Issue 096: Is It Worth the Time to Write a Book?
A CEO friend asked, "With celebrity books taking more space in brick and mortar bookstores and online stores, is it worth a small business owner's time to write a book?"
I get why he asked this question, thinking about my recent visit to a national bookstore and seeing celebrities, athletes, and reality TV stars grace the new non-fiction release section. His question made me reflect on my recent book launch and the lessons I've taken from it.
Strategy. An NSA colleague recently asked if he should get his book published traditionally or go the print-on-demand method. It comes down to strategy. What is the reason he wants to publish a book? Is it part of his business marketing plan? Although I've had books traditionally published (think New York publishers), the self-publishing route made more sense for 13 Simple Client Follow-Up Strategies because it's part of my marketing plan. The second strategy is to fill the gap that clients need and want—creating follow-up messages that get responses and more sales. Whether it's a publication or a project, how you develop and market it depends upon what you plan to do with it. And that leads to the next lesson.
Target. Anyone in business knows we need to know our target audience. Sometimes, we can get off track with new ideas, losing sight of our target. When I worked in corporate sales, the company paid a lot of money for TV ads during shows that would not hit our target audience. It was an expensive lesson to learn. Though I have two Warner Books best-sellers under my pen name, I do not promote those on my site because my target audience isn't a right fit for those books. Because 13 Strategies stemmed from a conference attendee's "need," I knew there would be an audience.
Ask. Ask for help. Ask for ideas. Ask for the sale. With 13 Strategies, I asked several colleagues to read the ARC (advanced reader copy). As early readers, they were able to give me key takeaways they received. That was highly beneficial because I knew the value of the content.
Community. Asking for help leads right into this next lesson, building your community, or as you've heard me call it your Power Team. We all need champions in our corner, rooting for us. Anytime we do something new, we're putting ourselves out there, and it's heartwarming to know you have support.
Expectations. As in sales, we need to know our clients' expectations, and they need to know what we expect out of them. Also, we need to know our expectations. Because I've worked with a traditional publisher, book metrics are ingrained in my brain. Bought books were the only metric publishers used to pay royalties, AND it determined if your book would stay in print. Using this same approach as an expectation, I wanted to see where the book ranked as a "purchased" book. Although this approach goes against the current trend, this was congruent with my expectations.
A BIG Thank You!
A heartfelt thank you to everyone who supported 13 Simple Client Follow-Up Strategies. Your support is genuinely appreciated. A big THANK YOU! The Kindle edition ($4.99) hit #1 New Release in Customer Relations, and the paperback edition ($9.99) hit #41. My colleague Joe told me it hit #20 when he ordered.
Mj Happenings!
Last Monday, I gave my Fearless Comebacks: Make Your Bounce Back Your Bounce-Up to a group of teenagers after a spiritual leader saw one of my videos.
One of my new remote workshops, Spring Into Vision: Ignite the Spark, Take Bold Action, kicked off last Tuesday and Thursday for national organizations.
On Wednesday, I was a panelist with one of my NSA colleagues for an association that delivers fun (think adult beverages) to its customers.
Until next time, Power-Up, Play-Up™, and Bounce-Up™.
Mj
P.S. Got 13 Strategies? We’d love to get your photo with the book, please! 😊
