Publish=Profile=Profits

The contents below is from an  article I wrote in November 2011 for Empower magazine.

A book is the best business card you will ever have, it was once explained to me “a book is a business card on steroids.”
Think about it, most people get a business card and pop it in a drawer,  never to be seen again.

In contrast, a book  sits on a shelf, desk or next to your bed and is often given to others to read. Books have an average life span of five years, while business cards may last only a day. It is the ultimate lead generator and business tool, and at the same time provides people with a valuable resource that may have been derived from years of your experience.

 

Build Your Profile

Being an author opens doors that once would have been very difficult to open. Great credibility is achieved by being a published author and ranks in the top 10 percent of professions in terms of prestige and you become a trusted resource in your field. Once published, you are seen as an authority or expert on a niche topic and can very quickly make you the ‘go to’ person for media. This will offer you much needed exposure and a way to build your profile faster than any other means and without huge marketing costs that you would’ve incurred when trying to promote yourself or your products without this credibility.

New opportunities will come your way, such as speaking engagements, pitches from experts and other gurus will want to work and partner with you, guest writing offers and more.You may also be invited to magazine, television and radio interviews, when others need an expert voice on a subject. In addition to being paid, all of these benefits will essentially attract free advertising for you and your business.

In today’s economy you need to separate yourself from the competition. Handing your book to prospective clients could be the single thing that gives you the edge over your competitors. Basically readers have 200-250 pages to learn about you and your services, so it really is the ultimate marketing tool and an integral part of business. It builds a relationship.

The book can be utilised as another income stream for your business and depending on what type of business you are in, is a great offline marketing strategy, particularly if your business is online.
Once you have the book, it can then be broken down and you can re-purpose the content to write articles, blog posts, newsletters, podcasts and audio programs.

Getting Started

There are some great courses available to help you through the process of writing and it doesn’t need to take years to do it. People believe writing a book is difficult and takes years, in actual fact you can produce a quality book in months due to the available technology and working smart. My Author Express program is designed for just this purpose.

Begin by selecting a working title for your book, which usually should be short and sharp (generally between one and five words in length) utilising a key word for your topic. This is to ensure the titled can be remembered and capture the reader’s attention, as you have only a few seconds to do this in a book store and you want the title to fit on the spine of the book as most books are placed spine out on the shelf.
The subtitle can be longer and should describe what the book is about in more detail. Brainstorm lots of ideas and test both the title and subtitle by asking trusted colleagues to vote. Once you have decided the title it’s a good idea to register the domain name for the book and to have this printed on the book cover, or utilise it within the book as a call for action if you are building a community or list around your book. This allows you to obtain their contact details so that you may contact them in the future regarding your services.

Choosing the Cover

Your book will be judged by the cover so make sure you have it designed by a professional designer. It is good to use your own image on the cover if you are a speaker, but is not always the best option.
Start by doing a mock cover of your book and put it on your vision board along with your business goals. I find this helps if you can see the working title and cover design and keeps you motivated to see it through to completion.

To do this model from a book you have at home, (or one that has been successful in your genre)in terms of the size , look and feel of the graphics on the cover design. I have taken photos of book covers in book stores that caught my eye and utilised those colours into my design. Do a web search of the online book stores that allow you to look at the front and back covers of the books.

Ensure the colours you use represent your topic, for example the colour purple is associated with wealth and yellow with happiness, so you want to pick a colour appropriate to your topic or you may want to use your own corporate colours to keep your branding consistent. You can then provide all of this information in the way of a brief to your graphic designer so they have a clear understanding of the look and feel you wish to create that represents you and your brand or message. You can then use your successful book model to form your structure and later market your book.
Once you have the title and the cover design you now need an outline that will shape the chapters for your book. Think of about 8-15 main topics you wish to discuss ( less for a skinny book). These will become your chapters. Start with the main questions you get asked in your business and answer them.

This is the creative part where you just let it all flow, this is not the time to worry about grammar and punctuation, just keep writing knowing that the manuscript will get cleaned up later in the editing process.

Creating Content

There are lots of ways that you can create your content. You can sit at the keyboard and start typing it out. You can use a ghost writer, this is where a professional writer does it all for you in your voice (personality), though this can be expensive anywhere from $5 k-$50k depending on the amount of research required. This cost can vary dramatically and will largely depend on the experience of the writer- professional versus amateur.

I am a fan of authors creating their own content as it is your unique message and story that people connect with– not just the content.
You can record yourself or have someone interview you and record it using an mP3 recorder and have it transcribed and edited into the chapters, which is faster and essentially your voice. There are also services available where you can simply speak into the telephone and the recording is transcribed and returned to you via email and software that converts your voice into the written word. These technologies are always evolving so Google for current products.

Another great way is to host a webinar series and have it turned into the book and other products such as audio, You can run it over a 10 week period to your clients and then bingo, you have the chapters.
These methods allow you to write in conversational English that makes the book easy to read, and allows people to complete the book and then tell others about it and you! Keep it simple and deliver your message clearly.

The Final Touches

Once you have the content you would normally employ a copy editor and proof-reader to ensure it reads well and is understood. You will then need to have your designer do a professional typeset of your book, to shape the words into a professionally laid out book. Remember this is your brand and reputation so you want it to be professional. I even suggest eBooks are designed rather than simply poorly formatted word documents. Publishing independently doesn’t need mean your book has to look amateurish, especially when you know the tips that professional publishers use. This is something I teach in my Author Express program.

Getting Published

With so many options available now for publishing in many different formats becoming an author is easier than ever. There are various options for publishing the book including traditional publishing, self- publishing, or entrepreneurial publishing and all have pros and cons.

Traditional Publishing is the type that most people think of where you write the manuscript and the publishing house designs the book and prints in often with no input from the author. You are general paid in advance.
Self-publishing is generally where you write a fiction or non-fiction book and you simply use a company to print it. There is normally no distribution into stores.
Entrepreneurial printing is a combination of traditional and self-publishing. It is normally done via a publisher who can have the book distributed into stores while the author is involved with the design concepts.
Entrepreneurial Publishing is a great way to published as it allows you the options of using a publisher that works with entrepreneurs to publish their non-fiction book with the big picture in mind; building their business. You no longer need to utilise traditional publishing houses to have your book published. If you are self-publishing, it is best to do a small print run locally with a digital printer or print on demand services, as you may make mistakes that can be costly.

eBooks

It is also your responsibility to market and distribute the books, so you don’t want them sitting on your garage floor. You can always print more books at a later in larger volume with an offset printer. It’s a great idea to offer an eBook as well with the increasing use of iPad’s and Kindles, though nothing beats the look and feel of a physical book. The method of publishing you choose is really about which is best suited to your business and budget.

Let Go Of Perfectionism

Most manuscripts never see the light of say as the authors are waiting for it to be perfect. Your message is important to the world and although you want your book to be great, it does not have to be perfect, just get it out there. Another option is to start with a small book of quotes or tips in your niche, print that and use it to have something to sell and use as a business card to secure speaking engagements while you are working on the main book.

Imagine if Microsoft waited for their software to be perfect? That’s why they are always releasing new versions. You can do the same with the book. There are online print on demand companies that allow you to print 5 -10 copies at a time and also make changes between versions of your book so this can be a great way to add to or update your content. Don’t let perfectionism stop you.

Distribution

The book is not the end, it is just the beginning, and now you can build your business by marketing and distributing your book. Start with friends and family, email your community and use speaking opportunities to promote the book. The more marketing you do the more chance you will have of being in stores and having a distributor take on your book.
It is also important to remember that book stores are not always the best place for all books, some genres are better distributed via stores and/or alternate avenues. For example a success book may be better marketed via business networking associations or seminar companies.

Above all writing a book is a wonderful legacy to leave. You may not be appearing on Oprah’s book list anytime soon, but you just may change someone’s world including your own.

Remember:Publishing builds your profile that leads to profits.

Share your message. Make a Difference. Leave a Legacy

Fiona Jones

Best-selling author, publisher and founder of Author Express

www.AuthorExpress.com