While you write it is a good idea to keep track of a few things. You can either create these as separate Google Documents or MS Word documents that get sync’d with your Dropbox. I call them “Living” because they will be constantly updated and changed.
It’s never too soon to create these documents:
Book Checklist. As you write, things will come to mind that you want to do – add these as bullet items to this document. These things will evolve as you get to different processes – editing, formatting, publishing, etc. As you complete an item, mark it as done, maybe include the date you did it, and put it at the bottom of the list. Here is one of the items that was on my list:
Done – ordered business cards
Accounts. Trust me, after you get your book published on different sites, you will appreciate having a place where you list out these sites along with their links. Do NOT store the passwords in the document. I keep all of my passwords on my smartphone using the Keepass app (free and easy). When you make updates to your book, you’ll know exactly where to go to upload the new file. For instance, for Amazon I have three links – one to my book sales page, one to CreateSpace, and another to Kindle Direct Publishing.
Style Sheet. As your book begins to take shape, you will realize that there are different ways to format certain things. A style sheet helps you to keep track decisions you’ve already made so that your books is consistent. I also used my style sheet to remind me of rules concerning block quotes, grammar, the use of BC & AD, etc. Here’s a personal preference item from my style sheet: Use “1 Kings 7″ instead of “First Kings 7”
Book Seller Info. It’s never too soon to begin thinking about what genre your book belongs in, the key search words, description, biography, categories, etc. This is all information that is needed by Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, or where ever else you decide to sell you book.
Taxes. This document keeps records that you will need to file taxes. See my post titled Taxes – Read Now! for more information.