Blogging, Writing, and Publishing

  You can publish your book yourself, or publish with others. There are so many options available depending on how much work you want to put into the process. Writing a book is a great experience that can help you further your business opportunities. Publishing with it’s many requirements and resources could prove to be more work than you want to do, especially if writing is not our primary business.   Self-publishing provides an increasingly valuable method of getting information to your audience. With self-publishing, you can write, outsource the printing, and market your book while controlling the process. This type of publishing can be done with very little money up front and, if done right, creates a great source of revenue. If you plan to self-publish, you will need some basic items and information. Books should have copyright protection and each book sold through distribution channels will need International Standard Book Numbers (ISBN). However, with Kindle Direct Publ...

A book is a great way to start a business, develop a business or market a business. Many people struggle with what to focus on as a book topic or a business.  They wonder what they should write about, what business they should focus on, how to market the book or the business, where to start, and how to grow. Perhaps this is your journey. If so welcome to the club. One of the most difficult tasks is settling on a topic, niche or business idea. It's important to understand where your expertise lies and how to reach others with your solution. I've always been an advocate of teaching and writing and learned there lies the core of my potential business competency. I wrote my first book on the subject of teaching others how to prepare for a certification. Whether you already have a business, want to learn how to start a business, or have a book, it's important to learn how to market your capability. I always say that one of the best ways to start a newsletter appropriate for your...

  Build Trust-Build a Platform Just because your book is the only one available, it doesn’t mean people will buy it. No matter how hot the topic, you’ve still got to do the marketing of not only the book, but of yourself as the expert. Even if you have an incredible book, it will fail without the proper marketing. Think of all the books you’ve read. Perhaps you’ve read some obscure books that you thought were incredible. You tell your friends about the reading experience and they give you a shrug; they’ve never heard of the book and therefore lack your passion. Somehow someone wrote a great book and it fell into your hands by accident. Now, think of another situation where you’ve read a bestselling book. Advertising, word of mouth, reviews, and great marketing let you know it was available. You may have had an incredible desire to own the book. You finally receive the book and, with anticipation, you devour it. You find it is a good book, but perhaps not any better than the obscure...

  What I love about my specialized market is that customers are hungry for knowledge. Many seek me out because of the articles I’ve written and the local training I give. My newsletters, blogs, website, and social networking posts all point to the different methods I use for helping others understand our industry. For example, when I teach my classes at night school, I post the topic to my blog. For the sake of clarification, I will refer to online classes as information that you provide for customers to download or subscribe to. I use both methods. These are not generally live, interactive events, but just great downloadable information. Online classes can be presentations with a script read by a narrator or simply something the student will read or lead on their own. I have used website development tools to create my own classes at BennettInstitute.com.     I used my book material to develop classes and create content. I record my classes using Zoom, upload them to vide...

      Social Networking Activities Let me begin by saying that I no longer market heavily through social media. I found that in my niche, my customers used social media for the social aspect, but typically do not respond to ads, sign up forms or sales pitches. Most marketing books will encourage that activity, but I don’t recommend it unless you want to be a social media influencer or your products are social media specific. Otherwise, social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and other emerging social networks are great online places to look for experts in your field. Many have started unique groups and other venues providing opportunities to meet others and learn from their experiences. You can also contribute while you learn in an informal university experience. The key is to build connections with those you know, as well as their contacts who may be involved in your niche. The more people you connect with, the better your message gets out and the more...

  Why you might prefer to publish with another company instead of do it yourself. There are a lot of blog, newsletter, training and podcast information telling the good news about current publishing opportunities. Most tout the benefits of putting your own book on Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP). It is a great resource, but contrary to the popular discussion, it’s not the only option. It seems most information coming out seems to publisher shame anyone who does not “do it yourself”. It’s as if the expectation is to self publish and anyone who does not, is a publishing pariah. There are so many published articles describing benefits to putting your own content out though KDP, heck, even I do it. Most build entire businesses around the KDP instruction or consulting opportunities.   However, I’m more concerned with the author who just wants to write and publish their books without the hassle of the publishing business. The author who wants an outlet to make their book ava...

  In a separate article I explained that some authors may decide to publish their books with a publishing company instead of using Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing. If you are an author, consider finding a small publisher to help you through the process. Keeping in mind that when I say publisher, I’m not talking about submitting a proposal letter to a major traditional publishing house. I’m talking about through a company that specializes in self-publishing business models. While you may not want to worry about the business of publishing with KDP, they may be well versed in using it to your benefit. When looking for such a publisher, I recommend keeping a few things in mind. Find a publisher who matches your niche. That way, you can take advantage of the marketing efforts they are already doing to further your book’s success. For example, my company, Red Bike Publishing does very well at publishing content for security professionals. All of my efforts are marketing to the industry. ...