Books as Marketing Tools? You Bet!

Many professionals are finding that by writing a book, they are looked upon with more respect as an expert, and they are able to use their book as a tool to market themselves to their target audiences. Ever get a look of awe from a prospect when you hand them a brochure? Probably not. Ever try to sell a brochure in the back of the room after presenting? I think not. It's a different story with a book for these and many other reasons. Below are two stories from authors using their books as marketing tools:

Use your book to establish your credibility...

Many professionals consider writing books as a calling card, and I do believe that is quite effective. However, that was not my motivation. I’m writing books, because I’m serious about a long-term career as an author. That said, being an author has been beneficial for my other professional pursuits because of the attention it brings.

Jeff Beals,
Author of Self Marketing Power: Branding Yourself as a Business of One
http://www.selfmarketingpower.com/

Use them as introductions...

I've been amazed at how many books we have given away as a way of promoting our nonprofit organization. Not only has the book given added credibility to what we are doing, it gives people a chance to get an in-depth picture of how our organization fits into the larger social structure within the community.

Donna Miesbach
Co-author of Coaching for a Bigger Win: A Playbook for Coaches
http://www.theplaymakers.org/

Handing a potential customer or client your own book solidifies your place in that person's mind as a recognized, knowledgeable expert... and a generous one at that.

Why Go Indie?

Over the next few blog posts, we will be following a common theme: Why did our authors decide to go with us and publish their books independently?

The main reason we decided to publish independently was because we needed to have the book available within a specific time frame. That would not have been possible if we had tried to go through a "mainstream publisher," since that can be a very slow process. Not only that, we wanted to be sure the book would always be available, that it would not "go out of print." Also, we had a very clear idea of what we wanted the book to look like. Publishing independently allowed us to have the final say on how the cover design and contents would be set up.

Donna Miesbach
Co-author of Coaching for a Bigger Win
Playmakers Press
http://www.theplaymakers.org/