Ways to Get Your Book Written
TL;DR Want to write a business book? Cool. Get help; be careful who you hire to help you; collect all your existing content in one place; and start thinking about what the book is actually about.
This entry brought to you by my 10th wedding anniversary (16.3 years together). JB: I can’t imagine life without you.
So, you want to write a nonfiction business book. Good for you! And, I’m sorry. Because unless you know what you are getting yourself into, there is nothing that will make you feel more guilty than an unfinished book project. (Ask me how I know. And, working on it.)
Even if you are a great writer, if you have never written a book before, I implore you to get some help. Because if you write it wrong, it is tough to fix. There are a number of ways to get help. Here are two:
You can hire someone like me (book strategist and developmental editor and co-writer (OK, “ghostwriter”, bleh, see P.S.) to guide you through it. That is the easiest path but also the most expensive (or it should be).
You can join a book coaching cohort. I recommend Publish Your Purpose. I know Jenn T. Grace and she’s top notch. Tell her I sent you.
Please, be very careful who you hire. Check references and reviews. Talk to someone who has worked with them. The power of books to drive business has been recognized and there are predators who will take your money and put out a substandard product. I’ve spoken to a couple of people who spent five figures only to end up with a book that with no editorial intervention whatsoever, not even proofreading.
ID 170534 © Carolyne Pehora | Dreamstime.com
There’s no reason to get your heart (or your wallet) broken like that. That’s why, to address this, I am building a network of trusted partners. All the good people know each other.
The very first step is to rat through all your files and collect in one folder all your blog posts, bylined articles, presentations, videos, podcast recordings, consulting frameworks, consulting statements of work (which usually contain some sort of framework).
The next step is to think about the solution you want to offer in the book and boil it down to one statement that follows (usually) this format:
If you do x, y should happen.
I’ll give you some examples, from books I’ve worked on:
If you put these seven power concepts into place, it will allow you to run your contracting business with less stress and more success. (The 7-Power Contractor, by Al Levi)
If you implement Pure Motive Service principles in your home service business, you will win clients, double profit and grow your home service sales. (What Should We Do? by Joe Crisara)
If you follow this five-stage roadmap to implementing AI in marketing at your company, it will 100x the impact of your marketing efforts and create exponential competitive advantage. (AI Marketing Canvas (1st ed.) by Raj Venkatesan, PhD, and Jim Lecinski)
Notice the pattern. If I do (book content) then I will (specific outcome/benefit).
That if/then statement is known as the “controlling idea.” More about that in time. But I want you to notice that the subtitles of many business books are actually its controlling idea!
Here are a few, from books on my desk right now. I’ll reverse engineer the controlling idea from the subtitle. (And you’ll have a new game to play while browsing the nonfiction stacks at your local library or Barnes and Noble.)
Title: Quit: The power of knowing when to walk away by Annie Duke. Or, If you follow the advice and examples in this book you will know when to quit vs. presevere.
Title: Upstream: The quest to solve problems before they happen by Dan Heath. Or, If you absorb the information in this book you’ll be better able to identify and solve problems before they happen.
Something to noodle on.
P.S. Yes, technically I’m a ghostwriter, my marketing friends say I have to use that word so people looking for help can find me. They say no one is looking for a co-writer (OK) but I still don’t like the term ghostwriter and here’s why:
I don’t believe people should have to hide the fact they are hiring expertise to help write a book. Creating a book that people want to read all the way through requires a specific set of skills. I’ll write more about that soon. All for now.