Entrepreneurs! Consultants! Experts! CEOs! Professionals! Have you written your book yet? If not, now is the time.
This blog post is specifically written for anyone whose personal reputation is vital to their business success.
If your credibility, if your knowledge and skill, if your personality can help increase your conversion rate, keep reading.
If your credibility, if your knowledge and skill, if your personality can help increase the value of your sales, keep reading.
If your lack of credibility, if your unknown skills, if your unexplored personality can – oops! – lose you sales and cost you business, keep reading.
10 reasons to write your book
Your name. Your face. Your book. Here are ten reasons why you should write a book with your name as the author.
Ten reasons to write a book with your face on the cover.
Ten reasons to write a book with your expertise buttered across the pages in an easy-to read manner designed to impress the reader that you are the undisputed expert who can solve their problems and fill their needs.
1. It sure makes a business card look amateur.
Do you hand out business cards. Yeah, so does every other real estate agent, every other advertising account representative, every other business consultant.
But how many of them hand out a book, with their name and face on the cover?
Guess which one – the business card or the book – will make a prospect take notice. And when nobody you compete with has their own book, you stand to gain the most. Real estate agents, take note.
2. “I wrote the book on [insert your expertise here]”.
That’s right. As a new author, you can proudly adopt a new stance, clearly spoken or subtly implied. To “write the book” on a topic means that you are the ultimate expert. That is a competitive advantage that does not go unnoticed even at the subconscious level.
3. “Published author”
Those two words just might be the most powerful words on your resume. They open doors for clients. They open doors for speaking opportunities. They give you, as a consultant or a speaker, the ability to raise your fees – significantly!
4. Get the media to call you.
Journalists are always looking for credible sources to quote. They often seek out authors who – wait for it… “wrote the book” on the subject.
So make sure the media have a copy of your book. Why bother?
- Potential clients see your name and look you up.
- Your stature within your industry or niche rises when others see you in the media.
- “As quoted in The New York Times” is a powerful testimonial (You are not only an expert published author, but also an expert because the New York Times says so. Wow!
5. Book reviews give you exposure.
Exposure is good. Exposure that positions you as an expert, is even better. Make sure book reviewers in your niche get a copy.
6. Each chapter is a new online marketing tool.
If you distribute articles online as part of your marketing efforts, try spinning each chapter into and article. Or into several articles. Imagine how much more persuasive your article will be when your bio box reads: “Based on chapter 3 of [insert name of book here]”
7. Book signings to press the flesh
People love getting autographs and they love free stuff. Whether you arrange for a signing at your local book store or set up a free signed book element to your trade show booth, you are bound to attract people who otherwise would overlook you.
8. Higher speaking fees
You can give the same speech to the same people, but charge $1000 or $2000 or $5000 more. Yes, publishing your own book is like printing money. Don’t tell the FBI – they do not approve of private money-printing (although they are fine with book printing).
9. Back-of-the-room sales
If a few thousand more dollars in speaking fees is not enough, you can make a mint selling your book after the speech. This is called “back-of-the-room sales”. Many speakers make more selling – and autographing – their books after their speeches than they make delivering their speeches. (Not speaking yet? Hmmm…maybe it’s time to publish a book and start speaking.)
10. R.O.I.
It costs nothing but time to write, and if you feel you need to hire a ghostwriter, it likely will cost just $8,000 – $18,000 for an effective and professional manuscript.
It really is amazing how many entrepreneurs, consultants and professionals have not yet written their books. It is one of the first things anyone should do when trying to establish himself or herself as an expert in any field.
Write your book and reap the rewards. A book equals a reputation.
About David Leonhardt
Those are all very good reasons and I certainly have the experience to share something… but I dont feel confident enough that my writing style is good enough.
I have a video course that people seemed to enjoy, but it was on setting up servers, hosting applications and so on, which does not make a very exciting book.
All the points you made above are very compelling though.
Hi George.
Challenge accepted.
I’ll bet the person who distributes a server set-up novel (or novelette that reads like spy thriller could become the go-to guy in the field.
And I’ll bet we could do that for you, if you are ready to think big.
Haven’t thought about it from this angle, this is a neat idea 🙂 I’ll surely think about it! Cheers