budding-author

If you think being the author of a book would be a good business strategy then there are some things you need to consider first.

Why you?

  1. What qualifies you to write about this subject?
  2. Have you got a following for this area of expertise either on your blog, social media or as a speaker/presenter?
  3. Do you know what other books on your subject already exist? Why is yours different?

Get focused:

  1. What is the core subject of the book?
  2. What kind of book are you planning to write? (Autobiography, business handbook, self-development, etc)

Planning and writing:

  1. How many chapters and/or sections will your book have?
  2. Have you organised your information into chapters and sections along with any supporting material?
  3. Will you need to read other books to inform your writing? Do you have a reading list?
  4. Do you know how long it takes you to write 1000 words?
  5. Have you put writing time into your diary to achieve your first draft by a specific date?
  6. Will you use any quotes or other material that requires permission? Do you know how to obtain the necessary permission?
  7. Are you planning to have your book professionally edited? Do you know the costs of this?
  8. Your book will need proof-reading do you know how long this will take and the cost?
  9. Have you got a title – or a list of possible titles? Also a subtitle?
  10. Do you have a list of people who would be willing to read the final draft and provide a review to include either on the cover or inside the final book?

Publishing:

  1. Do you want it to be an ebook or a hard copy book – or both?
  2. Are you planning to get a publishing house interested in publishing your book or will you be self-publishing?
  3. Are you aware of the financial aspects of publishing?
  4. For traditional publishing what do you know about advances, royalties and expected returns?
  5. For self-publishing are you prepared for the costs up-front for editing, graphic design, page layout, print-on-demand, etc?
  6. Do you know how long it takes for a book to get from finished manuscript to in the bookshop – for traditional publishing and for self-publishing?

Marketing:

  1. Books don’t sell themselves so how will you promote your book to the people who will find it most useful?
  2. What gives your book that ‘WOW’ factor?
  3. Which genre does it fit into? Where would you find it in a bookstore?
  4. Who will buy your book?
  5. How big a market do you have – i.e. how many potential buyers?
  6. Where will you find your readers?
  7. Apart from social media how else might you promote your book?
  8. Who do you know who is famous or an expert in your field or an allied field and would either write a foreword for your book or provide a review to be used on the cover?
  9. Which publications might be interested in featuring your book?
  10. Do you intend to have your book featured on Amazon? If so, do you have a strategy for encouraging people to write reviews?

There are no guarantees of success with a book, some really well-written books don’t do very well and others that aren’t so well-written go viral.  However, whether you go down the conventional or self-publishing routes, you WILL need to do your own marketing.  The more effort you put in the better your book will do!