At the time of this blog post, I’m about 75% finished creating the content of my book, which I plan to self-publish and release in a few weeks. Anyone who’s been following me on Facebook or Twitter already knows this.

I knew, from the beginning, that I would be much more likely to finish a book that everyone knows I’m working on. I have the added advantage of being a ghost writer, and the entire world needs to know that I can actually finish and deliver a book in a timely manner. This is mandatory for my credibility, which gives me an added incentive to continue working, which most people don’t have. However, the status update is a secret weapon that anyone can use to keep their own book moving forward.

The first thing I did, when I decided to write a book, was to tell everyone about it. I knew that if my friends and family knew I was writing a book, they would keep asking about it. Then, I started to e-mail a few chapters here and there to find out if people were interested in the material I was creating. Mostly green lights with a few yellows and reds. The momentum was difficult to maintain this way, though. I wasn’t going to keep e-mailing my book’s content to everyone in the world, and people didn’t want to keep pestering me by asking the same question (“How’s the book going?”) over and over. I wouldn’t have minded, but I can understand the other point of view.

Status updates, on the other hand, have been an easy way to tell a large number of people what I’m doing. I’ve been regularly posting updates on my book to Facebook and Twitter, and as a result, there are plenty of people who now know that I’m writing a book. The added bonus: these are people that I wouldn’t have called or e-mailed individually. There is a practical limit to the amount of time I can spend telling people one-on-one that I’m writing a book. The number of people following me on Facebook and Twitter, however, doesn’t change the amount of time I spend posting to these networks.

Now, I have a number of people who are already sold on the book, ready to buy an advance copy! Unfortunately, I’m not actually selling advance copies yet, but it’s neat to know that I’ll have this option in four months when I’m releasing my next book.

If you’re writing a book, be sure to let Facebook know how it’s coming from time to time. It will make a world of difference.