Should You Write A Book? Solid Business Dos and Don’ts
Solo and entrepreneurs are tempted to write a book about their area of expertise. Some experts say that any printed material in any medium will boost your cred. Others say that self-published books and materials have no business punch. Who's right?
They are both right, and both wrong, depending on the context. The only question that matter is: What's right for you? That's what you will explore in this seminar.
As always this content is copyright-protected and all rights are reserved.
Key Reasons to write:
Income
oIf it’s all about money, then it has to be
A high-quality product
Priced accurately
Manufactured cheaply & Merchandised correctly
oYou have to devote considerable time to creating it, and you have to tend it as you would any other income stream. This is not a passive-income stream.
credibility/differentiate from competitors
oif it’s about cred, then it is about quality. You are showcasing what a quality job you can do. You provide accurate, valuable information.
oThis cannot be a slapdash affair. This cannot be even a craftily-designed sales pitch. In order to be a real differentiator, it has to be a real book.
oExpect to invest time. You will not get an ROI on this time. You will need to sacrifice free time or take working time.
oExamples:______________________________
personal goal
oAccomplishing a personal goal, and doing a quality job of it will give you immense satisfaction, which will translate into energy for your business
oWhat will the lost time cost you?
oWhat will you use the book for? Family? Business seller or leave behind?
oYou could co-author and solidify a friendship – or create a divorce.
quality leave-behind
oYou can differentiate yourself from your competitors with a quality mini-book. Key word: quality. If it is a sales brochure, they will throw it out.
oBest bet: even-handed info [unslanted] with complete info in the back.
oParticularly important if this is a several-steps sales cycle.
Your reason: ________________________________________________________________
Factors Affecting Your Decision:
Lost opportunity cost: what could you have been doing with your time? What would that have gained you – monetary and otherwise? How much time makes overall sense?
REMEMBER: you are making a decision about your entire web of life goals, not purely $$.
Intangible gains: will you think differently about yourself if you do or don’t write a book? How will that affect your overall success?
Publishing Company or POD?
Publishing companies have the most cachet. They will also take total control of your product and edit at will. They will expect you to do the bulk of the marketing yourself. They look at your existing reputation in the industry to determine if they want your product. If you have a really hot subject that half the country will want to buy, getting a publisher can be a good idea. Have a clear idea of how much time the process will take [consult me] and make sure that the personal ROI makes sense. Generally 18 mos minimum from the end of the editing cycle to complete book in stores.
POD allows you total control of the product. You can adjust price by controlling manufacturing costs. You can get to press faster. Less cachet. You can sell at your existing events. Print as many copies as you need, when you need them. Change/edit whenever you want. Put your books in Amazon.
Decisions:
•Does writing a book, doing a podcast/CD/etc make good business sense
•What kind of product makes good business sense
•What the product will and won't do for your business.
Making the Decision:
> Create Pros/Cons List [special kind]
> Do Force Diagram
Victoria C. Leo, Soar With the Eagles
www.soarwitheagles.biz
253.203.6676
Career and small business coaching, to Break Through Barriers
