I’m not talking an epic novel here – but, if you’re an expert in something, you’ve almost certainly got a book in your head. The challenge is turning it into a powerful marketing tool.
I’ve written a lot about writing, publishing and marketing business books, but before you read about the mechanics, first you need to decide that writing a book is something you want to do.
Why write a book?
There are plenty of reasons that people write non-fiction books:
- To give to potential clients as a way to establish reciprocity
- To position yourself as an expert in your field
- To reach a bigger audience than you can service otherwise
- To share your knowledge to many people
- To support presentations you deliver either as a trainer or speaker
- Because it’s nice to be able to tell people you’re an author!
My advice is that, before you jump in and start getting your thoughts down, think carefully about the whole process. Read the blogs I’ve written about writing, publishing and marketing a book and you’ll realise that writing it is the easy bit. It’s a big commitment of both time and money, but it definitely has big benefits if you plan it properly and follow through with the action to support your plan.
OK – warning over – now what’s stopping you?
Many business owners hesitate and have lots of excuses – let’s look at some of the most common ones:
‘My English isn’t good’
This is where a good editor comes in. It doesn’t matter how good your English is if you have a good editor and also a proof-reader. In fact, there are people who will transcribe your book from audio files – correcting as they go. This isn’t a good excuse!
‘I don’t have anything new to say’
It’s not about having something new to say; it’s about your spin on things. We all have our area of expertise and have learned some useful tips and techniques along the way. What makes your book unique is YOU. That’s another excuse blown out of the water.
‘Nobody will read it’
If you think nobody will be interested in what you have to say then you’ve got the wrong message. If you have a business then you have an audience. People who are potential clients or want to do what you do are both valid audiences. They’re looking for knowledge to help them improve their skills in the area in which you’re expert. Poof – there goes another excuse.
‘I don’t have time’
This isn’t really this issue – for most people ‘I haven’t got time’ means ‘I don’t want to badly enough’. If you really think this is an issue – and see working on the book taking a back seat to everything else then maybe you shouldn’t be writing one at the moment. Commitment drives delivery.
‘A publisher won’t be interested in it’
How do you know that? If you haven’t done any research then there’s no way that you could know one way or the other. Actually, it doesn’t matter if a traditional publishing house is interested or not. All the best people self-publish these days – and there are plenty of independent publishing companies who will publish your book. Besides you can always create it as an ebook only and sell it directly from your own website.
‘I can’t afford it’
If you’re going to self-publish you WILL need the budget to support it. However, it takes time to write and publish a book so do your sums and spread the cost over a few months. Whether you get your money back when the book is launched depends on how good your marketing campaign is.
If you think you might have a book in you and want some advice and guidance – book a one-hour strategy session and let’s get you on the starting blocks.
