Starting a book?
Here are some questions that will help us figure out your book. The answers to these questions will help us know what to include and what not to include in your book. These questions can be challenging to answer, so it’s worth putting some time, thought, and prayer into them.
- Who do you want to reach? Who is your reader?
- Why will your reader want to buy and read your book?
- If you had one minute to summarize the message of your book to your reader, what would you say?
- What do you want your reader to do or how do you want your reader to change as a result of reading your book?
Your book written, edited, and/or published for you
I can write, rewrite, edit, and/or publish your book for you. (But I’m only able to take on a limited number of clients—sorry!)
Free resources
Or here’s a free article if you want to do it yourself. Plus you might want to read this post.
A new online course
I’ve taken my twenty years of authoring and publishing experience and boiled it down to a step-by-step process that will empower you to write and publish your first book. Start the this course for free—no credit card, no sign up—and if you like it, pay a modest course fee to finish it.
Not sure if writing a book is for you? Check out Steve Roller’s 40 reasons below…
Should I make detailed, up-to-date instruction for writing and publishing your book available online? Let me know here. (Or send any other message that’s on your mind.)
40 reasons
Steve Roller, in his excellent book The Freelancer Manifesto Second Edition: 11 Big Ideas to stand out and thrive, lists 40 reasons why you should write a book. He says:
A book, a physical book, is going to outlast any social media posts, website copy, online courses, YouTube videos, or any other digital content you produce. Your clients and fans will hang onto a book even if they no longer visit your website. Writing a book is THE best way, in my book, to Stake Your Claim.
I actually came up with 40 reasons you should write a book.
1. You have important things to say, and the world needs to hear them.
2. People don’t throw books out. Somewhere, 50 years from now, someone will stumble upon your book, read it, and act on it.
3. When you’re sitting on a plane and the guy next to you asks what you do, you can simply say, “I’m an author.” Much easier than trying to describe what a copywriter is.
4. Same thing at social functions or cocktail parties. “I’m an author” creates more interest than “I’m a copywriter” or “I’m an Internet Marketer.”
5. You’ll get introduced to more people. Everyone wants to tell people about their friend, the writer.
6. If you’re single, you’ll get more dates.
7. If you’re married, you’ll have at least one person who thinks your book is the absolute best.
8. It will give you more credibility in your field.
9. You can autograph a book. Hard to do with an ebook.
10. Print is far from dead. In fact, according to a recent New York Times piece, ebook sales are slipping.
11. Ebooks don’t make good gifts. Print books do.
12. You’ll get speaking gigs if you want them.
13. Those speaking gigs will lead to more clients.
14. People will start asking for your advice more, on all kinds of topics.
15. A book is much more effective than a business card.
16. One book leads to a second book. It’s just the beginning.
17. When you send your book to a good prospect, there’s a good chance it’ll get their attention.
18. If you send it 2-day shipping via your Amazon Prime membership, your only cost will be the price of the book (and you’ll get your cut of that).
19. Instead of always directing people to your website, you can tell them to check out your Author Page on Amazon.
20. A good Amazon Author Page could hook as many people as your website.
21. Amazon is taking over the world. Why not be a part of it?
22. You’ll be able to develop programs and courses based on your book, bringing in more revenue.
23. You can get interviewed on podcasts, lots of people will hear it, and your reach will spread.
24. You’ll get interviewed on radio stations if you want to.
25. Podcast interviews, radio interviews, and speaking gigs will drive traffic to your website.
26. Offer the first two or three chapters free on your website to grow your email list.
27. A bigger email list means more opportunities for selling your other products and services.
28. You’ll be able to raise your fees on everything you offer because of your newly perceived expertise.
29. Remember your sophomore English teacher who gave you a “C”? Send her your book (if she’s still alive).
30. If she’s not? Send it to someone else who doubted your abilities.
31. Market it right and you’ll have a nice, ongoing source of passive income.
32. Plan from the start to write a whole series of books. Think Robert Kiyosaki’s Rich Dad series, or Tim Ferriss’s Four-Hour books. If people buy one, they’ll want each one in the series.
33. Bad at shopping for people like I am? Give them your book (autographed, of course).
34. Autographing your own book is one of the coolest feelings.
35. I don’t recommend this as a book-selling strategy, but can you imagine doing a book signing at Barnes & Noble?
36. Again, this isn’t a strategy I’d recommend, but small, independent bookstores would be glad to have you do a short presentation and book signing for their members.
37. Helping an independent bookstore promote your signing will give you more practice selling yourself.
38. Promoting yourself will come in handy when you’re famous.
39. You could become a New York Times bestselling author and make a lot of money.
40. More likely, you could become wealthy by parlaying your book into a business.
