How a Brief Book Works for Your Business

Despite our easy access to a plethora of information today, the one thing we need is often hard to find: someone we trust to guide us through a process or situation.

This is where an easily digestible book with useful information, written by a credible source, can save the day. If it helps us through a tricky patch, it can become a friend for life, and something we delight in sharing with others.

As a business owner, wouldn’t you love to create such a book—one that is a low-cost short read, makes a lasting impact on the reader, and leads people back to you for a long time?

There's a strong argument for crafting a short book as a first point of contact with you and your business (‘top of your marketing funnel'), designed to simply solve one key problem for your ideal clients, and raise their awareness of you and your capabilities.

Such a book serves a distinct purpose and takes a different form compared to a book positioned later in your business process, where existing customers or clients engage with your services and want to go deeper.

1. Short books can create a powerful following around your one main message, build your list of people drawn to the help you offer, and help you connect with new people who may eventually become paying clients and customers.
2. Short reads can become powerful, low-cost marketing assets. If you self-publish, you can give print-on-demand, digital, flipbook and/or pdf versions of your books away to individuals and groups, gift them to potential partnerships, sell them, and offer them as bonus items with existing products or services.
3. Short reads are simple, digestible books that can be written and produced relatively quickly and are centered around an idea that's easy to explain. Maybe it's a simple model, a process, or a system that you use or teach that will become a lead magnet, eventually attracting people to your business.
4. A short read like this will be practical and reliable, offering some type of valuable and actionable transformational process.

Here is a perfect example of a recent short-read, long-impact business book:

Amy Porterfield teaches people how to build and sell online courses and is already running a very successful business. So, where in her customer journey does her book, ‘Two Weeks' Notice’, fall?

Because she wanted to continue growing her audience strategically, she chose to reach people before they are ready to learn how to build a course, which is what her business does. She chose to reach them while they are still working in a corporate job but feeling dissatisfied.

In ‘Two Weeks’ Notice’ (2023), Amy walks readers through the big idea of leaving the so-called safety of the corporate world and working for themselves, hence the catchy title. She addresses the pain people are experiencing, talks about the mindset shift needed to transform a career and awakens readers to a new idea.

Readers may never have heard of Amy before and may know nothing about the business problems she solves. Still, they will see that she may offer a solution to their career problem, take notice, begin following her online, or opt into her newsletters, etc. ?

(That is a very different book from one she would write for somebody who has already taken her course or engaged with her services in some way and wants to go deeper and spend more time expanding their specific expertise.)

The KEY FEATURES of a SHORT-READ LONG-IMPACT book, in summary: ?

SHORT READ

• Single overarching message that attracts a specific audience
• Hour or two to read (around 10,000-15,000 words)
• Offers a solution to a defined obstacle
• Reader profile is niched and purposefully chosen
• Transformation is clear and easily attainable

LONG IMPACT (on readers and your business)

• Lasting lead generation capabilities – useful books have a very long life
• Ongoing business asset with evergreen or updatable content
• Nurturing new readers and business growth
• Generous and gainful at heart – both you and your book content ?

Is a SHORT-READ, LONG-IMPACT book just the thing you need to reach new readers, build trust, offer assistance, and attract interest in your business services and offers?

As always, planning (with the help of a business book coach) is crucial so you do not waste time and money writing and creating a SHORT READ that does not have the impact you are seeking.

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Please contact me to:

• Talk about how a short book would fit into your business
• Work on your Short-Read, Long-Impact book plan with me privately
• Be notified of the Short-Read, Long-Impact group planning program commencing early in 2025.

Bev Ryan, Book Coach & Book Production Manager

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References:

Jennie Nash & Bev Ryan: What role will your book play in your business? Full conversation

Amy Porterfield speaking about her book launch on Self Publishing TV: Full conversation