When I started to talk with people about my first book, I noticed a pattern of frequently asked questions, the most common being: “How do you come up with a new DailyOM idea every day?”

Legend has it that Picasso once got into a discussion with a neighbor who looked at his paintings and told the artist that while his colors were nice and the picture was very pleasant, he should try making them a bit more realistic. Otherwise, he advised, nobody would know what Picasso’s paintings were supposed to be about. The artist, exercising a rare amount of patience, nodded thoughtfully and asked his neighbor if he had an example of what he meant by realistic.
“Ah, yes, I do!” The neighbor quickly reached into his pocket, brought out his wallet, and handed over a photo of his wife for Picasso to see. “Now that’s what I call realistic,” he proclaimed. Picasso took the photo in his hand, turned it this way and that, studied it from every angle, then handed it back to its owner. “She’s awfully small and flat,” he said.

I believe we find the time to do what is important to us, even if it means writing only twenty minutes a day. Most books are born in bits of time, not marathon sessions.

A query letter is a combination of written sales pitch and summary of your book idea with a twist—it opens the door to the publishing world and introduces your unwritten nonfiction to editors.

It’s time to make your list of publishers to contact. After all, you need something on the front of your envelope or in your E-mail address box.