Getting Started with DIYBook. You have your Author Account and are ready to start writing. Now what? Here’s how to make the most of the DIYBook platform.
What happens after you join DIYBook
Once a week, DIYBook will email you a prompt or question. These questions are based on a sequence that ghostwriters frequently use when writing life stories.
To answer the prompts, log into your Author Account by clicking on the link in your email, which will direct you to your writing platform and where you will respond to the writing prompt.
Your writing will be automatically saved in your Author Account.
You may be wondering the following:
Do I have to answer every question you send me and in the order I receive them?
No! In fact, you can review all the questions and writing prompts at any time in your Author Account and answer them in any order you choose. This is your book, after all—it’s your story!
The order DIYBook proposes reflects a sequence our professional ghostwriters have found works well for most books, but every story is unique. Some questions may not be relevant to your journey, and that’s ok!
Consider including pictures in your book. You can upload images to your Author Account by clicking the “upload images” link. You can then position the photos anywhere on the page. Pictures with 300 dpi (dots per resolution) print better than others, so you should ensure your photographs meet that standard.
How to find your image’s DPI for Windows and Mac:
Windows: Click on the file name, click on the “More” button that looks like three dots … in the menu bar, and select Properties>Details. The DPI will be in the Image section, labeled Horizontal Resolution and Vertical Resolution.
Mac: Open the image in Preview and select Tools>Adjust Size. The DPI is labeled Resolution.
We’ll talk more about adding images later in the book.
Now you’re all set to start writing! The Author Account for DIYBook is programmed to be simple to use—all you need to do is log in whenever you want to type your story.
You can write your life story. We’ve made it easy for you to succeed, even if writing isn’t always easy for you.
Barbara Basbanes Richter founded DIYBook, an affordable and easy-to-use book writing program. She also founded In Ink Ghostwriting, a full-service ghostwriting firm helping politicians, pundits, scientists, CEOs, professional athletes, and others get their stories into print.
Under her own byline, Barbara’s writing has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Daily News, The Vineyard Gazette, Humanities, The Sewanee Review, Fine Books & Collections, Literary Features Syndicate, High Country News, Ravishly.com, Westchester Magazine, and other outlets.
Barbara is a fluent French speaker, and her translation from French to English of Mademoiselle de Malepeire was called a “clever, inspiring gem.”
