Lisa Tener of Saunderstown, Rhode Island, USA, a book-writing coach, won the Gold Stevie® Award for Marketer of the Year in the marketing awards categories of The 2012 American Business Awards, the top business awards program in America. (Entries for The 2014 American Business Awards are now being accepted. Learn more here.) We asked Lisa to contribute this article about how writing and publishing a book builds your business or your credentials.
In the past eight years, I have served many clients, nearly all of them business owners. In that time, I’ve seen where business owners can go awry in their journeys to become successful authors. I’ve also seen where they go right; and I have guided them to write books that helped them market their services and grow their businesses—and themselves—significantly.
Here‘s what writing the right book can do for you and/or your business:
- Bring in New Clients. You can use your book to target the audience(s) you want to reach in order to grow your business. For example, many of my clients use their books as an opportunity to shift to a more affluent or successful customer base.
- Attract High End Sales. What do I see most of all when my clients write the right book? The book sells on the Internet and then–voilà!—a high-end sale follows. One of my authors later shared with me that many people who purchased her book on the Internet for $35 read it immediately and promptly signed up for her $3,500 business-based seminar.
- Expert-ise Yourself. You may be an expert in your field, but if no one “out there” in the world of media knows it—and I’m talking blogs, newspapers, magazines, radio, and TV shows—what difference does it make business-wise? Guess what? Write the right book and you will have the “hook” to get big-time media results. CNN. ABC. NBC. My clients do it all. The same happened to me when I published the right book.
- Raise your Excitement Level. Write the right book and exciting opportunities follow. I’ve seen it all: partnerships; high-paying speaking engagements; travel to destinations such as Hawaii, the Caribbean, and Bermuda to lead retreats. What’s your dream?
- Socialize with Celebrities. When I wrote the right book, I met authors, speakers, TV anchors, radio hosts, and many other influential individuals. I found their company stimulating and inspiring. Many are in my life as I write this. You can do the same if you haven’t already.
- Increase Your Influence—online and off. If you want to influence larger numbers of people—especially if you have a message, be it a business one or a personal one—the right book is the best tool to achieve this. Kathy LeMay, the founder and head of Raising Change, is a great example. An author-client of mine, LeMay used her book, The Generosity Plan, to make an impact on large numbers of people. After publishing The Generosity Plan, she trained high-powered financial planners at some of the biggest banks in the country on the often subtle and secretive art of discussing philanthropic investments with equally high-powered clients.
- Double or Triple Your Income. I see new doors open for my clients all the time—attracting high-paying speaking engagements, new consulting gigs, research grants, and other lucrative opportunities. Write the right book and you can grow your income substantially.
- Leave Your Day Job. One client, Pat Hastings, retired from her day job just nine months after publishing her first book, Simply a Woman of Faith. What more can I say?
- Have Bigger Tax Write-offs. Ask any author and you’ll find out that there is a tax write- off around every writing corner. These often include travel, research expenses, classes. One writer I know—the author of a fashion-related book—was actually told by a tax specialist to be sure to write off her hair-styling appointments because that is when she has in-depth conversations about style trends. (The category is “research.”)
- Remember The Ego Factor. Yes, write the right book and you’ll feel wonderful about yourself! It’s quite the accomplishment. It’s no wonder that The New York Times reported that writing a book is on 80% of people’s “bucket lists.” My advice to you: Don’t wait. Do it now!
About Lisa Tener
Lisa Tener specializes in helping experts and enlightened entrepreneurs write and publish a compelling and marketable nonfiction book—taking them step-by-step through her unique process. She teaches on the faculty of Harvard Medical School’s CME publishing course and blogs on book writing and publishing for the Huffington Post.
You’ve seen Lisa Tener’s book writing clients on the Today Show, Oprah, CBS Early Show, Good Morning America, Fox News, CNN and in national publications. Her clients have signed 5- and 6-figure publishing deals with Random House, Simon & Schuster, Charles Scribner’s Sons, HarperCollins, New World Library, Yale University Press, and many other publishing houses. Lisa Tener has appeared on ABC World News and PBS, and her work has appeared in Glamour, USA Weekend, The Boston Globe, and the Providence Journal, among others. She blogs for the Huffington Post and at How To Write a Book. Learn more at www.lisatener.com.
