The fastest way to write a book is to make the big decisions before you start typing.
Speed comes from clarity.
Not discipline.
I wrote my #1 bestseller, Becoming a Vessel God Can Use, in five days. A couple from church lent me their cabin in the woods, and I came out with a finished manuscript.
That book has sold more than 300,000 copies.
I’ve written most of my 30+ books in three weeks or less. Another top-seller took ten days. And my clients John and Judy O’Leary went from idea to #1 Amazon bestseller in 24 days — and yes, that included writing the book.
I don’t tell you that because I think everyone should write a book in five days.
I tell you because writing a book does not have to take years.
Speed starts before you write
A lot of people think they need more writing time.
Often, they need fewer unanswered questions.
If you sit down still trying to decide what the book is really about, who it is for, what promise it makes, or what belongs in chapter three, every writing session becomes another strategy session.
That slows everything down.
The clearer the book is before you begin drafting, the easier it becomes to write.
That means making the important decisions about your topic, your reader, your positioning and your structure before you expect yourself to produce page after page.
If you’re still wrestling with those decisions, these may help:
Write a shorter book
One of the simplest ways to write a book faster is to write less.
A useful nonfiction book does not have to be 65,000 words long.
A focused book can solve one problem, serve one reader and deliver one clear result without becoming an encyclopedia on the subject.
That’s especially important for first-time authors, who often keep adding material because they’re afraid they haven’t said enough.
Say what the reader needs.
Then stop.
More on that here: How Long Should a Nonfiction Book Be?
Give the book your full attention
Becoming a Vessel God Can Use got written in five days because, for those five days, writing the book was my job.
I wasn’t trying to squeeze it between errands, phone calls and everything else happening in normal life.
Sometimes concentrated writing time can accomplish what months of scattered effort cannot.
That doesn’t mean you need a cabin in the woods.
But if you’ve been “working on your book” for years without getting very far, creating a protected block of writing time may be worth considering.
A book gets written when writing the book becomes more important than everything competing with it for a few hours — or a few days.
Don’t try to perfect the book while you’re creating it
Writing and editing are different jobs.
Trying to do both at the same time can bring your progress to a crawl.
You write a paragraph, reread it, question it, change it, look something up, rewrite the opening — and suddenly your writing session is over.
Get the material down first.
You can improve it later.
I explain that principle more fully in How to Overcome Writer’s Block.
You don’t have to type every word
Some people can explain their ideas beautifully out loud and then freeze when they sit in front of a blank document.
If that’s you, stop assuming the keyboard is the only way to create a manuscript.
Talk.
Teach.
Record yourself explaining the idea to someone else.
Your spoken words can become raw material for the book.
If you can explain your idea over coffee, you may be able to write much faster by starting with your voice.
See How to Write a Book by Talking Instead of Typing.
Use AI for the right jobs
Artificial intelligence can save authors enormous amounts of time.
It can help organize ideas, explore research questions, compare options and bring order to a pile of scattered notes.
But faster is only better if the finished book still sounds like you.
AI should help you think more efficiently, not replace the thinking, stories, experience and perspective that make your book worth reading.
More on that here: Can You Use ChatGPT to Write a Book?
What you’re really missing
You may not need another year to write your book.
You may not even need another six months.
You may simply need to stop approaching the book as one enormous undefined project.
Make the important decisions.
Know where you’re going.
Then write.
You don’t need more time to write your book.
You need fewer open questions.
Quick answers
How long does it take to write a book?
There is no single answer, but a focused nonfiction book can be drafted in days or weeks when the major decisions have already been made. My #1 bestseller Becoming a Vessel God Can Use took five days.
Do I need to write every day?
No. Some writers work best in daily sessions. Others make much faster progress in concentrated blocks of time. What matters is creating enough uninterrupted writing time to build momentum.
How can I write a book faster?
Get clear on the book before you draft it, keep the scope focused, separate writing from editing, and reduce the number of decisions you have to make while you’re writing.
Does a nonfiction book have to be long?
No. A shorter, tightly focused book can be more useful to the reader — and far more likely to get finished.
Not sure what kind of writer you are? Take my free 90-second quiz — What Kind of Writer Are You? — and discover your writer type, the hidden trap stalling your book, and your one next step.