Writing a book is like so many important tasks—it can expand to fill whatever time you have available. Expect that it will take you a year? Then you will probably wrap it up in a year. Think you can get it done in 30 days? It’s quite possible you’ll figure out a way to get it done in a month (though it may still require a lot of editing).
When CEOs and founders ask me how long it takes to write a manuscript, meaning a complete draft of a book that is ready to go to the publisher, I typically tell them 6-12 months. If everyone is available to meet on a regular basis, that is a very reasonable timeline. (That time does not include production and printing of the book, just to be clear.)
However, some business leaders are dealing with corporate challenges that keep them out of the office for weeks at a time. It’s unlikely in that case that they could get a book done in less than a year, quite frankly.
And then there are others who are committed to getting their book written and published in the next 12 months, and they’ll clear their calendars to ensure it’s drafted in less time. This is especially true if there is an important event or conference looming; the publication date is fixed, and you have to figure out how to make it happen.
The Key to a 90-Day Timeline
It’s possible to get your book drafted in 90 days, but only if you can make yourself available to a ghostwriter/writing partner.
A ghostwriter can expertly guide you through the process and save you many, many hours of work.
There are really two big advantages of hiring a ghostwriter:
- You work alongside a publishing industry insider who can help ensure the finished product is publishable and will only enhance your image (versus embarrass you)
- The amount of time you have to invest will be a small fraction of what you’d spend if you try to write your first book yourself.
When you start, it’s important to begin with the end in mind.
What Are Your Book’s Desired Outcomes?
Before you write a work, get clear about why, exactly, you’re investing all this time and money in writing a book. What do you want to have happen once it’s released? What’s your big picture goal?
There are many things you could be hoping it will help you achieve. Some of the most popular include:
- Thought leader status
- Public speaking invitations
- Teaching opportunities
- Board of directors offers
- Enhanced organization visibility
- Raised personal profile
- More publicity opportunities
- More business
- Improved recruiting and hiring candidate quality
But these are just the start. As we all know, success attracts success, and a book can be the starting point for an avalanche of new business opportunities that you can’t yet imagine. My own books have sparked expert witness requests, speaking gigs, teaching invitations, consulting engagements, and more business, to name just a few.
So, start by deciding what you want this book to do for you. That way, you can write it with that goal in mind.
Then, you can begin to outline what you want to share.
A 10-Chapter Business Book Blueprint
The vast majority of traditionally published business books are between 10 and 15 chapters long. If you want your book to be able to be indistinguishable from a traditionally published book at Barnes & Noble or NYC’s Strand Books, it’s a good idea to use that structure.
Of course, there are also books that follow a different format, such as Smart Brevity, which has 24 chapters, or many of Seth Godin’s books, which are short and have pithy advice rather than lengthy narratives. (Purple Cow is one of my favorites of his.)
Focus on organizing your material so that it flows logically from one point to the next, and then see how many chapters you end up with. Each chapter should be approximately the same length, so if you have some shorter chapters, consider combining them, or, conversely, breaking up chapters that attempt to cover too much.
Here is how I typically approach outlining a business book:
- Current problem. What is the situation or opportunity you’re going to write about? Why is it important? Why should we care?
- Context. How did we get here? What does the reader need to know at the start of the book? Is there some history that is relevant?
- Identify causes. What triggered the situation? What are the root causes that created this situation or opportunity?
- What to do about it. What’s your solution or your perspective on how to deal with it? Do you have a framework or system? Explain it briefly here.
- How it works. Next, get into applying your solution. Implementation begins here and can last for anywhere from 1-5 chapters, on average. This is the “how” part of your book.
- Implementation tools. If there are processes, new roles, equipment, or technology you need in place for your ideas to work, explain what they are and why they’re critical for success.
- Justification. Sometimes you need to help the reader make a case for big changes. What kind of positive changes will this approach or idea make possible? What’s your best-case scenario?
- Building buy-in. Of course, you could have the best idea in the world, and you’re going to encounter some type of resistance. People don’t like change. How will you roll it out to maximize buy-in from the people it impacts?
- Overcoming common pitfalls. Inevitably, something’s going to go awry. Prepare your reader to expect this, and then lead them through common solutions to get past whatever obstacles crop up.
- Epilogue. Rather than a wrap-up chapter, I always encourage authors to look ahead. Help your reader see how the future can be different with this new information you’ve just shared. Paint a picture of what’s possible.
Using this blueprint, your first step is to formulate an outline that matches what you want to share in your book. Your outline becomes your roadmap that will keep you on course to hit your deadline.
A CEO-Friendly Schedule
If your plan is to write at least 10 chapters in 12 weeks, with time for research, outside interviews, and editing, you’re probably going to need two weekly meetings with your ghostwriter to talk through the content. Plan on 90-minute calls, but sometimes you may only need 60 minutes. It depends on the chapter and how clear you are about your message.
Before each meeting, ask your ghostwriter to send questions tied to the chapter. That way, you can prep and pull together any data, stories, or outside sources you want them to speak with.
At the outset, you’ll want to set weekly milestones in order to stay on course to hit your 90-day deadline. But if anything comes up once you’ve started working on your book, like a new idea, a new source, or a work trip you have to take, you can’t expand the project without allowing for more time. Your ghostwriter may also ask for additional compensation if your original plan changes.
What is “Done?”
Because of your aggressive schedule, your ghostwriter should have drafts of each chapter within a few days of your talking them through. Once you receive them, your task is to read them and comment on the content and the voice.
Correct any information that is inaccurate and also suggest changes that sound more like how you would communicate something. This will help your ghostwriter learn how to make the writing more your own.
Then, give all of your feedback to your ghostwriter as quickly as possible, so that they can take care of edits and revisions quickly as well. The speed with which you turn around comments and edits will help you stay on your 90-day schedule.
Increasingly, authors are turning to alpha or beta readers for feedback on their manuscripts. Depending on how much time you’ve allotted in your schedule, you could share your draft with colleagues and friends who are in your target audience for feedback. These early readers can offer suggestions regarding content flow, things they didn’t understand, material that was redundant, and anything else they saw that could make your book better. You can also share your draft with family and friends, but if they aren’t in your target audience, you may want to take their advice with a grain of salt, meaning, not as seriously.
Next Steps
After you and your ghostwriter are happy with the content, it’s time to hand it off to the publisher you’ve selected. There are several potential ways to get your book into print, and Jane Friedman does a nice job of laying them out for you.
Once in a publisher’s hands, they will then have an outside editor go through it to find inconsistencies or opportunities for improvement, and then a copy editor or proofreader. The more people who go through it, the better the finished product.
Thinking about writing a business book in 2026? Let me know if you’d like my free guide to working with a ghostwriter to get your book written and published.