But Is It a Good Book?
Everybody has a business book.
About 15 years ago, it seemed that everyone you ran into at business events was eagerly forcing their book on you.
“I’ve written a book!” or worse, “I’m one of the authors in this book!”
You’d smile and accept the book, maybe glance through it and then put it aside until you felt enough time had passed to donate it to the local thrift store.
Those books were the unintended consequences of the “A book is the new business card!” phase of small business marketing.
And, like every new business marketing fad, people rushed to put out a book just to have a business book.
It sort of worked then.
It does not work now.
In today’s marketplace, a poorly written, thrown-together book is definitely NOT the way to establish yourself as an authority nor to gain new clients.
You and your book need to present yourself well and be strategic, both in the writing and the marketing.
First Mistake: You’re Talking to the Wrong People
Giving your book to everyone you come across.
I’m just gonna lay it out there: This reeks of the MLM practice of giving everyone you meet your card or “sharing” about your opportunity.
Not everyone is interested. Not everyone wants or needs what you have.
You’re annoying people and you look desperate.
Stop that.
Second Mistake: Your Book Doesn’t Tell People the Next Steps
I’m a big believer in giving people all the information they need to do something. I have no problem spilling all the deets. That’s because even though people know the process, they still need help with the doing. Or in the case with many of my clients, they don’t have the time to do it. It’s faster and easier to hire me.
In each of my small business marketing books, I offer my services. I tell the reader how they can move forward. Yes, they can do it themselves. They can also schedule a consult with me to discuss how to tackle the project. I offer an array of services that runs from low-cost DIY to coaching to full Done-for-You services. Readers can decide what level of assistance they need if they want to move forward with me.
The book does half of my prospect qualifying for me. Perhaps more, because I don’t talk to the people who are never going to write a book or create a marketing plan. They self-sort themselves out.
Third Mistake: Your Book Doesn’t Look Professional
I can’t be too hard on the people who pressed their books into my hands fifteen years ago; print-on-demand technology was fairly new and we didn’t have the options and tech that we have now. Most of the books had uninspired (at best) covers, no real interior formatting, and the resulting finished products were amateurish.
However, there were editors back then who apparently went unused. I heard a variation of “My 16-year-old niece is good at English and she checked it for me” more times than I can count.
Just NO.
NO then and NO now.
Your book is a representation of you and how you conduct business. It needs to be professional and polished. Otherwise, you look like a dumbass. (Yes, I said the quiet part out loud.)
One of the more expensive aspects of writing a book is having it edited. Which is why most people skip or skimp on this. But a professional editor is going to make you look like a hero. One of my favorite companies to use is Edit 911. All of their editors hold doctorates and their fees are reasonable. There’s a calculator on their site that tells you how much it will cost for various levels of editing. The guy on Fiverr who says he can edit your 60,000 word book for $250 is going to run it through spellcheck and Grammarly and call it good. That’s not editing.
These days, there’s no excuse for a poorly executed book. Yes, you’ll have to invest some money. You’re creating a marketing piece for your business. But it’s not going to be tens of thousands of dollars (unless you’re working with a ghostwriter). Editing, covers, interior formatting, and publishing for an average length business book, can come in on a budget of $2,500 if you are the “general contractor” for your book, hiring the individual components out to professionals. Realistically speaking, you may be looking at $3,000 to perhaps $5,000 on the high end.
Everybody Has a Book
It seems like everybody has a business book these days. Very few people have a good book.
You want your book to be:
Informative: Giving people the information they want and need establishes your authority and expertise.
User-Friendly: Your book needs to flow; very few people are going to slog through a difficult book even if they want the answers. If your book is easy to digest and represents your voice, your personality, the right people will want to work with you.
Professionally Presented: The way you do one thing is the way you do everything. A polished book gives the reader confidence in your ability to help them.
If you’ve written a book and you think it may need “refreshing” or a flat-out overhaul, let’s talk.
And, if you’ve been thinking about writing a book for your business, and want to get it right the first time, let’s talk.
Click this link to set up a free, no obligation 30-minute consultation.
A professional book isn’t an expense; it’s the key to being read, respected, and remembered. Your words have power—let’s package them for success
