I went to a seminar on how to write a book and use it as a marketing tool, put on by a very expensive vanity publisher, Black Card Publishing.
Some of the things I got a kick out of:
Write a book in 40 hours by planning it out first and then writing in 5 minute increments. The planning of the book can take 40 hours, then the writing of it can take another 40 hours, and lastly the editing can take a whole lot more than 40 hours.
It takes me all day to write 4 000 words, whether it's blog posts or a chapter of a novel. Do the math, 40 hours of writing will create a book that is 20 000 words. To put it into perspective, a full novel averages around 80 000 - 90 000 words. So a 20 000 word book is going to be thin.
They have accumulated 700 titles making it sound like they believe in the authors they publish and invest in them, like a traditional publisher does. The fact is, they found 700 people to give them a lot of money to publish a book. Most are not sold in stores or online.
"I talked to my publisher." OK sure. You buy in and can say that you have a publisher, but is that the same as having a publisher? As their client you have a publisher, whom you paid a lot of money to hire, not the other way around.
A Book Can add Credibility
One thing they got right. Writing a book, and using it as a marketing tool, will give you credibility as an expert and have longer staying power on your client's bookshelf than any fancy brochure or marketing package.
It doesn't have to cost you tens of thousands of dollars up front to do it.
If you have a lot of cash up front, Vanity publishers like Black Card can give you a better per item rate because you are ordering in huge bulk quantity. If you don't have the capital to order in huge bulk, the online self publishing world has Print on Demand options, which enable you to order copies as you need them and can afford them.
These print on demand options also enable you to sell your book through Amazon easily, without inventory, order processing or delivery charges for you. It's all handled by the printer & Amazon.
If you want to know more about writing a non-fiction book to use as a marketing tool, send me a note and let's have a conversation. I might be able to help you.
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Shannon Peel is a Professional Marketing Manager and Storyteller. Her company, MarketAPeel, helps Professionals define their personal brands and tell their story through different channels, including writing their book.
