Writing a book is an excellent way to build your business and also showcase your talents and expertise. The key is to be able to write a book that is worth reading and captivates your audience.
Finishing a book however and getting the results you want it much more difficult in practice. Here are some tips to help you write your book and successfully market it to the right audience!
Think about what people want to read
When you are considering what to write about, focus on your audience. Who is your ideal reader and demographic? Knowing your audience is the first step to knowing what and how to write. It will help you position and market your book.
Once you know who your audience is, ensure that your book caters to them and gives them the value they are looking for. Perhaps you are accomplished in your field and can offer advice on how to follow in your footsteps. Or maybe you have learned some lessons throughout your life that you think could be useful.
Reach out to people for feedback and crowdsource ideas. This way you know that you are on the right track and are offering compelling content to the reader.
Think about the sorts of questions that your target audience are likely to have and work on answering them in your book. This will give them a greater incentive to purchase and read the book!
Create a writing plan
Writing a book is not an easy undertaking. It is important to manage expectations and create a disciplined plan to help you stay on track. There will be difficult moments and sticking to a plan can prevent you from giving up and finishing what you started.
The first step for any book writing project is to create a writing plan. This plan lays out a schedule on when you will write, where you will write, how much you will write, your due date, and how you will keep yourself accountable.
There will be days where you may not feel like writing, have the inspiration to write, or not sure what to write next. But the more you stick to your plan, the better chances you have of overcoming any obstacles.
Your writing plan should start by:
- Having expectations for yourself. Expect to encounter obstacles and have the self-awareness to know how you can motivate yourself to continue.
- Setting a time and place each day where you will write. The only way you will finish your book is by creating a routine. This routine will become a habit, and habits, especially good ones, are the basis for good results.
- Having a specific writing goal. This should be small so that you can still achieve it even on really bad days. A good amount to start off is 250 words. Don’t worry about the quality of the first draft. The key is to get a “D-” draft out first. Then afterward you can go through and re-edit. Many people fail here. They get caught up in trying to write the perfect book from the start, get discouraged, and never end up finishing.
- Creating deadlines. Hold yourself accountable; it’s the only way you’ll get finished!
- Announce that you are writing a book. Especially to family and friends. This means that you will feel accountable and obliged to keep going.
- Call yourself an author. Own it. That’s what you are. Be realistic in that your first book may not be a bestseller, but not many can call themselves authors! Continue honing your craft.
Build your personal brand
One of the questions you want to answer is the purpose of the book. For many, it is to build your personal brand to be known as a subject matter expert in a particular subject. Also, ask yourself why do you want to write? How will it benefit you and your audience?
A great way to do this is by starting to use social media to communicate with your audience. Offer them value in the form of sneak peeks at your work, or perhaps even writing tips that they can use themselves, and you’ll soon find that you’re building up a following that will be the first to pre-order your books!
Social media isn’t just valuable for promotion, it’s essential for learning what your audience engages with and what they don’t. You can use these insights to choose what goes in your book, which will help you to write something that truly engages your reader.
Remember to use good grammar, check for spelling, and ask for feedback. This will help get the input you need to continue to improve and produce the book your readers want to read!