Want to become an instant expert?
Write a
book.
Want to
increase your credibility?
Write a
book.
Want to
leapfrog the competition, strengthen your leadership position, and bolster your
brand?
That’s
right. Write a book.
It sounds
so simple. And it can be, as we can walk you through the process, from
beginning to end.
Books are
the ultimate calling card. Why hand out a business card, when you can hand out
a book?
There’s
really no better marketing tool than having a book with your name on the cover. Custom book publishing is one of today’s most
effective business strategies in reaching targeted groups of people with
information relevant to their needs, interests, and lifestyles. By introducing
yourself to those who already shares your field of interest, you are reaching
the most valuable audience.
Whatever
your area of expertise, being seen as an authority gains you an audience that
will see you as an expert. And that expertise translates into increased income.
According to the Publishing Institute, writing a book boosts revenue 380% for
consultants, 219% for public speakers and 194% for real estate agents.
Rather than
trying a scattershot approach with broad-based advertising, such as on
television or newspapers, a book will find you a market that is already focused
on your field. Using the power of your own book will also gain you another
advantage: People are looking for someone to trust, and you become that
someone.
A book has
staying power that far outlasts any advertisement. The strength of a book’s
inherent permanence can maximize your marketing dollars with a message that
endures. You will always be seen as the expert, rather than someone just trying
to find business. And a trade quality, commercially viable publication conveys
your message with style.
In 1981,
marketing gurus Al Ries and Jack Trout wrote the best-seller Positioning:
The Battle For Your Mind. In it, they posited that the best way to increase
your visibility and your presence is to be first in the mind of the consumers. Getting
in front of consumers with a book gives you that advantage.
Whatever
your field of expertise – law, politics, music, science – writing a book
solidifies your expertise. Sarah Susanka was just another architect until she
codified her design experience in a book extolling the virtues of smaller,
better homes in direct opposition to so called “McMansions.” The Not So Big
House became a best-seller, spawning a series of sequels, including Not
So Big Remodeling: Tailoring Your Home for the Way You Really Live; The
Not So Big House: A Blueprint for the Way We Really Live; and Creating
the Not So Big House: Insights and Ideas for the New American Home.
Now Susanka
is a major player in architecture. She’s been featured in numerous articles in
newspapers, magazines, and online publications, on dozens of TV shows, from
HGTV to This Old House, and is much in demand as a speaker. Her
architecture business has exploded, and she’s seen as an expert in a field she
basically created. All because
she wrote a book.
Despite the
fact that we are living in the digital age, books continue to serve as a
powerful platform for projecting an author’s (or brand’s) leadership, vision
and expertise in a particular market. Books also provide value as a
conversation starter and as a source of credibility with influential people,
including media, prospects and clients.
