Do you have a strong passion for what you do? When you talk about your business and tell stories or case studies, do people say: “You should write a book?”

The most interesting aspect of writing “a book” is that people perceive you differently. Now you are an author, an expert, albeit self-proclaimed. Your status has risen as others have a higher perceived competence of anyone who writes a book—especially if it looks and reads great, and has good content.

Books come in all shapes and sizes. A health coach created a 24-page 5”x7” book with a striking four-color cover, professional editing, and layout. This was his new calling card. It was his words, his passion—and his way of standing out in the crowd. A few weeks after it was printed, he called, “My first contract already paid for the book!”

A very talented man wrote a 164-page book on marketing, with an attention-grabbing cover, and professional editing and formatting. The square shape set the book apart from others. His book successfully promoted his expertise to prospective clients.

A book by a large financial services firm provided strong, clear, and easy-to-access info their niche markets needs, and showed how well this firm understands their specific needs.

What could you use a book for—as a sales tool, a give-away, or for back-of-the-room sales when you speak? The ideas are endless.

Have I piqued your interest yet?

Once you see the possibilities for you and your company, it’s important to understand book publishing. If your book is going to be a marketing piece, it will be self-published, so let’s start with the different steps. The total costs will be determined by the number of words/pages. This is where the economics of publishing a book is relevant.

Words/Content—You can write the content yourself because no one knows it better—or hire a ghostwriter. We can work together to determine content: What do you want your reader to know, and what do they want/need to know?

Editing—Let the good people on your staff give input and review the work, but hire an outside professional editor. Her insights will make the book better, and her knowledge of grammar and punctuation, word usage, etc. will make you look very smart—and trustworthy!

Proofreading—Proofreading should be done both by people in your company who know your business, and a different editor/proofreader.

Cover design—Hire a book cover designer. He will design the front and back cover as required by a book printer. He knows colors, font styles, etc. Remember, the cover gives your book’s first impression.

Inside formatting—Hire a professional book designer to create a topnotch layout. The best of words can be received negatively if the inside design looks amateurish. Bad design can also mean it will not be read. Often this person can also create the ebook version of your book for Kindle, iPads, etc.

Printing—Use only printers who have printed other books. In small quantities (under 800 books) digital printing is the answer. After the initial run, you can order in small quantities (publish/print on demand) as needed.

The only thing that makes a self-published book look self-published is if it does!

When writing about your business or passion, often the most difficult thing is finding the time and the most efficient way to get your intellectual property (what you know that others don’t) out of your head and onto paper. If you have ever wanted to write a book, and need to know the different steps and costs in the process, I will be happy to answer your questions, and also guide you to the other professionals.

 

Connie Anderson is a book manuscript editor for business, and books in other genres like memoirs, how to, self-help, business, etc. www.WordsandDeedsInc.com