Everyone is talking about tech trends and how that grows business and sales quickly and while that is partially true, it’s not the whole truth. When it comes to sales and marketing nothing says “influence and expertise” like being a published author does. If you’re a bestselling author, this is even better because it helps you stand out.
It’s a way of dangling a carrot in front of your customer and leading them to you based on your expertise and not your ability to hustle a sale. It says, “Get it from the one who wrote the book on that topic.” Writing a book separates you from your competition in 3 distinct ways.
It makes you a thought leader in your industry. It gives you the opportunity to tell the world why you understand the industry, the need, and the solution better than anyone else in your industry does. When you have a book, you have something your competitor doesn’t have that makes you more credible to customers.
It gives you industry command and leadership. You are essentially taking a stand in your industry when you write a book. It’s a bold move and helps you stand out because once a book is published, you can’t take it back and say, “Oh I didn’t mean that.” Your platform is out there for everyone. You have just “Manned up” when your book is out in the world. It tells your competitor you are the leader in your industry and not a follower.
It becomes your sales and marketing tool. When you are on vacation, attending a family event, sleeping or watching football, your sales and marketing tool is out there in the world pitching for you. It is closing the sale at the networking event, at a conference, at a business meeting, or at a book store. It is speaking for you and winning that contract. It is creating opportunities for you.
The power of becoming a published author is so important to your sales and marketing mix and yet so many business owners undervalue it. Not because it isn’t important, but because they feel overwhelmed at the idea of writing a book. Most people understand the power of adding the word “author” to their title, but few step up and complete the work it takes to create a book. This mistake means that you are leaving opportunity and prosperity on the table for others to take.
The other mistake new authors make is that many people try to short cut their expertise by outsourcing the task of writing a book to a freelancer. I know that a million books a year get published on Amazon by shoddy eBook writers who are all sales pitch and no real content inside their book. They have a freelancer write it and then put them up for sale. This is a dangerous mistake because books are reviewed and rated by the purchaser.
However, the power of publishing a good book will bring you outstanding opportunities. When done correctly, it will bring you more prosperity because you will be more sought after.
Also, don’t down play being an Amazon best seller. It is the largest book store in the world and it is the only global bookstore. There is a lot of competition. When you think about there being 1 million books released per year, being in the top 100 books in any genre is a great accomplishment. Also, more people shop for books on Amazon than any other book store. It is a powerful place to begin selling your book. The KDP platform is easy to use if you wish to be a self-published author.
If you are looking for a traditional publisher there are the big 5 publishers which are:
Penguin Random House
Wolters Kluwer
HarperCollins
Scholastic
McGraw Hill
However, the truth is traditional publishing is dying. There are new hybrid-publishing houses that are collaboration style publishers that support the author more than traditional publishing ever did. They have proven to have incredible results and support their authors in a stronger way.
For example: Morgan James Publishing is one of those hybrid publishing houses that supported the Business Phenom book by Russell Brunson, “Dot-Com Secrets”. It has sold over 182,000 copies and still has not hit the New York Times bestseller list. It is however, an Amazon bestseller and an USA Today bestseller.
The difference between traditional publishing and hybrid publishing is that the results are better with the hybrid publisher. You have to ask yourself, “What results do I want with my book?” Do you want more sales or just the New York Times best-selling book award?
Most people would say they wanted more book sales. I know I would. I prefer the hybrid publishing model for many reasons. If you are a new author this is a wonderful venue when you work with the right publisher. You have to understand the publishing industry in order to help you make choices as to who you are working with.
Just because you have a publisher that is one of the big 5, it does not mean they are interested in supporting your book. Most likely, they’re going to want you to support your book. When you add up all the possibilities of working with a traditional publisher you have to ask yourself the same question, “Do I want more sales or the Accolade of having a big publisher logo on my book?”
You have to know the difference between getting the job done, which means getting you to be a bestseller, and working with a publisher who can do that for you. I work with ThePublishingCircle.com because its CEO is also great at continued sales of a book. This company works with you to grow your sales over the long term.
The submissions process is simple. Everyone is treated with respect including first-time authors. The benefits of working in a hybrid publishing community, is new authors who may need endorsements for their book and introductions to radio shows and podcasters can get help.
There are many ways that you can benefit by becoming an author. When you understand what you want the goals of your book to be, you want to be working with someone who can help you achieve those goals. You invest in your sales and marketing every year. It is Smart to invest in getting more influence and credibility by having a book. Maybe it is not as overwhelming as you think. There are other solutions out there other than traditional publishers that can support your book publishing efforts making it a little easier. Just remember a book is one of the best marketing tools around.
Vickie Helm is a bestselling author, business and asset strategist, and the CEO of Smart Group Firm. She has improved the success of more than a thousand companies and the lives of thousands of individuals throughout her career. You can learn more about Vickie at https://thesmartlifeclub.com or https://vickiehelm.com.