For entrepreneurs, a book should always be more than a book. Your book should be a direct, strategic path to your business offer; a catalyst to a bigger, longer-term goal than “book sales.”

Examples of offers:

• A free consultation or report
• Speaking engagements
• Products related to your book or author brand
• Products or services from your company
• Contributions to a non-profit organization
• An even bigger vision…

Here are a couple real life examples of some of our authors who are doing this – and quite successfully.

Exhibit A: Book to Brand

One of our authors isn’t waiting for his book to be published in order to start capitalizing from it. Even as his book is being written, this author is incorporating its powerful messages and lessons into his personal brand.

This includes reworking his existing keynote speech to include the new principles, as well as including them in his speaker marketing materials and pitches to event bookers. Even while his book is still in production this author is successfully booking paid speaking engagements based on the book’s content! He’s also regularly meeting with his brand and marketing team to bring them up to speed on the new ideas and content that can be parlayed into potentially profitable brand products.

Never “just” be writing your book – ALWAYS be building your brand.

Exhibit B: A Coordinated Road to ROI

Another of our authors began plotting the course of his “book to business offer” plan well in advance of his memoir’s launch. He began by assembling the key players and resources needed not only to promote his book but more specifically to use the book as a bridge to his company’s existing business offer.

Our client’s book-to-offer strategy includes PR services, live events, digital marketing including social media, and content marketing. In addition to writing and managing our client’s brand messaging around his book, we’re making sure all the other players are coordinating seamlessly and strategically toward his (monetized) business offer.

It’s not enough for you alone to have a clear understanding of your path from book to business offer. Everyone involved on your team – whether temporary or permanent players – must have that same clarity AND be on the same page of the action strategy at all times.

Key Takeaways:

1. Start connecting the dots between your business offer and your book as soon as possible. The path might not always be completely obvious either (e.g. a book by an attorney about the law and an offer for legal services). Engage your imagination, do a mind map, brainstorm – use your favorite creative problem solving process to uncover the connection between the content in your book and the selling points of your offer.
2. If you’re already a published author or just about to launch your book, it’s not too late to get started now. It all starts with a strategy, so get to work figuring out the people, resources and tools needed to guide your readers to the next step of their relationship with you.
3. The most vital piece of your “book to offer” strategy is your book itself. A top quality book — one that blends story and message so well that people can’t put it down, and can’t help telling their friends about it — is the foundation of your entire monetization strategy. The quality of your book will be a direct reflection on the success of your offer.

Need help connecting the dots between your book and your business offer? Click here to schedule a free consultation!