Who Would Read YOUR Book?
Brenda Trott
Helping family owned businesses who are frustrated with marketing results so they can spend more time servicing clients than chasing them.
Whenever I meet someone I think can offer value through a book, I ask if they had ever considered writing one. I’m often met with the same response. “Who would read a book I wrote?” They are not famous, and they might not even have an advanced degree so they can’t fathom an audience for their book. You might say they feel like a small fish in a big pond. If you would answer my question the same way, let me give you the only answer you really need to hear: Your prospective client!
Write to the right audience
Many times, my clients mix up their audience and think that they need to write a book that their peers would appreciate and think was worthy of their time.This makes the writing process very difficult as you are moved to impress your peers. You tend to use more jargon and the concepts you discuss are far deeper than someone outside of your field would understand or even care to learn. In contrast, when you write a book that attracts clients, you use a language that your clients understand.
Compared to writing to your peers, the language you use will be very different than writing to your clients and your concepts will only skim the surface. Your clients see you as the expert and have very basic questions of which your peers will have no interest. The answers to those questions can be a guiding factor for your book and the answer to another question I get from my own potential clients.
Selecting Your content
Another thing people ask when I suggest they write a book is “What would I even write about?” If you are a business owner, and you have clients, then you have a great book in you. If you want to write a great client-attracting book, just ask yourself, what questions do people ask you so many times that when you answer you could really just turn on a tape recorder (or mp3) ?
Each one of those questions is a potential chapter. Now, when a potential client thumbs through your table of contents, they are going to see that you, the person who wrote the book, have the answers to their questions.
When my clients publish their first book, they are often surprised to see how many doors are opened for them. People who have never read their book invite them to speak and share their expertise.
Find out what kind of client attracting book you can write here.
BA in Business Enterprise & Community Development, Project Manager, LSS Green Belt, Executive Coach and Trainer
9yA very inspiring article with great points.
Retired. .. whoopee! 😎
9yGood points. I recently DARED to put a book about Blogging on Amazon Kindle, but it took me a while to get up enough courage to just give it a try. That thought... “Who would read a book I wrote?” is very powerful and is the main reason many people don't bother. But today it is so easy, especially with, as mentioned above, Amazon Kindle. You are right about writing your book for the "Client" and not your peers - family and friends etc... because your peers will probably have little interest, as in my case, blogging. But whatever subject you choose, you can be certain that somewhere "out there" there are people who will appreciate your information or view about a particular subject. You just have stop being so self-concious! Thank you Brenda Trott.