Your book - what's in it for the reader?

Before you start writing your business book ask these two questions.

1. How do you want your reader to feel when they've finished your book?
2. What is the first 'next step' you want your reader to take?

More often than not when a businessperson or professional starts writing their book they think about what they want to say and share. Most have so much knowledge /information/insights that it can be daunting to work out what goes into the book and what doesn't.

What most people don't think about is what the reader's (target audience) challenges are, what they are seeking from the book and the action/s that they can take after they have read the book.

It's your responsibility to think about the value you bring to the reader and to make this clear and easy for them. Do this and you will write and self publish a book that can make a positive difference.

If you want to write a book that delivers clear, concise and actionable insights here's 5 tips.

1. Identify the top three challenges your target audience is facing
2. Review your content outline and group your topics into chapters that match the top three challenges
3. Create an action item/summary for each chapter so that your reader can easily work out what 'their next first step is'
4. Think about how you want your reader to feel when they have finished your book: inspired, informed, reflective, motivated, other
5. Use examples, case studies and interviews that your reader can relate to and, ideally, use your own rather than copying someone else's or quoting over-used, recognisable ones.

Think about your book as the start of a relationship rather than a one-off transaction

Make it easy for them to connect and contact you

Linked to putting your reader's challenges and your insights/solutions to these, is thinking about how you want your readers to connect with you as they're reading the book or when they have finished.

If you have done your book content strategy work correctly you won't be sharing ALL you know in your book. This might be because there's too much to put in one book and/or that you want your reader to connect with you to engage your products or services.

If you want your readers to connect with you, you must be clear about what action/s you want them to take in relation to engaging you and why. For example, if you want:

1. to build your database and secure more clients you might offer free downloads of certain content you've summarise in your book
2. readers to book in a consulting session, purchase a program/package provide links at relevant places throughout your book (and in the About section at the back of your book) to these pages on your website - not simply your Homepage
3. feedback, ask for it and give them a link to provide it. This link might be on your website, on LinkedIn, Google Reviews, Amazon (if you are selling your book through this channel) etc.
4. to increase your following (on targeted channels) let your readers know what these links are and ask them to connect, follow and engage with you
5. sell more books create two or three offers and promote them. For example, you could run a 2 for 1 offer connected to a specific industry event/conference you are attending; create special offers around the period before your book launch (pre-publication offer), end of financial year, a specific industry/sector milestone, your birthday...your cat/fish birthday...anything really; create bulk order offers and target key companies/organisations that might be interested in partnering with you.

For points 1-4 this information can be placed throughout the book as well as in the About section in the back of the book.

For Point 5, these offers can start before you've published your book and well over 12 months after it has been launched.

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