Do you want to write nonfiction books and make a living as an author? If you do, you don't have to go it alone. It's not as hard as you might imagine or as easy as many will tell you. The truth lies somewhere in-between, as it often does. Wherever you are on your book writing journey, here are some of the benefits that can come from writing a nonfiction book.
It will help you to:
- become an authority in your niche
- build your brand and your business
- attract media attention
- fill classes and book speaking engagements
- sell more products and services
- grow your email list
- touch (and change) many people’s lives with your message
- and so much more…
Jane Friedman (the former editor-in-chief of Writer’s Digest) has said that “nearly all unpublished writers have one thing in common that trips them up, every time. They rush to submit their work before it’s ready or before they are ready.” A big part of being ready is taking the time to learn about the elements that contribute to writing a quality book that has the potential to positively impact readers’ lives. It’s also important to familiarize yourself with the business side of writing. Both matter deeply if you want to make your living as an author.
Writing Your Book:
Writing a nonfiction book can transform your life and business, as well as the lives and livelihoods of your readers. Writing and publishing a book is not generally as “quick and easy” as many people marketing their book writing programs would have you believe, yet there are tips and tactics that can help ease you through the writing process as well as help you to set up a firm foundation for your book’s success.
Here are some articles that can help you take a more strategic approach to the conceiving and writing of your book.
- The Secret Formula for Writing a Truly Helpful, Empowering, and Successful Nonfiction Book that Will Turn Readers into Fans
- 7 Keys to a Successful Nonfiction Book (and Writing Career)
- 5 Keys to Creating an (Almost) Daily Writing Habit & Getting Your Book Done!
- Finding Your Voice as a Writer
- 11 Essential (and Sometimes Misguided) Rules of Editing and Rewriting
Marketing Your Book:
Too many writers resist (and even resent) marketing. Yes, I know... you’d rather be writing. So would I. But we write to be read, and marketing is how we get the precious book we've spent so long writing into the hands of readers. That's why it’s imperative you make peace with the promotional side of a writer’s life.
It’s been over 10 years since I attended John Kremer’s Book Marketing Blastoff workshop. John is the author of 1001 Ways to Market Your Book. I’ll never forget what he said that weekend. “Marketing is relationships. Selling books is about making friends.” His words transformed my relationship with book marketing. I went from feeling that as authors, promoting our books is imposing our views on strangers to a sense that we're sharing what we care about with potential friends. This also helped me to change my view of book marketing from trying to sell a book to as many people as possible to... offering something of value to those who will resonate with it.
Here are some articles that I hope will help you make peace with promotion, as well as give you some tools and tactics to help you get your book into the hands of readers.
- The 5 Essential Sales Tools Your Nonfiction Book Needs… to Sell Itself
- The 7 Pillars of a Best Seller Promotional Plan
- Bestselling Authors Know this Book Promotion Secret…
- Kiss Shy Goodbye: 4 Attitude Adjustments Guaranteed to Turn Shy Writers into FearLESS Promoters
Creating Multiple Income Streams from Your Book:
While it’s true that some books can be written quickly, writing a book is not a “get rich quick scheme.” And having your book become a #1 Amazon best seller is not as impressive as it sounds. When you know how to game the system, a book can reach #1 on Amazon in a particular category by selling as few as 5 books. It takes time, publishing multiple books, and promoting your heart out to grow your royalty income. That being said, the majority of nonfiction authors, especially those just starting out, make most of their money beyond their book—from speaking engagements, classes, and coaching that’s based upon the topic of their book, as well as from other books and products that address related aspects of their topic or niche.
I’ll be exploring this in more depth this year. In the meanwhile, here are two articles to get you started thinking about how you can turn your book into additional income streams.
- Multiply Your Book’s Income with These Low Content Supplemental Products
- Book Biz FAQs: What’s the quickest way I can monetize my nonfiction book?
