by Elaine Slatter
Writing a book of authority in your area of expertise is a fantastic door opener and a segue to many opportunities. Cold calling is out the door if you open yourself up to writing a book. No need to find a publisher, the world of self-publishing is at your doorstep and it isn’t as expensive as you think.
Shake Off Your Self-Doubt
But first, let me get rid of your self-doubt, because I had lots of doubt before I wrote my startup guide for women entrepreneurs entitled “Fabulous Fempreneurship”.
My biggest fear was, I’m not a writer, I’m a business person, what if I don’t connect with the readers? Business topics can be a bit boring. At an author’s summit, I learned that everyone has their own “voice” and it’s best to use your own authentic voice because …well it is YOU. In my case I decided to use other experts to write sections of the book and found over 30 women contributors who were either subject matter experts or had compelling stories that helped put the expertise into context.
Anyone who is an entrepreneur can write a book. Whether you are a yoga instructor, dog obedience trainer, ladies clothing retailer, social media expert, lawyer, accountant, SEO guru, graphic illustrator or paleo food expert etc. The secret is you have expertise in your field, you are a professional and you are entrepreneurial. So clear out the doubts and get started.
What Can A Published Book Do For You?
- Gets you free publicity either with the media or people who love your book and recommend it to friends.
- Helps you get speaking engagements (easy for the event co-ordinator to book a speaker who is a published author)
- You become a published subject matter expert and immediately you create trust with potential clients and partners
- It becomes your new business card when you are making an appointment to see busy people. It is a gift nobody will refuse.
- You can use your book as door prizes, gifts, giveaways for program bookings and at conventions.
- Other experts can use your book to augment their offerings and help you form partnerships with other professionals.
- A book is the best networking tool EVER. You can take it wherever you go. It helps open up the conversation and who knows what will happen from here.
- It can help increase your social media fan base.
Writing A Book Quickly
Now the next question is “I don’t have time to write a book!” This is often the case if you are already juggling multiple roles, but there are a couple of ways to tackle this problem.
- Map out your book, then write for just 30 minutes every day without worrying about your grammar, syntax etc. (that’s for your editor to correct). In no time you will have your book written. By chunking it into manageable bites you are more likely to finish your book because you are focusing on the journey of writing, not the end result.
- No time to write? There are companies that take the hard work out of book writing. How do they do it? Journalists interview you over a five day period. You provide your expertise and they write the book. The author credit is still yours. Yes, this method is more expensive than self-publishing, but look at this cost as your marketing budget. The payback is well worth it. A US professor I work with is doing just that to augment his online university course on the Coursera platform. He was able to get a grant to offset the cost.
Finding Your Audience
There is an audience for your book, believe me. It is less than a year since I wrote my book and I have received many comments and recommendations from readers when I attend networking events. I’m introduced as the author of “Fabulous Fempreneurship” everywhere I go. Accountants and banks are using my book for potential clients as their “starter” book for entrepreneurs as it saves them endless time explaining the steps to becoming an entrepreneur. A women’s incubator used the book as a graduation present for their first cohort. Many of the women featured as subject matter experts are also my biggest fans, because the book also highlights their own work. It has opened up so many opportunities and sales are strong.
Add your Say
What do you think? How many of you have thought about writing a book but keep pushing the idea aside? There are so many uses for your book of authority, why not make it a priority for 2017.
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Elaine Slatter is a Small Business Expert, founder of XL Consulting Group and author of the popular book, “Fabulous Fempreneurship”, a complete business guide for women. XL Consulting Group helps entrepreneurs with market planning, strategy, branding, web design and social media. She has over 30 years of executive business and marketing experience and is ready to help you rocket your business to success. Elaine is passionate about mentoring women to become successful women entrepreneurs. To find out more, visit XL Consulting Group or join the Fabulous Fempreneurship mastermind.
You can connect with Elaine on social media at: Facebook Group | Twitter | Facebook
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Elaine Slatter is a Small Business Expert, founder of XL Consulting Group and author of the popular book, “Fabulous Fempreneurship”, a complete business guide for women. XL Consulting Group helps entrepreneurs with market planning, strategy, branding, web design and social media. She has over 30 years of executive business and marketing experience and is ready to help you rocket your business to success. Elaine is passionate about mentoring women to become successful women entrepreneurs. To find out more, visit XL Consulting Group or join the Fabulous Fempreneurship mastermind.
