So, you’re thinking, “I want to write a book, where do I start?” The idea of writing a book might seem intimidating, especially if you have no experience. But here’s the good news: you don’t need years of expertise or a fancy degree to write a book. Every great author started with a blank page, and so can you.
In this guide, we’ll break down exactly how to write a book with no experience. From brainstorming ideas to having a ready-to-publish manuscript, you’ll learn a clear, step-by-step process that’s simple, practical, and beginner-friendly. By the end, you’ll not only know where to start, but you’ll also have the confidence to begin writing your first book.
Writing a book isn’t about perfection—it’s about telling your story, sharing your knowledge; it’s about expressing yourself. You don’t need to have everything figured out from the start. All you need is a spark of inspiration, the willingness to learn, and the courage to take the first step. Trust me, if you’ve been thinking, “I want to write a book, where do I start?”—you’re already halfway there.
Is it Possible to Write a Book With No Experience?
Of course! Every writer started right where you are—at zero experience.
Writing a book isn’t about having years of experience; it’s about taking the first step.
J.K. Rowling and Stephen King were once staring at a blank page too–I can bet you they still do. They weren’t born experts with the skills to write as you know it. They started from somewhere. Today, are famous for their works, but if you read about them, you’d realize their first story wasn’t perfect. It probably is worse than you can imagine.
You don’t need to be perfect to start writing. It is a skill, and like any other, it gets better with practice. So, yes, you can definitely write a book, even with no experience.
Are you pumped to start writing your first book? Let’s dive right in!
Step-by-Step Beginners Guide on How to Write a Book With No Experience
Step 1: Build a Habit of Reading
Even for top authors who have years of experience writing, it’s almost impossible for them to write without building the habit of first reading. A particular quote I love about this, is one from Stephen King’s book “On Writing” it says “You don’t have the time to be a writer if you don’t have the time to be a reader.”
So, if you’re wondering if you can write a book without first reading, the answer is a sharp no. Writing is a skill that’s sharpened by reading. Everytime you pick up a book to read, your brain begins to connect what makes a good story, inspirations stick and when you sit down to write, it becomes easier to come up with your own ideas.
Step 2: Brainstorm Your Ideas
Another honest truth I’d tell you is, unless you’ve lived a very wild life with lots of rollercoaster events, no one really cares about a book on your life. You could write a biography, but if you’re not the richest man, or the man who survived the impossible, what are the chances anyone would read your book?
Let’s put it this way, how many times have you browsed through Amazon and searched “Biography of a guy I don’t know that did just about what every other person does?” I’m guessing you’ve never done that.
Exactly!
So, readers don’t owe you anything. If you want people to read your book, then the first thing you need to do is make sure you brainstorm ideas about your book. Events that seem out of the ordinary.
Every great story begins with a What If idea. What if the police robbed a store? What if a man vanishes on his way to work with no trace or anything? What if a girl meets a love interest she immediately connects with, but lies about her job?
This is me just spitballing on the go, but you get what I mean. It’s also why cultivating the habit of reading is important, because if you are not a voracious reader, the chances of coming up with a half decent idea is next to impossible.
Step 3: Research
Once you’ve had your idea down, it’s time to do your research. You’re basically beginning with no experience and you’d be responsible for writing about lives you’ve never lived, occupations you never had, decisions you’ve never made. So, yes, learning a bit more about the type of lives your characters lead is necessary.
If you’re writing a detective fiction, you want to make sure you understand how detectives work. What is necessary to solve a crime? What about fantasy? How does werewolves shapeshift? What myths currently exist about what you’re trying to create?
Researching about the world you’re building and the people in it is important to make sure your story makes sense to readers.
This is not to say you’d include everything you learn from your research, but for you to know more about what you’re trying to create.
Step 4: Ask Yourself The Hard Questions
By now, you’ve most likely seen that writing a book takes a lot of work, and if you’re not ready to commit, to it, you most likely know as well. So, this is the time to ask yourself the hard questions. Do you really want to commit to writing a book? It’s going to be hours and hours of typing into your computer, digging into your mind, and building lives you never lived.
Ask yourself, why you want to write this book. Because the truth is, writing is a enjoyable yet overwhelming process and unless you have a solid why, then you most likely will give up halfway.
Step 5: Plot or Write on The Seat of Your Pants
There are two types of writers. The ones who have to detail all the events in their stories before writing, and the ones who write off the seats of their pants.
As someone learning how to write with no experience, you most likely don’t know what type of writer you are yet. Most people will tell you to opt for planning, but if that does not resonate with you, then don’t do it. Just write.
Sit down, and write. Let the words come and put them out as they flow. Forget everything else, and keep writing.
But if you like to know where your story is headed, then try to plot your story. If you’d like to learn how to plot your story, then read this.
Step 6: Start Writing
If you’re a plotter, then this is where you start writing. You already have a detailed outline following the three act structure, and now, you’re fully prepared to start writing. However, if you’re a pantser, I hate to tell you, but this is where we begin to rewrite.
By now, you’ve poured out every single thought into the pages in a frenzy. It’s going to look like the type of mess you don’t want to stare at twice, but you’ve got to do it.
You’ve written your story, you now. know exactly everything that happens. Now, you sit back down and retell the story, only this time, you tell it better. You remove parts that don’t follow, you connect all the dots.
Step 7: It’s Not Over yet. You need to Edit
You probably don’t know this since you’re new to writing, but editing is the devil of writing. It’s something every writer I know–except one–hates.
I hate editing, and you probably will too. However, if you really want all the effort you’ve put into writing your book not to go to waste, then you’d need to edit.
Edit like the work was written by your arch nemesis and now, you’d stop at nothing to bring them down. Be ruthless, mean, and wickedly attentive to details.
Step 8: Take a Break
If you’re thinking of skipping this step, then you’re already dooming yourself. Here’s the thing, you’ve spent the last few weeks invested in your book. It’s all you think about and do. It’s been taking up space in your head, and now, you’re slopy. There are mistakes you’ve missed, but your brain fills in the gap because it knew what it wanted to write.
If you continue trying to see all of it now, you’d end up with a published manuscript riddled with errors. So, take a moment, clear your head.
And when I say a moment, I mean days. A couple of days. Read a book, do something fun. You’ve worked so hard, you deserve it.
Step 9: Now, Edit
Yes. You remember how annoying it was editing the first time? You’ve got to do it all over again. Your break is over, it’s time to face the pages.
What you’d do now will make sure your story has no punctation errors, plotholes or redundancy that slipped past you during the first editing phase.
Since you’ve left your story for a while, reading through it again, you’d notice all the mistakes you never noticed before.
Step 10: Hire a Professional Editor
But Daniel, I just spent the last couple of weeks editing my work–twice.
Yes, and you still need a professional editor. There are three types of editors, developmental editors, copy editors and line editors.
If you’re working on a budget, you can consider breaking this down into three different phases, and asking friends who are either English majors, or writers to help you review your work. Chances are they will not do the editing, only point out what they think you should work on.
That should be enough for a start.
Step 11: Hire beta readers
Beta readers are basically people who love to read and will give you feedback on your story. The reason for hiring beta readers is that, they will be able to detect where your story gets dull, places where they lost interest and overall feelings your main readers would feel.
Hiring beta readers will give you the chance to see how your book will perform among its target audience and how you can improve it.
If you’re at this stage, then congratulations, you’ve successfully completed your book, if all these is too hard for you, then here’s an alternative.
Alternative Way to Write a Book With No Experience – Ghostwriters
Ghostwriters are writers who go through the stress of writing your book for you so you don’t have to do it yourself. Whether you have an idea for your story, or just know that you want to write a book, working with a ghostwriter, we can work with you to develop the story.
And no, we don’t share in the profits or rights. You get it all once the project is completed.
So, if you want to write a book with no experience, contact us and we can help you out.
What Type of Book Sells the Most?
Romance stories are the best type of book to sell if you’re looking for a book with high demand. It’s the most popular niche in fiction writing and has very large audience. However, if you’re looking to write non-fiction, then Self help books are the way to go.
How Much Do You Need to Start a Book?
You can write a book for free from the comfort of your home, publish on Amazon for free as well. However, you might need to pay book editors, or at the very least book cover designers to help design your cover, unless you also have experience as a designer.
But if you want to avoid the stress of writing a book yourself and hire a ghostwriter, you should budget anywhere from $200 to $2,000 depending on the size and genre of your book.
