If you’ve been meaning to write your business book for years, motivation probably isn’t the problem. Now that we are safely past International Quitters’ Day—the second Friday of January, when 80% of New Year’s resolutions have already fallen by the wayside—let’s get real about your goals. Is this the year you finally write your book?…
Endings and beginnings. So much of life is in the grey spaces, so little is clearly defined. But the end of one year and beginning of the next is one of those rare milestones that give us a clear line of demarcation, a place to take stock and start anew. Many of us look back…
When most people hear the phrase business book, they picture a Silicon Valley CEO or someone with a seven-figure company and a TED Talk. That assumption alone stops a lot of smart, experienced people from ever considering authorship. Which is a shame, because business books aren’t just for the famous or wildly successful. They’re for…
My friend Tara Jacobsen (Marketing Artfully) once published 25 books in 26 weeks or something outrageous like that. In the early days of Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing, she and her bestie Rebekah Welch (Rebekah & Co.) decided to write some books and make some money. Tara, who had been writing and speaking about content creation,…
A person in one of my writing groups posted a comment that sparked a fair amount of engagement. She was disappointed because she had priced her book at $18.50 and her royalty was only $3.56. As a business owner, she expects a profit of 40%. One person’s comment: “Welcome to being an author.” One might…
One of the first questions I get from would-be authors is, “How long will it take to write my business book?” And the answer is the one nobody really likes: it depends. I know professional fiction authors who can turn out a fairly good quality manuscript in two to three weeks. Others take years. Four…
Which type will work best for your business goals? Thinking about writing a business book? One of the first decisions you’ll face is what kind of book you want to write. Business books come in all shapes and sizes, i.e., types and lengths. Some are highly practical, some are deeply inspirational, and some are more…
If you’ve ever toyed with the idea of writing your life story, you’re not alone. Memoirs are one of the most popular forms of writing, and for good reason. They’re not just about capturing dates and facts (that’s more autobiography territory). A memoir is about meaning—about finding the threads in your experiences and weaving them…
(And How to Choose the Right One for Your Goals) If you’re thinking about writing a business book, one of the first questions to answer is what kind of book you want to create. “Business book” is a broad category — from step-by-step guides to inspirational memoirs, the style you choose will shape everything from…
17 Ways a Book Can Sink Your Credibility I met with a small business owner this past weekend and she said it seemed like everyone was writing a book for their business right now. I laughed and reminded her that ten or so years ago, it seemed like everyone was writing a book for their…