Over the past twelve years, I’ve had the pleasure of helping over 175 authors publish more than 220 titles. This experience has provided me with valuable insights into what makes a business book successful—not just in bestseller rankings but in significantly impacting the author’s business. From these insights, I’ve identified five key principles that underpin successful business book publishing:
- Alignment
- Quality
- Ownership
- Distribution
- Integration
Let’s explore each of these Principles in more detail.
1. Alignment: Harmony Between Your Book and Business
Alignment is critical to successful business publishing because it affects every aspect of the book-writing journey, not just publishing. It’s about ensuring that your book and business work together seamlessly, reinforcing each other to strengthen both entities. Consistency of messaging is vital. Your book’s tone, voice, and brand should align with your business. This alignment builds trust and credibility with readers, establishing you as an authority who practices what you preach.
Start by identifying and understanding your book’s target audience, ensuring it aligns with your ideal business client. Your book’s content should address the needs, challenges, questions, and pain points of this audience. Consistency in style, tone, and language between your book and business materials further reinforces this alignment. Integrating your business’s core values, mission, and vision into your book’s content and messaging also reinforces your brand identity.
Alignment extends beyond the content to how your book is marketed. It should be integrated into your broader business sales and marketing strategy, allowing for seamless cross-promotion. This consistency should be evident across all platforms, from your website to social media and public appearances. Long-term, a well-aligned book engages readers and converts them into loyal customers and vocal supporters.
A crucial aspect of alignment is ensuring your book evolves with your business. As your business grows, your book should reflect new insights, strategies, and developments. This ongoing alignment keeps your content relevant and valuable to your readers, reinforcing your authority and expertise over time.
2. Quality: Reflecting Professionalism in Your Book
Quality is paramount in successful business publishing and ensuring that your book is a true reflection of your business. Modern readers have high expectations, and your book’s quality directly influences their perception of you and your business. Key areas to focus on include:
- Cover Design: Your book’s cover is the first impression, so it must be visually appealing and professionally designed.
- Editing & Proofreading: A book riddled with mistakes can be off-putting. Professional editors and proofreaders ensure your book is error-free and enhances the reader experience.
- Content & Structure: A clear, logical structure guides the reader effectively through your book.
- Typography & Formatting: Choices in font, text size, and layout enhance readability and aesthetics.
- Image Quality: High-quality images that enhance content are crucial, with attention to copyright issues.
- Consistency in Branding: Apply branding elements consistently throughout the book.
- Printing & Binding: Ensure high standards in print quality, paper stock, and binding.
- eBook Formatting & Compatibility: Digital editions should resemble print versions and be compatible across multiple devices.
To achieve these quality standards, analyse competitors’ books, consult with printers and publishing platforms, and set aside a budget for professional services. Investing in quality is an investment in your brand’s reputation, and the returns will manifest in how your book is received by your audience.
3. Ownership: Retain Control and Rights
Ownership is crucial for successful business publishing, especially for business authors as it ensures you retain 100% of all rights and royalties. Unlike traditional publishing, where rights are often owned by the publisher, self-publishing allows you to maintain full control. Here are the key aspects:
- Publishing Imprint: Register your publishing imprint, which signifies professionalism and reinforces your brand identity.
- ISBN Ownership: Purchase your own ISBNs to maintain control and tracking of your books.
- Distribution Accounts: Own your accounts with print-on-demand platforms like Amazon KDP and IngramSpark to control your book’s availability and royalties.
- Sales Channel Control: Utilize various sales channels, including direct sales through your website and non-book-specific platforms.
- Distribution of Rights: Retain flexibility to sell partial rights, such as territorial, digital, or subsidiary rights, to expand your reach and revenue potential.
Educate yourself on copyright and rights ownership and seek legal advice if needed to protect your interests. Ownership ensures that you can respond swiftly to market changes, emerging technologies, and new opportunities, maintaining your book’s relevance and profitability.
4. Distribution: Maximizing Reach
A well-thought-out distribution strategy is essential to successful business publishing and getting your book into readers’ hands. Wide distribution through multiple channels ensures a broader audience reach. Here’s how to achieve it:
- Amazon KDP: List your book on Amazon for its global reach and features like “Look Inside” and Amazon Author Central.
- IngramSpark: Complement Amazon with IngramSpark to access a broader network of independent bookstores, online retailers, libraries, and universities.
- Self-Distribution: Use platforms like BookVault for automated print-on-demand fulfilment and sell directly through your website and social media channels.
Combining traditional and modern distribution approaches maximizes your book’s reach and impact. Wide distribution isn’t just about making your book available everywhere; it’s about being strategic in choosing the right platforms that align with your target audience’s preferences and behaviours.
Explore niche markets and specialized distribution channels that can provide higher visibility among specific audiences. Tailor your distribution strategy to fit the unique aspects of your book’s content and your business goals.
5. Integration: Embedding Your Book into Your Business Ecosystem
Integration is about embedding your book into every aspect of your business to maximize its impact and multiply the effects of the other successful business publishing principles we’ve covered so far. This involves:
- Sales: Use your book as a magnet for leads, an upsell tool, or a gift incentive.
- Profile: Boost your profile by incorporating your book into your public-facing materials and networking introductions.
- PR: Leverage your book for media opportunities, interviews, guest appearances, and speaking engagements.
- Repurposing Content: Repurpose your book’s content for blogs, articles, webinars, and other marketing materials.
- Marketing: Use your book-related activities for marketing campaigns across social media and email lists.
A well-integrated book can continue to benefit your business long-term, far beyond its initial launch. Think of your book as a dynamic asset that can be leveraged in multiple ways to support your business objectives.
Host webinars and workshops based on your book’s content, offering deeper dives into specific topics. This not only provides additional value to your audience but also positions you as a thought leader in your industry. Use your book to create online courses or membership programs, turning your expertise into a scalable product.
Next Steps
Are you ready to transform your business through the power of a book? Pre-order your copy of ” THE WRITE STRATEGY: A No-Nonsense Guide to Boosting Your Thought Leadership Through Publishing” now and start your journey to becoming a published author and industry leader.
By implementing these principles of successful business publishing, you can ensure your business book not only succeeds but also significantly impacts your business, establishing you as the go-to expert in your field.
