How to Self Publish Your Book to Grow Your Business
One of the ways that I grew one of my first companies was by self publishing a book, and it was really powerful. As a matter of fact, this book sold copies everywhere.
Still to this day, that company, the secondary business that I own called Baby Planner Inc. leads the industry in business consulting for companies that market to new and expecting families.
And the reason why I still have that reach and notoriety in that space is because I started out by self publishing a book on my expertise in that niche.
But here is the deal. I made a ton of mistakes that ended up costing me a lot of money and time. I don;t want that for you. I want you to grow your business without the headaches and stress that I went through. So we are diving in exactly how you can self publish your very own book.
The best part about this strategy is that it will work for all types of businesses, and it does not matter where you are in your business development stage.
How will writing a book help grow your business?
For your business, your book should contain your systems, ideas, and steps on how to accomplish a particular task. Your book can be a gateway for those to get to know you and your business and establish you as an expert in your field.
It can also be a medium to provide basic information to customers who want to know more about your process but might not be ready to buy your program or course. What makes this strategy so amazing is that it can function also like a sales funnel.
You can educate people through your book and then add a call to action at the end on how to take things to the next level. From there you can direct them to your program. Your options are really limitless.
Self-publishing vs traditional publishing
Once you decided on publishing a book you need to decide if you want to self-publish or go with traditional publishing. So what exactly is the difference between the two?
Self-publishing has exploded over the years and has now become mainstream. The self-publishing route definitely rivals the traditional route of publishing. And the reason for that is because of the control it affords.
With self-publishing you are in the driver's seat. You can work on your book on your own time with your own deadlines, etc. You decide on what your beautiful cover design will be and the interior design, and you decide how your book will be formatted.
Full transparency here, though. In most cases, you will need to work with professionals who can ensure your book is up to industry standard, but you still have full control.
Traditional publishing has many more hoops to jump through other than just writing your book. You may need to go through an agent, draft detailed proposals about why your book will be worth reading. And you won't have as much control over all details of your book.
Unlike self-publishing, you do not have to figure out the exact steps and processes to get your book published. The publishing house that you work with will handle all that out all for you.
It's got to look professional.
If you decide to go the self-publishing route do not worry; there are ways to get your book looking professional without screaming self-published. One way you can do this is by creating an imprint.
What the imprint means is that you’re creating a publishing name associated with the book you want to publish. You simply create the name of a publishing company so that the book does not say "published by your name." The whole idea of writing and self-publishing your own book is to establish yourself as an expert in your field. Its a must to make it look and feel as professional and polished as possible.
Where do you sell your book?
The biggest concern that self-published authors have is where to sell their book. And the simple answer is anywhere, from Amazon to your local book store to libraries. It's all about how you market yourself.
What are the steps to get started self-publishing your first book?
- The first step is to have a goal for the book. Whether it's for sales, PR, building your brand, or establishing yourself as an expert in your niche. Your goals need to be clear.
- Figure out the purpose of the book and what value your book will offer to its readers
- Determine all the steps in the publishing process. Decide what you will do and what you will outsource.
- Create an outline of the topics or areas you want to cover in order to start writing. This step is extremely important as it will help you overcome any fear or anxiety or feeling of being overwhelmed by the thought of writing a book. You can also consider getting a book coach to help you organize your ideas and hold you accountable.
- Once you have your outline, you can then pool any resources or information you already have or created i.e. courses, podcasts, etc to support your topics. It is easier to repurpose content that you already have instead of recreating it or creating something from scratch.
Self publishing doesn't mean by yourself.
Self-publishing a book can be a great way to market your business if done correctly. And getting a professional-looking self-published book, despite popular belief will not break the bank. It's a project that I definitely recommend any aspiring writer to go after.
And you don't have to do this alone. You can find service providers and freelancers who will do it very professionally and very well.
If you are ready to get started, you can also check out this quick start guide by a publishing author Alexa Bigwarfe by visiting www.writepublishsell.com/Quickstart. Also if you are looking for a publishing coach to help you outline your book you can also visit Alexa’s website to sign up for her 1-hour workshop at www.writepublishsell.com/jumpstart.
The doors of opportunity are wide open.
Publishing a book can be a great way to grow your business as it can be used to establish yourself as an expert. Self-publishing your own book can be is a viable option for many business owners who have a great idea for a book. And despite popular belief it won't take a huge financial investment.
You've got the process, now it's up to you to put forth the action. Writing a book doesn't have to be one of those "I would love to do that someday" dreams. You can start today. Grow your business; grow your impact; and grow your reach by self publishing a book. Join the club of other entrepreneurs who are jumping on this trend and skyrocketing their businesses.
