build the business side of your writing business

As you’ve probably learned, for most of us, writing one book is not going to catapult us into instant fame or stardom.  It might not even give you the fifteen minutes of fame Andy Warhol once talked about.

But it is possible to build a business around your book.

Many of my doctor clients use their book to cement their credibility and prove their expertise in their current field.

Others use their book as an entree into a new or additional field – or to announce a new product or service of their clinic.

Still others want to leave their practice – or change the way they do things, and use their book to begin garnering speaking engagements, gain a following and build a backend business that brings in additional – and often passive – streams of income.

Whatever your choice, building the writing side of your writing business is something you can’t leave to chance or happenstance. It needs to be planned and you need to have a solid strategy in place – preferably long before your book goes to the publisher.

While your book may not make you rich, it does open the doors to other possibilities, such as:

  • Paid Speaking Engagements
  • Hosting your own television or radio show
  • Being a regular (paid) guest on other high-level shows
  • Writing a regular syndicated column
  • Offering new services in your practice

The first step to building the business side of your writing business is to decide what you want. Ask yourself these questions:

  • What is your ‘why’ for writing your book in the first place?
  • If there were nothing stopping you, what would you like to see happen after your book is published?
  • What will you do after your book is published? (In other words, what is the next thing you’re going to offer a hungry audience?)
  • How can you engage with your audience before, during and after your book is published?

The answer to the last question has as much to do with your author platform as it does with figuring out how you’re going to create a bevy of fans who not feel like they know you, like you and trust you, but who tell their friends, family members and colleagues about you…

One of the most important business strategies you can have today is a strategy for connecting with your audience.  Gone are the days when people buy a book just because of the M.D. attached to the author’s name.  (In fact, for some publishers, that can actually be a deterrent, as your book has to appeal to a broad audience – not come off sounding like a medical report.)

This is why mapping out your strategy from the beginning – based on what results you want to achieve with your book – will help you know what foundation needs to be put into place, when.  And it will help you build the business side of your writing business.

Tagged with:

Filed under: Business Building Tips • Featured Posts

Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!