Biz-Book Options + Approaches

???? ?? Whether you have a small biz or a big company, a business-related book can be a great tool, calling-card, credibility factor, online enhancer, source of income (maybe)...and much more!

Classic or cutting-edge, minimal or colourful, the sheer number of options make this the most exciting and accessible era in which to self-publish or traditionally-publish a book.

Some approaches:

??.?? ?? FACTUAL, with examples: Whether corporate or entrepreneurial, it's probably somewhat instructional. You'll find many, many examples at Amazon, and in bookstores and libraries: https://lnkd.in/eRDxQDH with titles like Business Made Simple... and Your Next Five Moves...

???? ?? HOW-TO: The kind of book you'll find at traditional publishing co. Self-Counsel Press https://www.self-counsel.com/ Business and Legal Publisher (in Vancouver, Canada), Books and kits on law, business, real estate, and ranging from The Secrets of Advertising to Gen-Y Customers – to Business Writing Basics and Self-Publishing 101.

???? ?? BIOGRAPHY / BIZ-OIR (business memoir): The story of a company, and the person whose passion it is. E.g., Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike by Phil Knight. Or When All You Have is Hope by Frank O'Dea (co-founder of Second Cup coffee co.) – also a personal story about recovery and addiction.

Another e.g. is Anna David's Make Your Mess Your Memoir and her philosophy of "ten chapters of memoir, followed by four chapters of business."

???? ?? A BLAST FROM THE PAST: One oft-quoted book source of inspiration is 5th-century Sun Tzu's The Art of War. Now 21st-century California author Mukul Sheopory gives us Bucephalus’ Shadow: Ten Business Lessons from the Life of Alexander the Great – with some strong lessons to be learned from this ancient king/military commander: https://mukulsheopory.com/#about-the-book

?????? ?? BUSINESS FABLE or motivational novel: longer version of a fictional case study, and resolution. A lesson on every page, woven into a story with plot and interesting characters. Two LinkedIn pieces I did on business-fable books: https://lnkd.in/eeje8yu and www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/books-fables-good-biz-winnie-czulinski

?? ???? SHORT BOOK: A good biz book in 30 pages or so? Amazon and Kindle have increasing numbers of short-form books and 15-min. - 1 hr. reads, from 20 to 100 pages, often well under 30,000 words. One of the biggest (smallest!) changes in publishing. https://lnkd.in/eGmsa5M, with some how-to: https://lnkd.in/eFhFZh6

?? ?? ???? NEW (AND EXISTING) CUSTOMER EBOOK: Many small businesses use e-books as a tool to increase platform and give customers a pithy, powerful package of info. https://www.business.com/articles/create-your-first-ebook/

A short downloadable book can help imprint you and your biz on a client's mind. And if it's a book you release on Amazon. you may also make some money from it.

?? ?? ?? COFFEE-TABLE COMMEMORATIVE: I once helped do a book in five regional editions for a hotel chain's 25th anniversary. A combo of company story, travel guide and recipe collection, the books had colourful area-specific copy and lush photo/design.

The book was enhanced with opulent-looking handlettering. www.amazon.com/Recipes-Great-Canadian-Weekends-Quebec/dp/0969282109

???? ?? COMPANY-HISTORY BOOK: With both written story and a variety of more "personal" and visual historical company items – letters, documents, awards, co. correspondence, newspaper clippings, old photos, etc. One outfit that produces book for companies to preserve/celebrate/chronicle their story is www.legaciesandmemories.com

???? ?? PHOTO/KEEPSAKE BOOK: With both old and new photos on archival-quality paper, this tangible visual representation of a company could be a unique biz-book gift item. Also an obvious choice for photographers and illustrators. Might run from 20 to 120 pages. www.cnet.com/how-to/best-online-photo-book-services-of-2021/

???? ?? GRAPHIC-COMIC APPROACH: Heavy on visuals and speech bubbles, where the story art of the book draws one to its content. Doing a more traditional book? You might consider doing a biz-comic book "extra" as a quirky handout.

And see how one Google-r took a comic biz book approach to its company culture https://lnkd.in/dMTupx2

?? ???? LIMITED EDITION: With one CEO who needed 10 copies of his book quickly for a major conference, I used the EBM (Espresso Book Machine) technology. From the book interior (InDesign/PDF) file and book-cover file, we had a perfect-bound, professional book, in a small print run, in the time it takes to brew good coffee. www.ondemandbooks.com/

???? ?? THE SPOKEN APPROACH: Audio biz books (audio overall) have increased enormously in popularity, as sites like Audible.com show, and titles from Critical Business Skills for Leaders to HBR Guide to Buying A Small Business. Audio books provide wider accessibility, and can be listened to while "tasking" elsewhere, or on a commute.

???? ???? SOCIAL-MEDIA BOOK: A book told via Instagram, or as 'Twitter-ature,' or as a series of LinkedIn posts, it can be done in a quick, casual improv way, as well as one to go back and regularly update. A dynamic kind of book to go, and one that can regularly, effectively reflect biz changes. Bless that social-media 'Edit' button!

???? ?? BLOG-TO-BOOK: Is your book hiding in plain sight – right in those heartfelt issues you're already writing about every day or week? Can this be woven into a book?

Yes! Today you can choose from a wealth of blog-to-book software and services, e.g., https://blogbooker.com/. A good pro writer-editor can provide guidance and that fresh pair of eyes.

???? ???? BOOK BY CHAPTERS: E.g., via the platform WATTPAD. While this approach is more commonly used for fiction, your particular business might lend itself to this pop-culture approach to publishing – gathering the loyalty of readers as you go.

From what I can see, though, most Wattpad "business" books are often-explicit romances set in a biz world – :)

Short, long, factual, fable, voice or visual – there are so many options to create your unique business book today.

~~~

Have questions? I can help with writing, editing, publishing and promo.

?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ??