Have you been procrastinating on a great book idea? Have you gotten around to outlining its chapters, its main points? That’s the first step. Then, there’s a simple way to have the book practically write itself.
Authoring a book brands you an expert. TV, radio, print media & blog interviews – and speaking invitations – most often go to authors of books. It’s also the easiest way to distinguish your practice & encourage more word-of-mouth referrals. You probably know all this. It may be why you’ve been wanting to write a book.
So what’s stopping you? Hopefully you’ve got a great book idea and the substantive expertise to fill the pages. You just may not have the time.
Traditionally, book authoring is seen as needing chunks of interrupted time. A retreat, a productive vacation, or making such chunks of time may not be an option for you. So consider an alternative: The BoB book.
Last month, one of my clients confided in me that she was in the midst of writing a book. “Why is this a secret? When are you going to start telling people?” I asked. “I’m just in the middle of writing it now,” she responded. I reminded her of how much time & effort it takes to market a book. It need not begin with the book launch.
Book marketing ought to begin months in advance; the launch party celebrates graduation. I want her to benefit from the journey, not just the destination. “I’m writing a book” is as potent as “I’ve written a book.”
Moreover, she’s already an Author: she’s a blogger. “Why can’t your blog become previews, excerpts, & chapter summaries?” It took her a bit to totally appreciate all its benefits. The blog, and its associated traffic channels, now become book marketing channels.
I further explained that her blog could be a test lab for chapters, its points, metaphors, diagrams, etc. The blog can then morph from a behind-the-scenes preview to include exclusive content for book purchasers, and even a resource for post-pub updates. Thus, the blog is a hub of all things book-related.
Your book could even go a step further. A few months ago, Ann Thomas, president of Esquire Coaching, asked me to submit a chapter for her upcoming book, The Happy Lawyer (ETA: March 2014). I immediately knew my topic would revolve around what I call ‘Word-of-Mouse’ marketing. But why rewrite all the points I want to make? I’ve already covered my points in previous blog posts. So my chapter became a Best of Blog – a BoB – with an Introduction essay to tie it all together.
Likewise, you can also BoB your book: Outline parts of your book into chapters, then these into essays, and further into 300-500 word chunks; these are your blog posts. As you develop the habit of blogging – or phoneBlogging if you’re time-conscious – you’re in fact writing your book. The Best of your Blog can then be bound for the shelves (and/or the screens). Plus, you get all the R&D and marketing benefits mentioned above!
BTW, your book’s Table of Contents make great blog post Categories. Its keywords naturally become tags, which become your book’s index. Blog posts become book content. Book updates become blog posts. So goes your book’s ‘circle of life’. (A catchy metaphor, as I wrote this on the way to the Serengeti on safari.)
As you get ready to publish your book, I’ll be happy to introduce you to the process of how my book (365 Marketing Thumb-rules) is available from any traditional brick-and-mortar bookstore (like Barnes & Noble) to any online bookstore (like bn.com), without a publisher. Thus, it’s even better than being self-published (or Amazon’s offer).
But the marketing responsibility would still be yours. All the more reason to BoB your book. There are plenty of websites that can help turn your blog into bound books & ebooks. You just need to focus your blogging.
If you need help outlining your book (aka, your blog), you may enjoy talking it out with an Editor. After all, that’s what we do all day long at phoneBlogger (even when AFK)! So, how can we help you do your BoB?
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