Yes, I said, your book is a business and it takes planning so your book is professionally published. From idea inception to writing, publishing, and marketing, each step takes careful planning so it is successful and makes money. Why are you writing your book? Who is going to purchase your book? What is your book about? When are you going to write, publish, market? Where are you going to write, publish, market?
I’m going to elaborate on each of the five Ws next and why they’re important. We’ve worked with and talked to many, many people who want to write and publish a book, but they don’t understand the concept of how writing a book is a business. We talked with one author who published a book some years ago and said he didn’t want to self-publish another book because his first book didn’t sell. We asked him what he did to market his book and he said, “I put it on Amazon.” Fact: You cannot plop your book on Amazon (or any other place) and think it’s going to market and sell itself. Period.
People don’t understand how a book is a business because they don’t know what they don’t know…
We’ve talked with other writers who want to publish a book and they don’t understand how a book is a business and it takes money to write, edit, publish, and market a book. Yes, it takes money to make sure your published book is professional when it hits the market whether you traditionally or self-publish. It does take more money out of pocket when you self-publish versus traditionally publish a book, but there are pros and cons to both avenues.
The five Ws relate to writing a book, to life, to business: Who, What, When, Where, and Why. When you aren’t clear on the answers to these questions, successfully moving forward is hard because you won’t have all the underlying plans. A book is a business and a business takes planning…
The five Ws and their importance in business
Why? Why are you writing your book? Are you writing your book to share an important story from your life: dysfunctional upbringing, abuse – physical, sexual, mental? Perhaps you’re writing so you can share your expertise from your years of experience in culinary arts, medicine, finance, teaching? Is your passion about writing a book so deep inside you you’ll see it through to completion? Your why is what makes you write when you don’t feel like it, what makes you put your feet on the ground every single day and go to work. Your why drives you when you all you want to do is quit. Simon Sinek is one of the top experts on helping people discover their WHY. Listen to some of his videos to help you find your true purpose; your WHY.
Who? Who is going to purchase your book? Do you know your audience? You want raving fans waiting to purchase your book when it’s published. Have you completed any market research to find out what people want to know more about from your topic? What is the top problem you solve for your audience? Discovering who you are writing to and what they want to hear is going to dramatically influence your plan for writing, publishing, marketing… Ask your friends on social media. Yes, it’s as simple as forming a survey and asking what what people would like to learn from your story.
What? What are your goals for writing a book? Are you writing your book for the prestige; to become a best seller? What are you writing about? If someone asked you, “What’s your book about,” Instead of replying, “Cooking” and they look away (LOL, not), you could say, “My book teaches busy people how to cook healthy dinners in less than 30 minutes by providing them with easy-to-follow directions.” Boom. Straight and to the point.
When? When are you going to commit to writing, publishing, marketing your book? It can be overwhelming with all of the steps involved, but it’s easier to process when you have a plan. Start with your book plan; this is the time you plan to write so you complete your manuscript, plan a date for publication, plan your marketing (it does start ASAP, not when you finish publishing). The great thing about having a plan is it can change, but you have everything laid out, you know the professionals you want to work with you to publish, and you’re building your fan base by marketing throughout.
Where? Where are you going to write your book? Find a place where your creativity booms. It is a sunny room in your house? Perhaps you like to write at your desk. Maybe when it’s a beautiful day you go write at the park, by the water, on the beach.
The five Ws I’ve discussed here are important for your vision, for planning, for your business, for your life.
Now you have information on the importance of how your book is a business; are you ready to gain clarity on your 5Ws? Join us for our Vision Board Workshop January 27 and see your #2020Success soar!
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