Entrepreneur, philanthropist and international speaker. Regan Hillyer is here to help you make a bigger impact. www.reganhillyer.com
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Have you ever considered writing a book to boost the profile of your personal brand, marque or business? Consider it too time consuming? Maybe you feel you don't have the expertise or the ability to craft a bestseller.
Relax. If you have established a brand or commercial business, grown and nurtured it and weathered some storms within it, you possess all of the attributes required to write a how-to book that documents your journey. There are audiences everywhere who are eager to learn how to achieve business growth and expertise and to avoid the pitfalls that just might have befallen you. They are also keen to learn the steps to the successes achieved so that they may fast track to where you are.
Do note that these tips I am discussing with you in no way relate to crafting a fiction book, but relate purely to a commercial how-to book that portrays your business experience and your specific specialist knowledge niche.
In my seminars and programs, I have mentored many clients through commencing their writing careers, and I have given tips and tricks from my own experience on how they can get published and launch their book. Many of them started out protesting that they were not capable writers, didn't have confidence in their own writing and didn't believe they "had a book inside them." A substantial number of these timid starters have since become writers of at least two highly respected and well-sold how-to books.
The other point I always stress is that a well-written book that has been well promoted is a great way to assist in growing a brand.
To date, I have written and published five books; one is an update (a second version) of a previous topic, because the market that I was describing had moved on and changed and the book needed building on; the others are on a variety of topics associated with my métier and skill set.
There are a number of positives that I have experienced from writing, launching and publishing those five books.
Becoming a "best-selling author" of my first book that was sculpted around what I was teaching and encouraging in my clients really helped boost my career and assisted the credibility behind my emerging, fledgling brand.
My first book helped me rapidly grow my email list from eight hundred followers to five thousand-plus people, which was a huge jump in the beginning.
After people had read my books, they then wanted to delve deeper into the topics described and consequently started investing in my products and courses, mentoring opportunities and specific programs that led on to other opportunities to upskill themselves with me. It was definitely a confidence inspirer.
So, armed with this encouragement, when people commence upon writing a book, their most common claim is that they “don’t know where to start!” So where do you start?
Initially, I recommend you sit down and do a set of self-analysis exercises. This is so that you understand your strengths and weaknesses and are aware of the pitfalls you may self-blunder into.
To produce a well-crafted and interesting book that captivates the reader, I believe, and I teach, that there are three key elements to success you must cultivate as a writer.
Rate yourself honestly on these three attributes. Note there is no "poor" or "exceptional," just an increasing amount of self-knowledge and self-awareness as to how you rate yourself in order to learn any skills that require a polish or aspects you need to curb.
The three key personality elements you need to analyze are:
First, extraversion. Verywell Mind explains, "Extraversion is characterized by sociability, talkativeness, assertiveness, and excitability. People who are high in extroversion tend to seek out social stimulation and opportunities to engage with others." For example, I believe that as I am not naturally high in extraversion, I have had to "learn" these skills. To face the media and express myself in print and with my clients unapologetically and confidently, I have had to cultivate a degree of extraversion. Where do you sit on the extraversion scale, and how do you manage your excess of talkativeness or your lack of it? How will you manage the reader’s perception of yourself in your book’s voice?
Second, consciousness. This is the state of being aware and positive about your surroundings, being present and thoroughly invested in what you are doing. In terms of creating and writing, how much are you connected to your audience? How tuned in are you with what your audience is waiting to hear? If you have to publicize your book and answer questions, how will you manage this situation?
And, third, conscientiousness. When someone is conscientious, again according to Verywell Mind, "they are able to exercise self-discipline and self-control in order to pursue and ultimately achieve their goals. Typically, people who score high in conscientiousness are organized, determined and able to postpone immediate gratification for the sake of long-term success." Hence, they are the individuals who successfully see a project through to completion. Can you go the long stretches it takes to complete a book?
Essentially, I would encourage all budding entrepreneurs to write a book as the exercise is valuable, brings clarity of thought and offers another tool in the entrepreneur’s tool kit for the promotion of your products, services and skill set. Take the plunge.
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