When it comes to writing a book which you hope to use in your business, there are a number of factors to consider before you launch.
- What is the ultimate aim for your book?
- What other benefits do you hope to achieve?
- What do you want the book to say about you and your business?
- What is the tone and feel of the books content?
- How do you plan on getting your message across?
- Does your book need to have audio/video links?
- What type of a book cover best suits?
- Book availability in eBook, print, audiobook or all three?
- How will others be able to access it?
- Cost of the book and recuperation of costs of publishing and print?
- How do you plan on spreading the word?
Let’s look at each of these factors in a little more detail.
The ultimate aim for any business professional should be to educate and inform, to motivate and convert any potential clients or buyers into actual clients or buyers, whether it be buyers of goods or services, it really doesn’t matter.
If your content is good enough and you offered something of real value, then your work is nearly done.
However, there must always be a call to action, whether it is the opportunity to avail of a free consultation, avail of a free gift, take advantage of a one time or limited time offer. It must be clear what you want the reader to do by the end of your book or the real purpose of your book and the message you want to deliver will be forgotten.
Even if you don’t manage to achieve an immediate result, if your prospect has found value in your content, they will be most likely to recommend your product or services to others and spread this message by word of mouth, by mailing a digital copy of your book to another (if set up this way) or by giving the physical print copy to another.
This leads nicely into what you want your book to say about you and your business. I’m sure you want to come across as authentic, knowledgeable, approachable and likeable; someone they would like to do business with or at least someone they would be happy to recommend.
This is where having a polished, professional book says as much about you as it does your business and the tone and feel of the book must be just right if you are to have the desired effect. If you come across as too pushy, all salesy or patronizing, then your book is not going to be read and prospects will imagine things will only get worse when they meet you!
Write as if you are imparting your life experience and knowledge to someone you really care about, so they will gain in some way or a problem they are having will be solved or lessened. Keep the end goal about what is in it for them not you and you will do well. You have got to establish trust, establish credibility, build up your reputation and build a relationship with the prospect reading your book. If you have ticked all these boxes, then any prospect will have no problem taking the desired action or at least you will have left them with a positive view of you and your business. They will be more likely to do business with you in the future or recommend you to others.
Some books can have audio or video links if it helps convey the message. Video can work well if you want to demonstrate how something works and effectively ‘show off’ your product.
First impressions really count so choosing the right book cover is vital. Of course it goes without saying, the book title you choose needs to clearly convey what your book is about and what the reader will get by reading it. Don’t just stop there, add in a subtitle for added effect if that helps. For example consider the Dale Carnegie book ‘How to Stop Worrying and Start Living. Time-Tested Methods For Conquering Worry.’ Did he get the message across about the benefits to readers? You bet he did! No fancy graphics, just hard hitting headlines that persuade and inspire action.
Look then at what forms your book should be available. Of course having your book available in audio or digital download is cost effective to you and your prospect but many people still prefer something tangible and a good print copy really does a great deal in establishing credibility!
How anyone can access your book depends on how it is made available. Will it be available for free as an instant download from your website or through a global online book distribution site? Will you stock copies of your book or distribute manually in book stores, sell at events or just have available as a print on demand book from online bookstores, just like your eBook?
Having a budget and getting cost estimates is very important but you need to have a clear idea of what you want, the estimated word count, any graphics etc. to be inserted. Ask then what would ‘break-even’ be for you and what your return on investment would look like?
Lastly with all this in mind, how are you planning on spreading the word?
Having a book with the right title, subtitle, optimized with the right metadata, assigning it to the most appropriate book categories and giving it the best possible description and keyword allocation will go a long way.
If you would like to discuss publishing a book that will help you stand out from the crowd and get the message you would like to deliver across to your prospects and existing clients, with the desired effect, then I welcome the opportunity to discuss this with you and help take your business to the next level.