw a post you made about someone in your family writing a book about his wife battling cancer and the challenges he faces. I clicked on your link and watched the video and immediately ordered it and had it sent to my dad. Unfortunately my step mom lost her battle with cancer at the beginning of this year, but that book REALLY helped my dad through a lot of struggles. I believe everything happens for a reason and it was just meant to be that I saw ur post that day. Please relay to your family member how much of an impact that book had on my dad who was struggling so much ♥️

Wow. Tears came to both our eyes when Rebekah and I read that.

From one little book, a book I never thought I’d write (who wants to write about cancer?), sparked a revolution in our lives, a revolution that is still charging forward.

Crazy.

The Two Main Enemies to Aspiring Authors

Ever since becoming a Christian, I’ve written in one form or another. I wrote tons of papers in college. I wrote tons of articles and papers for myself and a few even got published. I had a blog going for a while. I even kept a personal journal. But my dream was always to become a published author.

Over those years I actually wrote three complete manuscripts. One of the books, The Biblical Structure of Man, took a year of research. I used every book in my own library (about 1,500), online resources, and I worked from three different seminary libraries. I worked on that book every day for at least a year. It’s the largest writing project I’ve ever done.

Guess what happened with that book? Nothing. Guess how many people other than me have read it? Zero. For real, zero. Where is it now? Sitting on my hard drive.

Not only that, but under my bed right now is a shoe box holding the finished manuscripts for two other books. A dead, dusty, shoe box.

For 12 years now, those manuscripts have sat dead.

Why?

Looking back, I see three reasons.

First, I had a lot of fear or self-doubt. Who was I? Who was I compared to other “real” authors? Who would take me seriously? My grammar sucks. I had no following. No one knew about me.

Second, I had a big lack of knowledge. I had no idea what to do with those manuscripts once finished. I had no knowledge of editing, cover design, and publishing. I didn’t even know that self-publishing was a viable option. I simply had no game plan on how to take my massive Word documents and transform them into a professional looking book that sells.

Third, I had to wait for technology to catch up. You see, I was still thinking in terms of traditional publishing and all the hoops and hurdles one has to jump through to even get your foot in the door. That was the only paradigm I knew—and I knew nothing of even that!

I wasn’t until more recently that I learned about the giant exploding world of self-publishing and print-on-demand. Today, companies like Amazon KDP (or Kindle Direct Publishing), BookBaby, and Ingram-Spark (among others) print books on the same quality level as any major press. They’re beautiful. Furthermore, they do what’s called “Print-on-Demand,” meaning that when someone buys your book online, the company will print your book (on demand) and ship it right to your customer. Then you both share in the profits. Amazon is the largest book publisher in the world for self-publishing.

There is no need to buy boxes of books and try to sell them on street corners. There’s no need to store boxes of your book in your bathroom. There are very few hoops and hurdles to jump through. And technology has unleashed an arsenal of online tools to make professional looking books at super affordable prices. It’s awesome!

It took me some time to learn it, but when it comes to feeling stuck by (1) fear (self-doubt) and/or (2) lack of knowledge, you can overcome those by seeing these truths:

Truth: Strong writing has little to do with spelling and grammar.
Truth: Heart and Passion are more important than technique and style.
Truth: Fixing spelling, grammar, and style are why we have editors!
Truth: Author Richard Bach says, “A professional writer is an amateur who didn’t quit.”
Truth: You wouldn’t be here reading this—this far in—if you didn’t already believe in yourself and believe that you have something important to share with the world.

How to Get from A to Z

That all sounds great, but really, practically, how do we get from A to Z?

How do I practically get from an idea in my head all the way to a beautifully published book that sells online?

Where do we start?

What do I write about?

How do I find the time to write?

How to I stay on track and not peter out?

What if my writing is rusty or even sucky?

What the heck do I do with this huge Word doc once I finish?

How do I know if it’s any good?

How the heck do I design a killer cover that sells copies?

How do I practically get from an idea in my head all the way to a beautifully published book that sells online?

Where do we start?

What do I write about?

How do I find the time to write?

How to I stay on track and not peter out?

What if my writing is rusty or even sucky?

What the heck do I do with this huge Word doc once I finish?

How do I know if it’s any good?

How the heck do I design a killer cover that sells copies?

How in the world do I figure out how to get it up online for sale?

How? How? How?

Yep, that’s where I started my journey—How, how, how!

From my years in school and later as a pastor, I knew how to outline and write. That wasn’t the problem, though I was rusty. But when I started this journey, I knew nothing about creating, editing, designing, publishing, launching, and marketing a book. When I started writing my first book, I had never even looked at a Facebook page! I had zero knowledge of social media. I also had no teachers, no guides, and no mentors to show me any of this. I was a TOTAL NEWBIE!

Yet I did it and I did it well—multiple times.

How?

Lot’s of study! I spent at least a year just studying and learning. I read articles, blogs, books, and countless YouTube videos trying to understand HOW to write and publish a book AND how to do it well. I didn’t want to bang out a piece of crap and call it a “book”. Nor did I want to publish a crappy looking book and put my name on it. A lot of people do that. Such is not my style. I worked day and night learning how to create a solid product, something I would be proud to stand behind.

My first book, as I mentioned, was not very big. It’s about 120 pages. A good and safe place to start when writing your first book is to write about what you know. Start with the low hanging fruit in your life. And you don’t need to write a landmark tome your first time out of the gate. You can write a powerful small book to start with. History has been forever altered by some really small papers, documents, and books.

Through all my studies and through actually writing and publishing several books, and not without trial and error, I developed my POWDER Principle. The POWDER Principle is a step-by-step process that takes an overwhelming task (like writing & publishing a book!) and breaking it down into bite-size pieces.

That’s what Newbie Book Writer does. It cuts through all the confusion and leads you step-by-step from your Idea all the way to a beautifully published book that sells. Honestly, I wish I had a Newbie Book Writer course when first starting out!

To succeed at writing and publishing a great book, you need three things.

First, you need a Proven Plan.

Second, you need an Experienced Guide.

Third, you need the Heart to finish.

I can supply you with the first two prerequisites. You just need to find the third : )

My 6 Steps to Writing and Publishing a Book

The POWDER Principle

P - Plan It

O - Outline It

W - Write It

D - Design It

E - Edit It

R - Release It!

This plan will save you 100s of hours and 1000s of dollars. And yes, I made that up all by myself. I know, it’s a bit goofy, but it works! The POWDER Principle is the foundation of Newbie Book Writer.

To learn more about the POWDER Principle and see each step more in depth, you can download my free eBook on the main Newbie site.

Take a minute and read through the following list of topics. Have you ever ever wondered how to do any of these things:

How to do a project board
How to craft a great title
Finding the time to write
Tips to write like a pro
How to write gripping Intros
How to write chapters
How to understand all the Parts of a book
How to understand ISBNs
How to understand typography
The different types of editors
How to find & choose an editor
How to self-edit
How to write back cover text that sells
How to design a killer cover
Understanding Amazon and KDP
Understanding Other Publishers
How to Upload your book to KDP
How to create an Amazon Author Central Page
How to create an Audio Version of your book
How to create a free Landing Page for your book
How to assemble your Launch Team
How to get lots of reviews = “#1 New Release” and “Best Seller”
How to do a book launch
And more…

Those are all issues I had to learn. Those are all covered in separate classes in the full Newbie Book Writer course.

Everything that I just taught you is expounded on in the course and really, I only just scratched the surface of what is included in Newbie Book Writer.

Newbie Book Writer:

34+ video lessons (and always adding more)
PDF Downloadable notes.
Adding new classes all the time.
9 hours of video content. Each class is between 5 to 15 minutes.
Everything You Need to go step-by-step, from Idea to Publication.

But there’s more!

Unique Features of Newbie Book Writer

#1 Mentorship. I will be your mentor through the whole process. This primarily refers to the video lessons, BUT you do also get my personal email address for any questions you may have along the way. Also, I will be active in the private student Facebook group.

But that’s not all! For people who sign up through this launch week, I’m giving each student two 20 minute zoom calls with me. That means that you and I can meet and talk face to face. If you don’t do Zoom we can always do one of those old fashioned things called a phone call. But we can talk about your vision, your ideas, your book, and whatever else is on your mind about your book.

#2 Designers/Editors WITH Discounts. Unlike any writing course I’ve ever seen, I have assembled a team of professional cover designers, editors, and layout specialists who are ready to work one-on-one with YOU. I know all these people and have worked with them all.

I have hired various designers on Fiverr and Upwork. I can tell you from experience that there’s no comparison between working with someone you don’t know and developing a working relationship with YOUR Designer and YOUR editor.

The other really cool thing is that they have all agreed to give Newbie students exclusive discounts off their normal rates. I can tell you that the money saved there will easily pay for this entire course.

#3 Private Facebook Student Group.

#4 Lifetime Membership. Finally, all Newbie students are members for life. There’s no expiration on your course. So whether you need to take a break from writing for a while or whether it takes you two years to write your book, you will always have access to the full course.

Okay, but don’t just take my word for it. Diana is one of my beta students. She just finished her fiction book. I asked her to email me a blurb on her thoughts about Newbie Book Writer. She sent this:

I have been very pleased working through Joel Hughes’ NEWBIE BOOK WRITER video classes. I have had many questions regarding how to proceed and in what order to do the steps involved. The information in these classes is to the point and so easy to understand. I highly recommend Joel’s course. If you are a new writer, you need this.

Diana P (Ventura, CA)

What I want you to see is that Newbie Book Writer is far more than just a stand-alone online course, it’s an immersive experience of teaching, community, connections, and… the opportunity for transformation.

So, what do you think?

You ready to start your journey toward becoming a published author?

To sign up just click here: https://www.newbiebookwriter.com/

Far more than a one-off online course to take and be done with. Maybe just learn a little. This is designed to be immersive, an experience that can literally change the course of your life in really exciting ways. I’m working my butt off to create a writer’s community where we help each other…

We’d love to have you!

Thanks,

Joel

Contact: [email protected]

Let's Do This!