subject: Throw The Book At em! [print this page] I entered the huge chain bookstore, hoping my guilty expression wouldnt give me away. Then I furtively disappeared between two large shelves of books in the back, making sure no store employees were looking at me.
Then I pulled the brand new copy of my latest book out from under my jacketheaded to the nearest open cashiersmiled to myself as she scanned the books ISBN barand I paid $21.95 for a book. A book I already owned.
I am a reverse shoplifter.
Why am I committing a crime against myself? Ill explain a little later
Im about to advocate something that I believe delivers one of the biggest ROIs of anything out there today. But its also something that many people regard as being as dead as the dodo.
What am I talking about?
Well, Im talking about what youre reading right this minute.
A book.
A book can be an amazing platform for your business its got prestige, its got impact and, most importantly, you can market yourself and your business through it in a whole bunch of different ways. Because, to be honest, it doesnt do you any good to write a book and then just put it on your shelf next to that dusty dictionary. It only makes a huge difference when you use your book proactively to expand your circle of influence, build your reputation and impress current and prospective clients.
Look at the super-successful people who put out books on a regular basis people like Donald Trump. He doesnt need to write books to prove himself any more he can make as much money doing a couple of speeches here and there. No, he and mega-motivational stars like Tony Robbins and Jack Canfield create books for the above reasons. Its not about getting paid for the book its about growing their brands.
Just look at what happens when the Donald writes a book. Suddenly you see him everywhere Larry King, Fox News, even The View. It gives him a whole new set of talking points and a reason to put himself out there. He knows that the ROI on a book is unlimited as long as you realize its not just a book, its a gigantic marketing tool. Thats why its something I advise all my clients to do.
MAKING YOUR BOOK HAPPEN
The first thing you should do is be realistic. Youre probably not creating a New York Times Bestseller here thats not even what youre really after. You make money from having a book not from book sales. This is meant as a marketing tool to sell yourself and your business. Put your book together with that in mind.
As with any marketing tool, you want your book to be an attention-getter. That starts with the title finding a way to put the concept of the book in a short, punchy and powerful statement that taps into something people want to know.
Simple is very important. Has there ever been a better title than The Secret? Well, there havent been many better-selling titles, anyway. At the same time, its a gutsy title because without the multi-million ad campaign for the book, its generic title could have left it lost in the shuffle. Since youre mostly going to be sharing this book with clients and prospects, and not trying to sell it to the general public to a great extent, you can get away with that kind of approach.
Of course, youre thinking, the title is the easy part what about the content? Well, that might be easier than you think as well. Do you give seminars or create instructional materials? Have you given speeches about your business? Thats content content you had to think about and structure accordingly. By getting these materials transcribed, you could already have the bare bones of your book content.
What happens next depends on your available time and your level of confidence. Most entrepreneurs and business people just dont have enough hours in the day to run their businesses and their lives, let alone try to write a book. Many who try it simply give up and dont finish.
Then theres the confidence factor you may be intimidated by the thought of even trying to write a book. Most people dont even like to write a short blog.
Thats why most business people will use a ghostwriter to get their book down on paper. You can find excellent ghostwriters online, or you can ask business associates if theyve worked with someone they trust.
Its easy to work with a ghostwriter you either give them the kind of transcripts we talked about earlier or you can talk through the main points of the book with them. The important thing is to end up with something that you can feel good about. If youre going to use a book as a marketing platform, you want to make sure its professional, informational, and represents you and your business in the best possible light.
THREE STAGES OF MARKETING YOUR BOOK
Once you have your book finished and published, its time to really go to work. You can maximize your marketing punch not only when your book is published, but also before and after.
1) MAKE PRE-LAUNCH A PRIORITY
You want people to know your book is coming out in advance. Begin by creating a website about the book before it comes out offer a free portion of the book through an opt-in box that will allow you to capture leads. You can even feature a countdown to the publication date and time to generate excitement.
When the website is up, put out a press release announcing youve got a publishing deal, making sure you have links back to your website. Syndicate the press release and post it on all the social media sites.
2) GENERATE PUBLICATION PUBLICITY
Once your book is published, you can now use it to your advantage to get booked just like Donald Trump does. You probably wont make it to Larry King Live, but you have a good shot at some local air time at the very least.
Next, send out copies of your book to local radio and TV stations, as well as print publications, and offer to be interviewed. Also put in a listing in Radio-TV Interview Report (find out more at RITR.com) to make yourself available for national interviews. You can also mail copies to your top clients, send them out to get yourself booked for speaking engagements at business and civic events, and host a book signing event at a local book store.
You can also continue to produce podcasts for distribution through iTunes with a theme of something like Beyond the Book, offering additional/updated information and conversation about topics you cover in the book.
And remember my reverse shoplifting at the beginning of this chapter? Heres why you should consider taking a copy of your book into a bookstore and buying it there! As long as your book has a legitimate ISBN number and is available from a major distributor, two things we always do for our clients books, the bookstore clerk will simply scan the books barcode, a price will come up and you can purchase it, even though the store never stocked it in the first place. Best of all, the bookstores computer system will register that somebody bought your book and that theyre now out of stock meaning they just might order more copies of your book to sell on their own!
3) CREATE A LONG AFTERLIFE
Now that youre an author, it should become an important part of your professional profile. Make sure its added to your official bio and possibly even put the name of the book in your email signature for a limited time.
You can also break down a chapter and make it into a free special report, available on your website through an opt-in box. Other chapters can be turned into online articles that you can syndicate, or you can rework the material into speeches or seminar material for your personal or recorded appearances.
Your office should also reflect your author status. Put a framed copy of the cover of your book on the wall in your reception area or office its easy to do through canvaspop.com. Also, leave copies of your book on the coffee table in your office with Take Me stickers on the front. You should also donate copies to the local libraries in your area. Make sure your contact information is contained in these copies either put a business card in the book, or have your info stamped on the back page.
