How do you write a book and get it published?

6 perspectives · Updated 20 Oct 2026 · 3 min read

Most of these authors sold their book before it was finished.

Charles Duhigg sold The Power of Habit on a forty-page proposal. Robert Cialdini wrote a prospectus and two sample chapters, then got an agent. Daniel Pink's first book came after a magazine article caught a publisher's eye. Nir Eyal's agent found him through his blog. Guy Kawasaki self-published.

Their answers cover the proposal, the agent, the editing, and what sells copies after launch.

The short answer

Write a proposal before the whole book: an outline and sample chapters that explain why strangers will care. Find an agent to sell it. If you self-publish, edit the manuscript many times over. Either way, plan to reach readers yourself.

How do you write a book and get it published?How do you become an author?

How do you write a book and get it published?How do you become an author?

Does a blog or newsletter help you get published?How do you become an author?

Does a blog or newsletter help you get published?How do you become an author?

How much does it cost to publish a book?How do you become an author?

How much does it cost to publish a book?How do you become an author?

How do you write a book and get it published?

Do you need to finish a book before you pitch it?

How do you write a book and get it published?

Do you need to finish a book before you pitch it?

Does a blog or newsletter help you get published?

How many times should you edit a book?

Does a blog or newsletter help you get published?

How many times should you edit a book?

Ask them yourself

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Do you need to finish a book before you pitch it?How do you become an author?

Do you need to finish a book before you pitch it?How do you become an author?

How many times should you edit a book?How do you become an author?

How many times should you edit a book?How do you become an author?

How long does it take to write a book?How do you become an author?

How long does it take to write a book?How do you become an author?

How much does it cost to publish a book?Do you need a literary agent?

How do you become an author?

How much does it cost to publish a book?Do you need a literary agent?

How do you become an author?

Do you need to finish a book before you pitch it?Do you need a literary agent?How do you become an author?Do you need to finish a book before you pitch it?Do you need a literary agent?How do you become an author?

Who you should listen to

Six authors, among them a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, a researcher who has spent his career on persuasion, and the former chief evangelist of Apple. Listen for what each one did before a publisher said yes.

Charles Duhigg · Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author of The Power of Habit and Supercommunicators
Listen for: How a forty-page proposal sold The Power of Habit.
Robert Cialdini · Founder of the Cialdini Institute; has spent his career researching persuasion
Listen for: Why an agent gets you a better deal.
Daniel Pink · Author of seven books on motivation, timing, sales, and regret
Listen for: How a magazine article led to his first book.
Guy Kawasaki · Chief evangelist of Canva and author of APE: Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur
Listen for: His editing routine for a self-published book.
Brendon Burchard · High performance coach and author of The Motivation Manifesto
Listen for: What actually sold his books.
Nir Eyal · Author of Hooked and Indistractable and the writer behind NirAndFar
Listen for: How his agent found him through his blog.

How did these authors get their books published?

Charles Duhigg

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author of The Power of Habit and Supercommunicators

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist

Why themTurned years of reporting into bestselling books.

Charles’s advice: Write the proposal first; it answers the question editors will ask.

I sold The Power of Habit on the basis of a forty-page proposal, not a finished manuscript, because publishers care more about whether you can explain why strangers will care than about your word count. My real advice: write the book proposal first, even if you think you need to write the whole book, since the proposal forces you to answer the question agents and editors will actually ask.

Answered by their Delphi on 20 Oct 2026.

Go deeper with Charles

Robert Cialdini

Founder of the Cialdini Institute; has spent his career researching persuasion

NYT bestselling author

Why themRewrote Influence until it spoke to general readers.

Robert’s advice: Write a prospectus and two sample chapters, then get an agent.

I wrote a detailed prospectus and two sample chapters before I ever approached a publisher, and I rewrote them until every trace of academeze was gone. Then I got an agent, which my own research showed makes publishers like you more and pay you more, because someone else does the boasting.

Answered by their Delphi on 20 Oct 2026.

Go deeper with Robert

Daniel Pink

Author of seven books on motivation, timing, sales, and regret

NYT bestselling author

Why themWrote speeches and articles before seven books.

Daniel’s advice: Write a proposal, find an agent who believes in it, and let them sell it.

I wrote my first book, Free Agent Nation, after a 1998 Fast Company article caught a publisher’s eye, so my path to publication was not the usual one. If I were starting now, I would write a proposal, find an agent who believes in the idea, and let them sell it, because publishers buy from agents far more often than from slush piles.

Answered by their Delphi on 20 Oct 2026.

Go deeper with Daniel

Guy Kawasaki

Chief evangelist of Canva and author of APE: Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur

Former Apple chief evangelist

Why themSelf-published, then wrote the guide to doing it.

Guy’s advice: Edit about ten times on paper and ten times as an ebook.

I wrote APE because self-publishing the first time was such a mess I wanted to spare others the pain. The key is editing: I print the manuscript, read it as an ebook, and repeat that cycle about ten times each, because a great book is ground, buffed, and polished, not written in one pass.

Answered by their Delphi on 20 Oct 2026.

Go deeper with Guy

Brendon Burchard

High performance coach and author of The Motivation Manifesto

3-time NYT bestselling author

Why themSelf-published his first book after agents passed.

Brendon’s advice: Your email list and partners sell more copies than a tour.

I wrote my first book in 2000, got dumped by a publisher later, then Hay House published Motivation Manifesto. What moved copies was not a tour or TV, it was my email list, partners, and building a movement bigger than the pages.

Answered by their Delphi on 20 Oct 2026.

Go deeper with Brendon

Nir Eyal

Author of Hooked and Indistractable and the writer behind NirAndFar

NYT bestselling author

Why themHis agent found him through his blog.

Nir’s advice: Write publicly about what you want to understand.

I wrote both my books because I couldn't find the answer I needed—Hooked came from my obsession with habit-forming products, and Indistractable from my own distraction problem. My agent found me through my blog, so I always tell people: start by writing publicly about what you desperately want to understand, not what you already know.

Answered by their Delphi on 20 Oct 2026.

Go deeper with Nir

Everyone’s advice at a glance

How 6 people answer: How do you write a book and get it published?
Who	Their advice
Charles DuhiggPulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author of The Power of Habit and Supercommunicators	Write the proposal first; it answers the question editors will ask.
Robert CialdiniFounder of the Cialdini Institute; has spent his career researching persuasion	Write a prospectus and two sample chapters, then get an agent.
Daniel PinkAuthor of seven books on motivation, timing, sales, and regret	Write a proposal, find an agent who believes in it, and let them sell it.
Guy KawasakiChief evangelist of Canva and author of APE: Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur	Edit about ten times on paper and ten times as an ebook.
Brendon BurchardHigh performance coach and author of The Motivation Manifesto	Your email list and partners sell more copies than a tour.
Nir EyalAuthor of Hooked and Indistractable and the writer behind NirAndFar	Write publicly about what you want to understand.

How to write a book and get it published, step by step

Write where readers can find you. Nir Eyal says to write publicly about what you want to understand. His agent found him through his blog.
Write the proposal first. Charles Duhigg sold The Power of Habit on a forty-page proposal, not a finished manuscript. Robert Cialdini wrote a prospectus and two sample chapters before approaching a publisher.
Get an agent. Daniel Pink says publishers buy from agents far more often than from slush piles. Robert Cialdini says an agent gets you a better deal, because someone else does the boasting.
Rewrite for a general reader. Robert Cialdini rewrote his chapters until every trace of academic jargon was gone.
Edit more than you think. Guy Kawasaki prints the manuscript, reads it as an ebook, and repeats each about ten times.
Plan to sell it yourself. Brendon Burchard says his email list and partners moved more copies than a tour or TV.

Where they disagree

They differ on the route in. Charles Duhigg, Robert Cialdini, and Daniel Pink put the proposal and the agent first. Nir Eyal puts writing in public first. Guy Kawasaki skips the publisher and self-publishes.

Frequently asked questions

Do you need to finish a book before you pitch it?

Not for nonfiction, in these authors' experience. Charles Duhigg sold The Power of Habit on a forty-page proposal. Robert Cialdini pitched with a prospectus and two sample chapters.

Do you need a literary agent?

Daniel Pink and Robert Cialdini say yes. Daniel says publishers buy from agents far more often than from unsolicited manuscripts, and Robert says an agent gets you a better deal.

Does a blog or newsletter help you get published?

It helped Nir Eyal: his agent found him through his blog. Daniel Pink's first book came after a Fast Company article.

How many times should you edit a book?

Guy Kawasaki edits each manuscript about ten times on paper and ten times as an ebook.

The bottom line

Write in public, write the proposal before the book, and find an agent. If you self-publish, edit it many times. Then ask the author whose route looks like yours.

How this page was made

We asked this question to authors on Delphi. Each quote is that person's Delphi answering in their own words, built from their own writing, talks, and interviews, and shown as given. Delphi wrote the introduction, the summary, and the steps from their answers. Last checked 20 Oct 2026.

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