How a Business Coach Landed Clients and Profits With His Book

When I speak to prospective authors about the book they want to write, the conversation often turns to what they can expect when it comes to a return on their investment. As I work primarily with non fiction authors, I encourage them to look at the profits they will get from the doors their book will open and the opportunities it will bring, then on the actual dollars from the sale of their books in retail and online stores. One business coach has landed clients with his book, increased his branding and visibility and his bottom line, as you will see in the case study below; this result can easily be achieved by you too.

Part of the work I do is to strategize with clients about how to best leverage their book to grow their brand and their bottom line. It’s essential that as an author, you leverage your published book and make sure you are maximizing visibility for your book and encouraging opportunities.

A great example of how to do this, is from my client, business and money mindset coach Wei Houng. He is the co-author of the book, “Breakthrough Leadership – Conversations With Innovative Leaders.”

wei-at-barnes-and-noble-signingWei is an active business networker, and took his book to all his events. This became an easy conversation starter and instant expert positioning for him.

According to Wei, a few of the people he networks with regularly became interested in knowing more about working with him, once they saw the book. This lead to a new client from his existing network, in the first month the book was out.

 

 

[clickToTweet tweet=”The branding & positioning from becoming a published author is priceless – Wei Houng” quote=”The branding & positioning component from becoming a published author is priceless – Wei Houng”]

“So the book itself has received really good feedback and has been a great marketing and positioning piece. Since launch, I have personally sold about 200 copies as a way to monetize my speaking opportunities. This alone resulted in $2k in revenue.

As a result of those speaking engagements, countless leads were created which, to date, have resulted in thousands of dollars in new business…with, I’m sure, more to come. When all is said and done, I suspect, branding aside, the book will have been responsible for helping me generate 5 figures worth of new revenue in my business. And, the branding and positioning component is priceless.

So, thanks! Looking forward to experiencing more of the ripple effects!” – Wei Houng, Founder The 6 Figure Academy, Co-Author Breakthrough Leadership

Highlights of how Wei leveraged his book to add an additional 10k to his bottom line in the first few months of publishing his book:

Bring the book to every networking event he attends. It opens conversations and positions you in a new enhanced and elevated way as an authority, even with people who have known you for a while.

A Book Landing Page. This provides an online destination to send potential readers, as well as to build his email list.

Public Speaking – Wei enjoys public speaking, and uses the opportunity to engage with prospective readers /clients. He always mentions the book in his talk and has books available for sale. Wei always includes a call to action, which in his case, is an invitation to the audience to sign up for a complimentary strategy session. At a recent event, he had 30% of the audience sign up for strategy sessions [a nice increase from speaking gigs given before he was an author]

Publicity. Wei has used a simple PR strategy [our Author Visibility Builder system] to get podcast and radio interviews, as well as mentions on ABC, CBS, NBC. This helps him attract prospects from outside his own network. He always uses a call to action in his interviews, which also leads to book sales, inquiries, strategy sessions and ultimately clients.

Social Media. Wei uses social media regularly. He offers valuable tips via postings and Facebook Live videos, which help give a taste of who he is and the value he brings. He regularly mentions his book as where to purchase it. He also has been actively promoting his co-authors which helps put him in front of their networks as well.

As a business coach, becoming a published author can easily lead to landed clients and profits with your book.  The key is to have a plan and a strategy to maximize your book and leverage opportunities. You can start leveraging your own book to land clients, by signing up for my webinar on how to use publicity to land clients.

 

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Speaking in Soundbites: How Nonfiction Authors Turn Readers Into Clients Using Publicity Register here

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5 Ways You Should be Using Your Nonfiction Book to Make Money

How a nonfiction book can make you moneyIt’s been said that your book is your best business card. In many ways it is, because as it introduces you, it also positions you as a credible expert.
Your nonfiction book can and should make you money.  There are a number of tactics you can use to help you convert more readers into paying clients. One of the easiest ways to do this, is to invite your readers to interact with you outside the book.

 

 5 Ways a Nonfiction Book Can Make Money

1. Build an email list.
You have probably heard the expression ‘the money is in the list.’ There are numerous benefits to having a list of interested prospects, before you publish and afterwards, so that you have a ready audience waiting to hear from you and buy your latest books or programs. It has been said that prospects now need as many as 12 touches [emails, social media…] before they are ready to buy. With an email list, it is easy to create those touches by sending out updates and information of interest to your audience.

2. Put an offer inside your book.
It is very easy to put an offer inside your book. A client of mine put an offer inside her book for her biannual live event. She used a large graphic of a certificate, which entitled the reader to a free seat at her event. She started getting signups for her event months in advance [earlier than she usually has people signing up.] Once people get a taste of you and what you offer from reading your book, they want to meet you, work with you….

3. Offer a related bonus within your book.
With my coaching and consultant authors, I often recommend putting a worksheet[s] in their book, to help the reader get more value out of the book, and an introduction to their process. We offer the worksheet in the book, directing the reader to a webpage with a download link, which also signs them up the author’s email list. The worksheets are a great way to get started, but while using them, many people feel that they need personal coaching and help to achieve the results that they are seeking, so they realize they need to hire you.

4. Invite readers to events
Once your reader has a taste of your work via your book, they will want to know more. They may not be ready to hire you, but would welcome a chance to hear you speak and possibly meet you in person. Let them know that you give talks and workshops and have your schedule posted online, and give them the web address. I recommend creating a separate page for this in your book, so it doesn’t get buried within your bio, and stands out. Hearing you speak and meeting you in person or online, can accelerate the need for 12 touches, and can confirm for the reader that they want to work with you.

5. Let readers know how to work with you.
In your bio section or about the author section in your book, I recommend you put in information about how people can work with you. Let them know you offer consulting, workshops and presentations, group coaching, one on one coaching, complimentary strategy sessions, or any other ways people can work with you. It plants the seed of working with you, as well as taking the mystery out of how you work, and what options they can have working with you.

With a little thought and planning before you publish, you can build these simple tactics into your book to help you convert more readers into clients, so your nonfiction book can make you money. If you have already published your book, you can also revise it and republish it to include these. The reader was attracted to your book because it resonates with them. You just have to make it easy for them to see the possibilities and the how of becoming a client and working with you.

 

How a Nonfiction Author Can Get New Clients From Media

nonfiction author get new clientsFor authors, getting visibility helps put them in front of more potential readers. It also helps put them in front of more potential prospects. Nonfiction authors can get new clients from media coverage; especially if they know how to maximize the coverage that they get. The temptation to spend an interview talking about your book is great. With a bit of thought and planning, you can use your interviews to really connect with your audience, and make the case for why they need to work with you.

Here are my top 5 steps a nonfiction author get new clients using media coverage:

Speak in sound bites
“A sound bite is characterized by a short phrase or sentence that captures the essence of what the speaker was trying to say, and is used to summarize information and entice the reader or viewer,” according to Wikipedia. By speaking in sound bites you grab the reader or viewer’s attention and are able to connection quickly as people have short attention spans. A great sound bite is one that resonates with them and is memorable. It is the kind of content that may inspire them to share it on social media, and could easily fit on Twitter, whose limit is 140 characters.

Tell stories about the big problems you solve
Talk about the big problem that keeps your clients up at night. I don’t mean talk about your process. Tell a story about the big problem a client had, and how you were able to solve it. This lets your reader see themselves in your story, especially if this a problem they have. Your audience is going to think. I need that, I want that solution.

Use third party testimonials or descriptions
It can be hard to speak about yourself, especially in glowing terms without sounding boastful. If you have had a client describe you or your work in a very positive and concise way, then use it in your interviews as this can boost your trust and credibility with the audience. For example, “my clients call me the ‘Publicity Queen and Mentor’ and tell me that I make publicity very easy for them to understand and implement on their own.”  This serves as both an elegant way to state your expertise, while also building additional third party credibility with the testimonial.

Cite statistics
Statistics sound authoritative and are called ‘sticky content’; they are easily shared and journalists love them. It’s even more powerful if you can cite your own survey or statistics. It doesn’t have to be a huge survey of 1000 clients. If 10 out of 20 clients have the problem that you solve, you can state that ‘50% of the companies we speak to are struggling with this problem.’

Use language that talks about the benefits of your solution
Well chosen words can really reach the audience and help make them desire your solution and want to work with you. Again, this is not intended to be a sales pitch but part of your story. The client was happy because our solution was ____________ [fill in the blank]. Great benefits to cover are how you save time, money or stress. Words, like cheaper, easier, faster, better will grab the audience’s attention. Who doesn’t want more results like that in their business.

Don’t be afraid to be a bit mysterious and suggest that the audience will have to get the book to find out exactly how you achieved an outcome, but do tell great stories and give them enough information to intrigue them. Make a specific reference in your interview to your book. For example, ‘I cover this in chapter 3’. That draws your reader or listener back to the book and suggests they get it to read chapter 3 for themselves.

Finally, include an invitation, also known as a call to action. In print media, it’s up to the journalist or publication what they will include it in the article or profile, so it may not be possible;  you’ll want to ask if they can include your invitation. A good call to action can be ‘sign up for my newsletter’, ‘download a free report’ or ‘download a sample chapter of the book’ on my website. When you are being interviewed on radio, podcast or TV you can usually make a call to action. I recommend discussing it with the media outlet beforehand. They will often be happy to segue into your call to action by asking, “If the listener would like more information about your work, what is the best way for them to find out?” Here is where you invite the reader or listener to connect with you, download your content or engage with you on social media.

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How to Become an Author When You Hate to Write – Part 2

become author hate to write - use an interview to create your book contentStaring down the blank page with the thought of having to start writing your book is enough to keep most people from simply getting started. Even published, successful writers will speak about the challenge of writing. Continuing on from part 1 of how to become an author when you hate to write, I wanted to speak more about our favorite way of creating books; via an interview.

How to Become an Author When You Hate to Write – Speak Your Book!

The fact is that many people are more comfortable speaking than they are writing. So speaking about their business is easier and less intimidating. It’s something they have probably done hundreds of times, compared to writing about their business.

[clickToTweet tweet=”“You can fix anything but a blank page.” – Nora Roberts. How to ‘write’ a book easily” quote=”“You can fix anything but a blank page.” – Nora Roberts”]

The key to creating a good book from an interview, like any other book, is to have a strategy and a plan.With an interview book you also need to design your questions. The easiest way to think about what would make for a good question, is to start with the end in mind. What story are you trying to tell? And then ask a question, whose answer will help tell that story.

You may have heard me speak about using interviews to create books, and all types of content. The simplicity of speaking into a tape recorder, dictation software, or your phone and recording the conversation doesn’t require a learning curve. You can then have the audio transcribed into text. Now you have the raw content for your book. Easy peasy!

We have the content edited to remove ‘ums’ and ‘ahs’. In the editing and review process, you can also add any content that may have left out in the initial interview. Next we create an intro and a summary for the book; this can be outsourced so as to really keep the process 100% writing free on your part. Now your content is ready to be published.

Our authors tell us that they enjoy the process. In addition to being more comfortable than writing, speaking is an activity most people really enjoy – especially if it involves talking about themselves.

I sometimes interview myself to create content or chapters for my own books. If the thought of doing that sounds downright silly, you are not alone. You can enlist the help of someone else to fill the role of interviewer for your book. Due to the ease of recording over a phone or conference line, your interviewer doesn’t have to live near you, they can be anywhere in the world.

As an example, the One Problem One Solution [OPOS] book is a great strategy for an interview style nonfiction book. The OPOS is a book that focuses on your clients’ biggest problem, and how you provide the solution. I don’t mean in marketing speak or a salesy way, but by designing your interview questions to tell your reader about your solution in a story format. Think of it like turning your business’s frequently asked questions [F.A.Q] into an interview and conversation with examples and case studies.

[clickToTweet tweet=”Key to creating a book from an interview is to have a strategy and a plan. #author ” quote=”The key to creating a good book from an interview, like any other book, is to have a strategy and a plan.”]

You could certainly take the interview format and have an editor turn it into straight text, if you prefer.

If being a published author is still on your bucket list, or you are ready to be an author again and create your next book, but you hate to write, consider using the interview process to get your content created. Speaking your book leaves you much more free to do it, rather than over-thinking your book the way that many of us do when are staring at a blank page. You will probably have fun and enjoy the process. And, you’ll get your book done much more quickly. Not only is that a feeling of accomplishment, you can also check it off your to do list!

To find out about working with us to create your book go here

How to Become an Author When You Hate to Write

author hate to writeIt would seem to be an oxymoron that you can become an author if you hate to write, however it is in fact possible. You can do so in the 4 ways I outline below  without requiring a ghostwriter to create your content.

Maybe a book is on your bucket list, and is one of the things that just seems to be getting put off and off… Maybe the thought of writing a book is overwhelming… and maybe you aren’t even sure how to get started.

Remember, the journey of a thousand miles begins with one step, but your path to being an author doesn’t have to start with a blank page!

[clickToTweet tweet=”The road to publishing a book doesn’t have to start with a blank page” quote=”The road to publishing a book doesn’t have to start with a blank page”]

This simple idea about book creation may put your mind at ease, and make it easier to get into action and get your book started, and completed before the end of the year. There are ways to ‘write’ a book that you may not have considered, and may be less overwhelming or intimidating than starting with a blank page to write your business book.

Here are the top four types of books that will allow you to become an author even if you hate to write

1. Compilation of blog posts or articles can be bundled together to create a book. By turning your content into a book, and publishing it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble and other online retailers, you are able to extend your reach and get in front of new audiences.

2. Radio or podcast interviews can create great content for your book. The audio file can be transcribed into text to form the basis for your book. Once published, the radio/podcast hosts will be helpful in promoting the book as they are mentioned i
n it.

How To Become an Author If You Hate to Write

 3. Speeches or presentations you have given can be turned into books. A speech is often developed on paper first, so already have your text draft you can use to create your book. If you have a recording of your presentation you can also have it transcribed and turned into text.

This J.K. Rowling Book is the transcript of a speech she gave at Harvard University in 2008. It is 81 pages long.

 

4. Curate other people’s content around a theme. The content can be articles or blog posts that other people have written. It’s easier to go with content that’s already written, than to invite people to write new content and then hope that they comply with your deadlines. This book is not only easy to put together, but has a built in marketing team as the contributors will gladly promote a book they are featured in.

Once you have collected your content, you will need to have it edited for typos and grammatical errors. You can leave an interview in its Q and A style. You just need to add an introduction and a summary to the content and you now have a book!

For eBooks, you don’t need to be too concerned about the length. Amazon has categories for shorter books, as does Barnes and Noble and Kobo. For print books, there are length requirements but they are a lot shorter than you would think at 24 pages [that is 24 individual sides or 12 leafs]

With our short attention spans today, a concise book that is easy to read, and on point with no fluff is often more appealing than a big fat book. It can also help you become a published author more easily, so you can begin to reap the benefits this year, next year and beyond!

The beauty of getting your book done this year is that you will end this year on a high note, and be poised to start 2017 off with a
bang, as you’ll be a published author and be able to leverage that status and receive all the credibility and benefits that are possible along with it.

Read Part 2- How to become an author when you hate to write 

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Related Post: 10 Ways to Use Interviews

6 Ways to Get Readers Lined Up Before You Even Publish

Get readers lined up before you publish your bookAs I was watching the Bourne Identity the other night, I saw 6 ways to get readers lined up. I was seeing it for the umpteenth time and enjoying the commercial breaks for a change, because Matt Damon came on to talk about the soon-to-be-released movie Jason Bourne, and how the movies were made. He gave us some insights and behind-the-scenes looks into all Bourne movies, including the newest one.

It got me thinking about what a great job Hollywood does promoting movies and how there are lessons that can be applied to other products or services and particularly to selling books.

Here are 6 Ways to Get Readers Lined Up Before You Publish

 

Give a Sneak Preview

Create a preview and ‘coming soon’ content. Movies do this really well with trailers for upcoming features; we’re accustomed to seeing these before the main picture is shown in the theater. This starts to build interest and buzz for the upcoming movie. It let’s us know that it exists, and whets our appetite, so we start thinking about going to see it, before it even gets released.

This is something that many authors don’t take advantage of, and the results can be downright depressing. You work so hard to write your book, if you don’t offer some kind of preview, pre-announcement or information about your book to build buzz before it’s finished, you may publish and hear crickets. Not the way to go. You can take a page from Hollywood by giving away a sample chapter, making a video about your book, or talking about the writing process.

Create an Online Destination

A movie gets its own website and hashtag even before it’s released, so anyone interested in finding out more about it, can go to the site and find all the information in one place, making it easy for the interested audience to stay up to date, and plan to go see it.

Authors benefit from doing the same. Build an online home for the book; this can be a landing page,­­ a free-standing website, or a page within your existing website where people can go to find out information about the book.  You’ll want to include some information, preview content,  when the book will be available for sale. You want to capture email addresses of the people who are interested in your book, so you can notify them of updates as well as when you actually publish­­­­­. This is really key to making book sales right away on this book and future books.

Get in Front of  Your Existing Audience

Hollywood knows where their existing audience is… in the movie houses! They show the coming attraction trailers  in theaters, as they know they have an audience in those moviegoers – people who clearly like movies.

As a first time author, you won’t have the same type of existing audience of people you know read your books, but you do have friends, family, and anyone in your personal and business networks who most likely will be excited about your book, want to support you, and will buy a copy.

Find New Audiences

Hollywood gets in front of new audiences by taking out ads in publications, and they are now using social media more and more, including promoting a hashtag for a movie before it’s released.

You can do the same for your books. If you don’t know where your new audience lives, what you can do is find a lookalike audience. If you write erotic books then you could see where people are talking about Fifty Shades of Grey or some other book in that genre. You can assert yourself in the conversation – don’t just promote your books and spam the audience, but join the conversation and find out how to become part of that community. By doing so, when your book is published, you can then engage those people, introduce your book, and turn them into raving fans for your book as well.

Share Social Proof

Social proof is really a key factor in building credibility. People don’t care what a Hollywood studio says about its own movie, but they care what the critics and public say. Movie trailers, posters and ads will feature positive one line accolades from the media such as “The must see movie of the year- David Denby, The New Yorker”. Trailers created pre-release, are updated to include these quotes and any award nominations the movie receives after it’s released, to reinforce the positive buzz about a movie and entice you to see it.

The same is true for your book; just like moviegoers don’t care what the studio says about their own movie, they won’t care what you say about your book. So as an author what you can do for social proof is you can get pre-publication reviews for your book. Before you publish you can ask people to review it and give you a review or testimonial. You can get endorsements from influencers or well-known people in their field, or experts on the book’s topic. You can include these on your book landing page, in your book, or in your book’s promotional materials, as well as on social media to add credibility and positive buzz.

It’s very important to take advantage of social proof, as well as all the ways to build buzz for your book and to get people excited about it, and get them over to your book landing page, where they can optin to your list. Once you publish, you can get readers by directing all promotions right to your Amazon book page to make it easy for them to buy a copy.

A Promotional Tour

Before a movie release, the lead actors will make appearances on television talk shows to raise awareness and build buzz for the movies. A carefully selected clip is shown as a teaser for the audience. The release date and locations will be covered, acting as the audience’s call to action.

As an author, you can create a promotional tour before you publish, and without even leaving your home. There are many podcasts that will welcome you as a guest, before your book is published.  Some blogs will also welcome you as a guest pre-publication. This is where your book landing page is key to capitalizing on the experience; when you create a call to action during your guest appearance, you’ll want to direct listeners or blog readers to your landing page, so they can sign up to be notified once you publish.

Do not make the mistake of waiting until your book is published before starting to put these initiatives in place.  It’s very depressing to finish the hard work of writing a book and not see any results when you publish. Set yourself up for success by creating a book landing page that captures the email addresses of interested potential readers, so you can notify them as soon as the book is available for sale. You will get lots of sales that way.

You may not be thinking of turning your book into a series like the Bourne books that the movies are based on, but the studio has done something really smart by building a franchise or a series of movies; they’ve built a ready audience for the next one in the series!

You don’t have to write a series of books to benefit from a franchise. By building an email list you have a ready audience for when your next book comes out, even if it’s on an another topic.

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Build a List of Book Buyers Before You Even Publish