How Books Can Grow Your Business

If you are an entrepreneur, content creator, podcaster, or coach, this is for you. I’m singling you out today because some of you may be sitting on a gold mine of content you could use to write a book to grow your business. Many of you have worked for years on honing your message and offers, creating stories of life change that other people so desperately need. 

And all of that hard work can turn into a book with minimal effort. It can generate new leads, establish yourself as an authority, and grow your business. 

But the path towards that feels overwhelming. How exactly do you write and publish a book? Welcome to the quick and dirty guide for entrepreneurs who want to publish. 

Two Paths

The publishing confusion often arises because every writer and book are shooting for different goals. Some want to be career authors while others simply want to grow their businesses. Both are viable and good. But knowing which you are will make all the difference. 

Career authors, celebrities with public stories, or writers with large platforms generally publish their books traditionally with an agent and/or publishing house. (Please note the word generally. I can think of a handful who don’t fall in this category who have happily traditionally published.) 

Traditional publishing is pitching to an agent, signing with a publisher, and working on the book for the next 1-2 years. It can be a prestigious route but thick with competition. 

Other the other hand, entrepreneurs and writers who want to write a book for their business and communicate the possibilities for their readers/clients fast generally self-publish. It’s the path I recommend for most entrepreneurs looking to maximize income sooner than later. 

Here’s why: 

1.Your timeline is shorter.

When you self-publish, you can move at your own pace. If you’d like to whip out a book in 90 days, you can. You’ve also been honing this content for years, as well as working with clients on it, so you don’t have to wait around for the publishing house to approve it. You know it works.  

2. You keep your rights. 

Because traditional publishers take on the upfront cost of publishing your book, they also ask for all or some of the rights over the content. Although publishers aren’t usually malicious, they ultimately have final say in what goes inside the book. As an entrepreneur who has been working your message for years for your audience, this can be devastating for your goals. 

3. You are in control of the content. 

You call the shots, not the publishing house. If you need to change gears while writing or shift your messaging, you can. You know your audience best, not the publishing house, so you can make appropriate pivots as needed in the process. 

4. You keep (most of) your royalties. 

Again, traditional publishers want to recoup their costs, so they get first dibs on royalties. Anything left over will get trickled down to you. With self-publishing, you keep more of the royalties (with the exception of Amazon’s fee). So you’re making money off book sales AND leading clients into other, higher paying offers. 

Does all of that sound right up your alley? 

If so, then the big question still remains: How do you write a book? And one that sells? 

(Psst–is a self-publishing myth keeping you from maximizing your revenue? Let’s dispel some common ones here.)

Bestselling Business Book Formula

I’m going to walk you through a bestselling book formula with these three steps. But before we do that, I want you to know some really good news exclusive to entrepreneurs, podcasters, coaches, and content creators: You’ve already been doing these steps. You are likely way further ahead on your book than you even realize! 

Step 1: Know your audience. 

For a business book (or any book, really), you need to understand who will read it and what they need to hear. Everyone processes information differently. The truth may be the same, but how it’s received will vary. I talk to my 4-year-old differently than I do with my 2-year-old, husband, or friend. I may be telling them that I’m hungry or about my favorite book, but I’m going to do it differently to each of them. The truth is the same but the style by which I communicate it is different. So know your audience and write to them. 

Step 2: Build your perseverance. 

Though you’ve done much of the hard work, writing a book is not easy. A mental flip often switches in even the most experienced writers and entrepreneurs when faced with succinctly putting their ideas to the page. You will likely want to quit at some point. But you’re an entrepreneur–who hasn’t wanted to burn their businesses to the ground at some point? You’ve learned how to keep going. You’ll need that perseverance here too. 

Step 3: Give the book a container. 

If I tried to give you your favorite drink in my hands, that would be worthless to you. The drink is delicious but you can’t enjoy it because the container is flimsy. But if you put that same drink in a gorgeous, cozy mug, you can finally drink it. Your reader needs a gorgeous, cozy mug to your great content. 

What that means is giving your book a concept or theme to define it and therefore deliver it to your reader. 

Finding that container and staying accountable to it can be one of the more difficult parts of writing a book, which is why book coaching could change the game for you. 

Coaching gives you feedback, gets you out of your head, and directs you on a path to put your dream on the pages. If you’re READY to publish your lead-generating, revenue-creating, momentum-building book, my free 20-minute book audits can help you get there!