Unleash Your Voice, Build Your Brand
Why you should write a book for your business
Why write a book when there’s no money in books?
A couple of years ago Guy Kawasaki gave us a glimpse into the future. He said that authors are no longer just authors. They are also publishers and entrepreneurs.
He was referring to the freedom created by self-publishing platforms like Amazon KDP that hosts Kindle books, CreateSpace, a print on demand platform for paperbacks also owned by Amazon, and Smashwords, which enables authors to sell their digital books through the other platforms like Nook, Kobo and iBooks.
{And since then a proliferation of platforms and services that connect us with the expertise & services that help us get our words in front of our audience.}
Instead of keep 10% of their royalties like in the traditional publishing model where you might have an agent and a publisher who does all the editing & formatting for you, writers were for the first time keeping up to 70% of their profits.
But most authors don’t make much money from their self-published books.
Under $1.99 you keep 35%, over $1.99 you keep 70% on Amazon. That’s great if you sell a shit-ton of copies.
For eventual Amazon sensations like Amanda Hocking, Hugh Howey and Andy Weir who have sold hundred of thousands of copies of their books, this is a LOT of moolah!
But non-fiction writers do it for an entirely different reason.
Ramit Sethi and James Altucher frequently joke about how little money they make from selling books.
So why do they do it?
Credibility. Trust. Relationship.
They do it to build their brand.
Writing a book is the ultimate in content marketing: creating & sharing incredible content for your audience and future customers that builds trust, credibility and relationships over the long term.
Books are fast replacing business cards, surpassing their dog-eared counterparts with their potentially life-long shelf life.
Unleashing your own tone, style & voice into the page of a book is the ultimate in brand building collateral.
As a future entrepreneur, writing is something you must learn to do.
It’s not easy, I’ll admit. My first blog ‘Musing of An Aromastrategist’ back in 2009 was a shocker. But I had the desire to share my insight and knowledge about essential oils with my friends and family.
It was the desires to share my passions and discoveries with others that lead me to writing features articles for lifestyle magazines in the US, UK and Australia, my first book Absolutely on Purpose, features for the Huffington Post, Leaders in Heels and Medium, and my second book The Freedom Philosophy which pre-launched on Amazon this week.
For me it has never been about the writing. That got better with time. It was always about spreading inspiration and ideas to make people feel inspired and empowered in their own life and business.
And that’s the power of brand.
Brand is how people feel when they come in contact with you.
It’s not a logo! A logo comes to symbolise those feelings over time, but it’s nothing without the emotions it inspires when people look at it. Just think of your favourite brands for a moment and consider how they make you feel.
On my writing journey I read widely on the art & craft of it; the path to mastery is practice and discipline.
Nothing else!
Later on you might hire a copywriter for your business writing. That’s ok; in fact that’s marvellous.
But first you must find your own voice. Your copywriter will polish your voice, but they can’t create it.
And without your voice, your business doesn’t have a brand.
Here are some of the books that helped & inspired me along the way.
The Writer’s Manifesto by Jeff Goins
If one of your WHYs is to be read and adored, or selling your work and become famous this manifesto is for you. It beautifully sums up the definition of a writer: someone who writes because they cannot not write.
If you Want to Write by Barbara Euland
The most powerful line in this book is the first: Everybody is talented, original and has something important to say. Read this book slowly; savour it and integrate the insight and wisdom as best as you can. It will anchor you to your WHY and your right to create your art in alignment with who you are. Love it.
On Writing by Stephen King
An essential read for novelists and fiction writers from one of our contemporary masters of storytelling, this is also a manifesto for going pro for someone whose behaviours and habits enable him to show up for his art consistently and in spite of adversity.
He shares his struggle as a writer, triumphs as a published author, and his experience with the publishing world. Excellent.
The Icarus Deception by Seth Godin
A brilliant summary of the connection economy and what it takes to thrive within it.
Bring your humanity to everything you do, says Godin.
Be a change maker. Be vulnerable and transparent.
The best advice in this book is about learning to fail: expect it.
Expect to fail. Fail gigantically. Fail like there’s no tomorrow.
Fail and fail fast. And keep showing up to fail again. Because this is how we learn to master our craft, perfect our art. It’s part of our journey. The first thing we put out there may not make it, but keep showing up. Keep sculpting, moulding, honing and shaping.
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Stephanie Holland is a strategist & author obsessed with helping fledgling & future entrepreneurs and gamechangers launch their ideas. Her new book The Freedom Philosophy is available on Amazon now.
Exclusive Workshop 30th April ’16:
The Ultimate Business Card Workshop
To access the workshop & the 3-day video re-play, simply order a copy of ‘The Freedom Philosophy’ book on Amazon and forward your receipt to theultimatebusinesscard@ gmail.com
