One of the biggest fears I think businesspeople have around writing a book is that they are not writers, let along good ones.
They don’t believe they have what it takes to write a good book so they let the idea go as quickly as it might come to them, every time it comes to them. They dismiss the idea quickly because they believe it would be a waste of good time and resources to even try.
It’s such a shame really because writing the right business book is one of the smartest things a businessperson can do for his or her business. So, dismissing the idea deprives them of a powerful and valuable marketing tool that can set them apart and help them stand out in a crowded marketplace.
When you know your business, structuring your book is more about good organisation than it is about being a good writer. And organisation IS something that many businesspeople are good at. They have to be, to survive.
If you are in business, I want you to trust me just for today when I say that you don’t need to be a spectacular writer to write the right business book. There are lots of good editors out there who can clean up your grammar and spelling. They can even organise your writing to some degree.
You just need to focus on the message, and I encourage all my authors to write as they speak so that their reader can get familiar with their voice.
From there, you need to know what information is important – and what isn’t – and you need to know the best order in which to share what you know. But I can give you a plan to help you with that.
So that means the only two things you need to know are:
1. your business
and
2. how to follow a plan
If this is you, come with me now because today I’m going to give you the plan.
There are 11 steps in this plan that will help you determine which information is important to your reader and what order in which to share that information.
1. You need to make sure you have the right idea before you start writing.
Think about what you want to achieve by writing a book and what message you want to convey through your book.
Is your idea based on an FAQ or a specific request from someone in your target audience?
Is your idea something your current customers or clients have talked to or asked you about in the past?
Is it something you’ve helped customers or clients within the past that hasn’t been written about before?
Or maybe it’s been written about before but not in the way you view or approach the topic?
2. You need to get really clear on who your target audience or your ideal customer/client is because they will be your reader.
Who needs to read your book?
Who needs to know what you know?
Who is going to benefit most from your experience or your expertise?
Why might they be looking for you?
What problems are they seeking solutions for?
What do they want to know?
What is the specific outcome your reader might be seeking from you or someone like you?
What do they need to know? This could be very different to what they want to know.
3. Describe what your reader will learn if they read your book.
How can you help them?
What can you do for them?
What outcome will they achieve by reading your book?
4. List the skills your reader will gain from reading your book
List 3, 5, 7 or 9 things you can teach your reader to do to help themselves.
Turn each one of these into a chapter.
Place these chapters after your story and before the About The Author chapter.
5. Tell your story as chapter one.
What makes you the expert?
What is your experience?
Is it personal or professional?
How does this relate to your reader?
6. Add an ‘About the Author’ Chapter
Add a more casual photo at the beginning of this chapter – something your readers can warm to.
Add some information about your background
Add any information around your experience
Add in your why – why you do what you do?
7. Add a CTA – ‘Call To Action’ – Chapter
What can your reader do to connect with you and access your services once they’ve read your book?
What do they need to do next in your opinion?
What do you want them to do next?
Be very clear.
8. Decide on your front and back matter. What will you include that will help engage your reader and grow your relationship with them?
Testimonials go in the front 2 and back 2 pages of the book
Cover page – make sure you leave room to be able to autograph your book and leave a personal message for your readers
Copyright page
Foreword – invite someone who is respected or loved in your industry to write this for you.
Introduction – summarise what you have written in steps one – four for your introduction.
Dedication – this can be personal as long as it is brief.
Afterword – this is like a last word, and it is for anything that is important that has not been covered, but you feel your reader needs to know now.
9. Come up with a catchy title
Go for a two- or three-word title e.g. Get Published
Use a subtitle to explain the title e.g. How to go from an idea in your head to a book in your hand in 90 days
Less is more
10. Brand your book cover
Put your face on the cover to build the know, like and trust factor. Familiarity is important. So is confidence.
Only use something else on your cover if you have a better option that will grow your brand for you.
11. Final words: write your book in the exact order that I have given you here and write to your reader like you are writing a letter.
That’s it from me for today. I hope this has been helpful.
If you would like to know more about our Authorpreneur’s Bootcamp where we teach authors how to write, publish and promote their books then go to www.disruptivepublishing.com.au/jointheclub
It’s the perfect time to join us and we’d love to welcome you into the group.
If you would like to know more about our done-for-you publishing services, please book in for a free information call and we can talk about the best path forward for you. Go to www.calendly.com/disruptivepublishing/freeinfosession and I’ll look forward to chatting with you soon.
Authorpreneur’s Bootcamp
Have a fantastic week everyone and I will see you again soon,
Bye for now!