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The Book Coach Says - November 2005
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FEATURE ARTICLE:
"Top Ten Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Write Another Book"
Judy Cullins c. 2005
Many new authors start writing their second and third book
when the ink is barely dry with their first one. As a
bookcoach for 20 years, please understand that this is
insane. Wait a year or two to create new print, ebooks, CD's
or cassettes.
Why? Because you need to learn the best, proven offline and
online promotion techniques, and apply them to one book at a
time. Just because your first book isn't selling well
doesn't mean you should write another one--that if it
doesn't get promotion attention, will not sell well either.
Before you write another book, ask yourself these questions?
1. Why would I do that? Think of the time spent writing and
editing. These activities make you no money. You will only
make money when you market/promote your book. To me that
means that just because I spend a lot of months getting book
done and feel worn out and whipped, I shouldn't stop there.
I need to promote it to get known before I write another
book.
Your bookcoach says a good ratio is write 50% of the time
and market 50% of the time. If you spend 5-15 hours a week
writing your book, then you need to spend at least that much
to promote it.
Your cost of book promotion comes back to your 10-fold.
If your audience doesn't know about your book, they can't
buy it, can they?
2. Will the next book or related product make me more money,
make me more well-known?
Probably not. The very best # one product is either a print
or eBook. Yes, you can self-publish it with a little help
from professionals. It's worth the money to make your book
more saleable and done right the first time because a book
that isn't written with sales in mind, and doesn't sell well
is a big $ and time loss for the authors.
3. Why do I feel I need to write another book now?
4. Will this new book sustain my business message for my
target market?
To promote to your first book's audience first is a direct
hit that takes less time and money. Once you know your
audience and where they can be contacted (the internet, of
course) then you can do an 8 month promotion plan that gets
your first book noticed and selling. That's just a little
time really when you think of the writing time you spent.
5. Will this new book directly connect to the last one so
that my book is treated as a business to position my company
well?
Maybe your niche is romance fiction. Then make sure you next
book fits that category. For myself, my niche is
bookcoaching, so every book and teleclass I give are
connected to business people who want to brand their
business with a book. That includes how to write a saleable
book the first time. That includes how to promote online and
off. It involves how to write a selling web site before a
client calls a web master.
6. Will I write and publish s new book, will my audience
still want my first book?
Think about your business. You already have a viable title.
Then get it out to your targeted audience before you write
its sequel or update. One thing I know for sure, only the
top 3 titles of my ten books sell well.
7. Will I have the time to put 3-9 hours a week into
promoting the first book and the second book? From my
experience, I can only promote one book at a time. Ask
yourself are you just replacing and older book with a new
one?
You want to give your first book a two-three year run with
active online promotion as well as traditional. Traditional
marketing is so much slower and reaps fewer profits than the
Online way. Need a little coaching? Check our your coach's
web site for free articles or call your local high school to
get some Online basics first.
8. Do I want to spend a lot more money and time on a project
that may not be right at this time? It's a shame that
authors get tired of their book before their public has a
chance to know it. Your top thing to do is always to focus
on what brings you business or book sales. Your book project
is more than just writing, be sure to follow through well on
your first book, then see if you should produce another one.
9. Does my target audience really want this second book
title I'm thinking about now?
Do a market survey first to your present audience and other
email lists. Ask them would they buy a new book with these
benefits and features? Knowing each book's benefits and
features (why should your audience buy) and sharing them in
your back cover, web sales letter or emails is all important
to give your prospective readers a reason to buy.
10. Will I have enough focus to first sell book number one
before I add another? Am I willing to do 2-3 High Level
Activities each day to get my book into the hands of its
readers? Do I have a ready to go sound bite or tell and sell on my
book to help people buy?
Make sure that when you write another book, you have time to
market it and it serves your business purpose.
COACH'S CORNER:
Keep on Truckin'
Maybe like me, you get discouraged about your book project.
It takes such a long time; it's so much effort, and then you
have to promote-another hurdle to jump. Yet, what would you
do otherwise? If your message is good and your want to world
to know it, put your all into it. This is what I love, my
passion. Is it yours? With passion, somehow I keep on
truckin. My intention is strong and I will do everything it
takes to finish my project. Will you? What that means to me
is to put 1-3 High Level Activities on my daily calendar
that will help my book project to the finish line. Today, I
write this ezine and make some changes and updates on my Web
site to offer a new book, "How to Submit your Articles to
Top Web Sites-With 100 URL's.". When we keep on truckin,
eventually we finish and reap the rewards.
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