How to Use Books to Grow Your Business
by Vervante •
I’m sure you noticed, but in our last two blog articles we’ve had books on the brain quite a bit. Here at Vervante HQ we specialize in helping authors self-publish their books and some of the most common questions we get are all related to books. We’ve discussed how to determine WHERE the best place is online for selling your book. And we talked about Strategies to boost your sales, sharing 17 strategies that will reach out and connect with potential readers.
Today, it’s all about the HOW. How books are really a super secret weapon for building your business. How writing and self-publishing a book gives you a quality product to use in building a new business or enhancing the one you have. And how your book can help you to:
- Gain credibility and influence.
- Become known as the expert in your field.
- Create a new revenue stream for your business.
- Create a platform on which to build your business and create ancillary products.
- Sell your products online or at the back of the room during speaking engagements.
- Collect contact information for your lists.
- Boost sales and conversion by adding value to programs or other products
- Receive invitations to speak.
- Be interviewed on radio or for magazines and newspapers.
- Open doors to publication of articles and columns.
- Command higher speaking and consulting fees.
- Have a product that gives you a competitive edge over your competition.
- Demonstrate your passion and commitment to your business.
Just to get those wheels spinning in your head about all the possibilities, here are some common methods and opportunities many authors have utilized to grow their business and increase their visibility:
- Speaking engagements: As a published author your chances of being booked for speaking opportunities increases, and with it the opportunity to share your message and your book from the stage.
- Back of room sales: This goes hand-in-hand with speaking engagements. Often you can negotiate the right to feature your book for sale at the back of the room where you are engaged to speak.
- Workshops and Programs: When readers love your book and want more, this is the perfect jumping off point for creating a workshop or continuity program that will continue to provide more of the message or teachings you share while also providing even more revenue streams and growth opportunities.
- Joint ventures: Find someone whose products or services complement your book and create a joint venture together. Share a message, service or products that will provide greater value to your audience and again widen the impact you have with a new audience.
- Guest appearances: As a published author, you’ve just become a fantastic potential guest expert for anything from radio and TV to webinars and live workshops.
- Products: If your book resonates with your readers, they will want more, even after they read the last page. Now is the time to create products such as bookmarks, posters, card decks, CDs or DVDs that are a natural extension of the book’s core message and give your readers even more of your awesome author goodness.
As you can tell, books are often just the beginning. These are just a few ideas for how writing and publishing a book can lead to more business growth opportunities than you might have first imagined – and why we can’t wait to help you publish yours.
And if you need a little help or inspiration along the way, here's a quick list of some of our favorite free resources for authors: