You know your business area really well. Your expertise is well respected, by your friends and your customers.
For years, you’ve been getting into conversations about your area of expertise, both at work and in your personal time, to the point where, now, if someone new asks you a question about it, everyone around you says “Noooo! Don’t ask him/her that, we’ll never shut him/her up!”
These same people have said to you, multiple times over the years, “Mate, you know so much about XXX, you should write a book about it!”
So now you’ve gone and done it – you’ve written that book, you’ve had someone edit and format it, and you are about to publish. Yay for you!
But…… now what do you DO with it?
What use is this book that you have slaved over? How can you sell it, and make it pay you back for all that effort it took to create?
Here are 6 ways that you can use that book to boost your business, and get results from all that effort:-
- Always have at least 10 copies in your shop / office / truck – wherever you work from, so that people see it, ask about it, and can buy it. That’s instant cashflow, and they are buying what is effectively an ad for you, that is kept and valued, and shown to others. Or you can give them a copy, if they are a potential client and you want to tip them over into a buying decision – effectively, use it as a business card.
- Make sure that your book is available on places like Amazon.com and other online booksellers – most people see that as a sign of your professional status. And, whilst it boosts your status, and hence your customers, it also brings you income from sales of the book. When your book is available online in digital format, you can also include live, clickable links in your book – so customers can read your book, click the link in the book and come straight to your website, to buy from you, instantly!
- If you are aiming to get speaking engagements, use your book as a proof of authority, to support your pitch. Make sure that it’s clearly visible for sale, and on your website. I also recommend that you set up a separate Facebook page and webpage for the book, and for you as an author. On those pages, have your bio – and it can send people back to your business website, to buy from you there.
- Sell it from your website, as well as other places – make it easy for people to see that you, an authority in your field, have a book out.
- Make sure that you have a press release about it, which is more story than advertising. At the same time, find some magazines (online or physical) and journals in your topic area, and contact them – offer to send them a review copy (physical or PDF). Getting reviews of your book in the media is a great way to get PR for you and your business.
- Include a copy of the book as a bonus in larger customer deals – it depends on your industry how well this will work for you, but customers love a bonus, and it will potentially get you more buyers, just because the bonus exists.
There are many other ways that you can use your book to get great business results, but those should get you started. Have fun, and keep remembering – you are now a published authority in your field!