Reader,

A few weeks ago Wow, nearly two months ago, I sent y'all a poll. It was the beginning of summer, and I was jonesing for a project. "I know what I'll do," I said. "I'll write a new resource for my website. I can easily knock that out in between road trips and family visits, right?"

Yeah, about that ...

In the poll, I asked y'all to help me choose one of three options:

It was close race. "Turn Your Content into a Book" and "How to Outline Your Nonfiction Book" were neck-and-neck for most of the polling period. In the end, the first option squeaked ahead. I've been slowly working away on it over the last two months.

My seasonal delay has turned out to be an unexpected gift. While I took notes and reviewed past projects, I realized this guide would benefit from more showing and less telling. It's one thing to offer a checklist and say, "Have fun!" It's whole 'nother deal to share the blood, sweat, toil, and tears it takes to put that checklist into practice.

I've been writing this newsletter since November 2022. It's had a few different names and chased various themes. But somewhere along the way, I found a groove. I discovered that I like writing about writing. Especially when I can draw from unexpected influences. And especially when I can turn a prescriptive topic into a reflective essay that prompts more questions than it answers.

During this time, my material has come from a myriad of inspirations: Working with clients as an editor/collaborative writer/coach. Opportunities to lead writing classes and workshops. My own creative writing.

The point is this: I've been writing in public for long enough to amass a respectable pile of pages. So, I'm taking this "Turn Your Content into a Book" project as an opportunity to do two things:

1. Turn my work into a real-life, flesh-and-blood book
2. Document the process so you can follow along and learn from my example/mistakes

Today is July 27, 2026. My goal is to deliver a polished draft—something worthy of beta reader feedback—by November 30. That's about four months, a timeline that feels both attainable and daunting. I have a lot of content already drafted for this book. But as I know from lots of personal experience, such content is rarely ready to go as is. There are a host of questions I need to dive into:

• Who is my ideal audience?
• What key question is this book exploring?
• What's the purpose of turning this into a book at all?
• How will I structure these pieces?
• What else do I need to write?
• How much of what I've already written can I justifiably save?
• Etc.

Going forward, I'll be answering these and other questions in real time. Week by week, you'll get a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to produce a book. If all goes well, you can have that book in your hands by Spring 2027.

I'm nervously excited about this. As much as I believe in Austin Kleon's Show Your Work mantra, I feel the risk in this project. A lot of people talk about writing books. A much smaller amount put pen to paper and start writing. And an even smaller number actually cross the finish line. Just because I've helped others doesn't mean I'm guaranteed to finish my own.

But you know what? That element of risk is part of the thrill of writing. I honestly wouldn't want it any other way.

Thanks for helping me find my way to this project. I hope you stick around for the ride. I'm looking forward to your feedback and questions along the way.

And hey, if you know someone else who might want to learn how to turn their short-form writing into a book, tell them to grab some popcorn and join the viewing party.

As always, keep your stick on the ice.

Frank Ewert
Book Coach, Editor, and Writer Who Wants to Hear How It Ends​
Author of Embrace Your Writer's Block and Blue Ice​