Can anyone write and publish an entrepreneurial book to build their profile and promote their business? The answer is obviously yes. Below are five tips and myths on what makes a successful entrepreneurial author.
First the five tips for becoming a good entrepreneurial author:
- Success is not about book sales. It’s about building your profile and marketing yourself and your business.
- Have a plan for what you’re going to do after your book is published. The book DOES NOT do the work for you.
- Make sure you publish a good book. This is so important. Your book is going to be a reflection of you and your business, so make sure you do it properly. You’re probably better off not doing it at all rather than trying to do it cheaply or cutting corners.
- Make sure you do your homework and have at least a basic understanding of the publishing models, so you can understand what’s involved. The three options are basically traditional, self-publishing and hybrid. There’s heaps of great info available online.
- Learn from other authors. Read their books, follow them on social media, go to their events, even contact them and have a chat.
And now to bust five common myths about being an entrepreneurial author:
- I HAVE TO BE A GOOD WRITER. This is not true – that’s what your editor is for. You can even get a writing coach if you need it.
- I ALREADY HAVE TO BE WELL-KNOWN IN MY FIELD. Let’s consider:
- Margaret Lomas and Steve McKnight, who I’ve worked with. Over 20 years ago when they published their first books, nobody had heard of them. They are now bestsellers and renowned experts in their fields.
- Andrew Griffiths, Australia’s number 1 small business author – when he wrote his first book, he was running a tiny marketing business in Cairns. He now has 13 bestselling books sold in over 65 countries. And has just published book 14.
- YOU CAN’T PRODUCE A GOOD BOOK IF YOU SELF-PUBLISH. This may have been true 15 years ago, however today you can self-publish a book that will look as good as something from Penguin.
- YOU SHOULD DO AN EBOOK ONLY FOR YOUR ENTREPRENEURIAL OR BUSINESS PUBLISHING. This is not a good idea. To get full value from publishing a book for your business, you need printed copies you can give to clients, take to meetings and send to the media.
- IT’S EXPENSIVE TO SELF-PUBLISH A GOOD BOOK. That’s only true if you see it as a cost and not an investment. I’ve been working with self-publishers in this area for over fifteen years, and I’ve never once had an author say afterwards that they thought it wasn’t a good investment.
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