Intro: Have you ever thought about writing a book? Are you one of the many people who have a started manuscript â?? or several started manuscripts â?? but just canâ??t seem to finish one? Or have you finished a book and now have no idea of how to get it published? A 2002 survey by The Jenkins Group showed that more than 81% of Americans have a book in them. If you are one of the millions of Americans who are either writing a book â?? or thinking about writing a book, Antoinette Kuritz, Book Developer, Publicist, Media Coach, Author, Publishing Expert and Founder of the LaJolla Writers Conference is here with a few tips from behind the book cover. Tips: Define what you want to write. Doing this provides focus to your writing. Fiction or non-fiction? If itâ??s fiction, what genre? Romance, suspense, mystery? If itâ??s non-fiction, self-help, inspiration, a cook book? Know what you want to write. Determine your reading audience. Adults or young adults, middle graders or pre-schoolers. Men or women? Boys or girls? Or both? Knowing who your reading audience is helps determine the length of the book, the format, the vocabulary, and it further focuses your writing. Make and take the time to write. With our oh-so-busy lives, this may be the most difficult thing to do. We tend to keep our day jobs and write second shift, and then we feel guilty about time taken from our family or significant other. But if you want to be a writer, you have to take this time, give yourself permission to do so. Be consistent. Set aside a specific time on specific days that are dedicated to your writing, and then use that time to write. In short, keep to a schedule. A page a day means a book in a year. Create a writing space for yourself. Whether you write at the local coffee house, in your office after hours, or in the pantry of your house, make a space for yourself that you associate with writing, where you can keep your notes, even put up a story board or chapter headings â?? someplace that reminds you of the task at hand. Join a writers group. Accountability is often the difference between someone who writes and someone who wants to write. And joining a writerâ??s group means weekly or bi-weekly accountability â?? the need to have a certain number of pages done by a certain point. Be willing to take editorial advice. This is often the hardest thing for aspiring authors â?? taking advice about their manuscript. But know that even the manuscripts of hugely successful writers go through several edits before they are published. Choose and attend a great writerâ??s conference. Great writerâ??s conferences help you hone your craft, teach you about the business, and provide invaluable contacts. If you seek to traditionally publish, they get you in front of agents and editors, and even successful writers who will give you a leg up. If you want to self-publish, they help you understand the process and know what to look for in your publishing team. In short, a great conference can help you avoid all the pitfalls and can help jumpstart your writing career.