Your authority book defines who you are, what you do, and—equally important—who you work with.
The right book doesn’t just attract attention. It attracts the right level of client.
Lead generation tools—quizzes, eBooks, freebie offers—help build your list. The better ones even do some initial qualifying of prospects for you.
But your authority book, the signature book that talks about who you are, what you believe, and how you work, needs to do much more than that. This book represents you. And just as you wouldn’t show up to a meeting unprepared to close the sale, your book shouldn’t either.
Don’t Just “Showcase” Your Expertise
Writing a book automatically showcases your expertise—as long as the book is professionally written and produced. If you can fill a book, you obviously have expertise.
But so do a lot of other people in your field.
You don’t want to be just another book on Amazon, lost among the 10,000 or so titles that are uploaded every day.
And you don’t want to be just another “pick-me” expert in your industry.
A true authority book is designed to position you as THE EXPERT in your field.
But more than that, it signals to serious clients, decision-makers, and investors that you operate at a higher level than the typical service provider.
It needs to show why you are different from others in your field, what you do differently, what your twist is that makes the choice to work with you a no-brainer.
Using Case Studies
My clients are experts in their fields. They have been in business long enough to have solid case studies that prove their results. When we discuss the book’s positioning and again when we are collaborating on the book, I ask them for case studies—but only those that match the type of clients they love to work with.
Case studies do a lot of heavy lifting in books. First, they break up dense information with a human story. There’s usually some sort of break in the text—a shaded box, a photo, or a graphic. This gives the reader a moment of mental breathing room before returning to the core material. It’s a little thing… that keeps your reader reading!
They also demonstrate your proven results. I can stand here all day long and say my book clients increased their income that directly links back to writing their book… or I can tell you about Bob who has made an extra $25,000 in 18 months as side income and has just walked into a book deal because of his first book. I could tell you about Guy who didn’t have a lot of success marketing the course we wrote but he gained a million dollar plus investment in his business because of the course we wrote. Think of case studies as your book’s version of bringing the receipts.
Most important, your case studies are there to make the reader feel like you are the answer to his specific problem. That’s why we use a variety of people or businesses as case studies—so a reader can see himself as your client, having his problem solved.
And that’s why I tell my clients to only use case studies that match up to the type of clients they like to work with as well as the type of problems or issues they like to solve. High-level clients want to know that you work with people like them. When they see businesses similar to theirs succeeding with your methods, it lowers their perceived risk and makes the decision to hire you far easier.
What Higher-Level Clients Look For
Higher-level clients aren’t looking for the cheapest solution. They’re looking for:
• Proven results
• Clear thinking
• Confident positioning
• Evidence that you work with serious clients
Your authority book should demonstrate all four.
A True Authority Book Furthers Your Brand
High-level clients look for consistency.
When your message, positioning, and expertise show up repeatedly across your platform, it builds recognition—and trust.
Your authority book is not just part of your platform; it is the structural beam that holds your platform up. That means it should fit your brand if your brand is already strong or it should refine your brand to make it stronger. You can build out your social media posts, videos, trainings, even merchandise from your Authority Book Platform.™
True Experts Don’t Write a Book Just to Write a Book
The mistake many professionals make is writing a book simply to say they wrote one.
A strategic authority book is different. It is designed from the beginning to position you correctly in the market and attract the clients you actually want to work with.
Authoring a book can be one of the most powerful strategic moves a business leader makes—when it is positioned correctly.
Whether you write it yourself or hire a ghostwriter, you need to first spend time mapping out specific goals and strategies for your book. That’s why the first step I take with my Authority Book Platform clients is a reality check—a 90-minute strategic evaluation of your business, book concept, positioning, commercial viability, and more. If you are a speaker, coach, consultant, or business leader who is considering writing a book, we need to talk. You can find out more by clicking here: Authority Book Platform.
