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One of the biggest mistakes I see authors of nonfiction make is to do just that. They have no plan at all for getting it out to the world, connecting with others, or using it to leverage a business they already have.

Check out the video below for my tips on how to use your book as an evergreen piece of your coaching or speaking business!

The post How a Book Works for a Coach or Speaker Biz appeared first on Aurora Corialis Publishing.

A lot of people complain that you “can’t make any money from selling books,” but that’s simply not true.

You might not sell enough books to quit your day job, but you can absolutely make money from your books. Look at all the people out there doing it! Plus, as a business owner, you have the added bonus of seeding the sales in your book and using it in a number of ways to turn a bigger profit.

Want to know how? Watch the video!

The post The Return on Your Book Investment appeared first on Aurora Corialis Publishing.

Investing in your book is investing in your business, pure and simple.

Like investing in doing a podcast. Like investing in a website. It’s a piece of the business that dovetails with what you already do.

There is more to it than just deciding that you want a book and hoping that it pans out.

Watch the video to learn more about how investing in your book works.

The post Investing in Your Book is Investing in Your Business appeared first on Aurora Corialis Publishing.

Employ these methods now to avoid ups and downs due to sickness or crisis

If you have a business, then you’ve likely seen challenges. Lack of clients, loss of staff, illness and more changed the landscape of many businesses quarantine during the spring of 2020 quarantine, and it’s left many looking for outside the box ways to bring stability and work in new ways.

The beautiful thing about having a book for your business is that it already fills the requirements of social distancing. It’s a product that can easily be downloaded or shipped without hassle. And any activities that I talk about in this article can be done from the comfort of your own yoga pants on the couch or at your computer. This means that whether you get sick, move, are stuck in your house, or see other challenges, you can still do these activities and know that you are moving ahead with minimal effort, stress, and impact on others.

Everyone who wants to be seen as a leader—speakers, coaches, brick-and-mortar service providers, business owners, nonprofit leaders, CEOs, etc.—needs to have a book with their ideas, their journey, or a base-line for their programs in it. If you already have one, great! I have some suggestions for you to put in place right now that will leverage that book to keep you in the black. Don’t have a book yet? I’ve got you, too! Check out the end of the article for some suggestions to get started.

Hello, Author

You have a six-figure story, so let’s learn how to use it—

1. Give it away. All that time and investment to give it away? Hear me out. My client Matt actually had great success with this when he saw an opportunity to give his book about overcoming addiction to a school that helps teenagers with that challenge. He sent them several gift copies, just to make a difference, and they later contacted him about giving several paid talks at the school. How’s that for a gift that keeps giving? You can donate books to swag bags, do a drawing, use it to pitch for reviews in publications, and find other ways to create buzz, change lives, and keep up the momentum by giving your book away. Get creative!
2. Talk about it. Would you believe that I’ve met speakers and coaches before who never mention that they wrote a book? This is how you get known! Use your status as an author when pitching media, events, and more. My client Stacy became known as an expert on self-sabotage and your inner critic because of her book and received numerous requests keynoting and partnering on events. And once you book those events, podcasts, and other interviews, don’t forget to mention your book! Bring it up naturally in conversation! And of course, list it in your bios when you are speaking or on social media. Your book should never be a secret.
3. Sell it. Are you even a real business owner if you don’t have a copy of your book on you at all times? (Joking of course.) But seriously, this one is easy. Keep some copies in your car and throw one in your handbag when you’re able to go out and about, and always have them on your table at speaking and networking events. During quarantine, blizzards, or other events that keep you at home, bring up your book at virtual speaking events, summits, or networking mixers and tell them they can get a discount by going through you or your website. If you offer both digital and hard copy, it’s even easier to sell. Plus, if you use a method to write the book like my own SPARK Method, which I teach in my book and course (see how this works?), then you will have readers coming back to you for coaching, speaking, and more because your book is a marketing piece!
4. Develop a program around it. This is the bonus! Everyone who bought a copy of your book can send a picture of the receipt to join a free program you created (something simple) where you will upsell to your bigger coaching packages. Or you can create a low-cost course that teaches the strategies in your book and includes group coaching calls. People must have the book to join, of course, so they can get part of the content that way. Doing a few homework sheets and videos to accompany this can be quick and easy.

These are all simple, low-cost ways to use your book right now, but what if you haven’t written it yet?

Get started now! It’s time to start thinking about who you want to be. If you want to be a leader, then you need a book. An ideal time for coaches, speakers, and other business owners to start their books is when sales are down, clients are fewer, they have more time at home, or they are taking specific vacation time for writing. However, anyone can block off the time and make it work with dedication, a deadline, and solid writing goals to make consistent progress. 

Think about your goals with your book and how it fits into your marketing plan. Then pinpoint your exact audience, create an outline that is targeted, and write without judgment. Remember that your editor is the one to make it perfect, so don’t get caught up in your wording and just write.

Your book should help you get more clients and speaking gigs and help you make a bigger impact, so think about the big picture and keep up the momentum no matter what the world throws at you! What you put in place now could make a huge difference in the months ahead.

The post Use Your Business Book as an Evergreen Marketing Tool with these 4 Tips appeared first on Aurora Corialis Publishing.

Every once in a while, I run into someone who scoffs when I talk about how books build businesses. Usually, it’s someone who published and hasn’t seen results themselves. And this can absolutely happen! So if this is a current problem for you, there are several questions you need to look at to shift that and get your business into high gear. Your book is a vehicle, after all, and you should be able to hop on and get somewhere, right?

1. Have you actually written your book? I mean, let’s be honest. People talk and talk about writing a book and then never actually do it. So if you’re one of the talkers, what’s stopping you? Check out some of the posts on my Contents page to pinpoint what you need to tweak to leap on the author train.
2. Does it look and sound professional? Look at your book from the perspective of a reader or even just a person interested in your business. Do you have a professional photo or image on the cover? Or is it fuzzy or pixelated? Is the font really big? Do the pages look like a traditional publisher could have printed them? Was it edited by a professional? All these things (and more!) can make a huge difference in how you, your book, and your business are perceived!
3. Is it something people actually want? Do a little digging. Are there other titles in your genre? Does your book stand out from them in a good way? Do you get the questions that you answer in your book from ideal clients? Make sure that your book is something that people would actually want to buy after a speaking gig, review as part of their coaching package, or pick up on their own before you decide if this is something that you want to keep working with.
4. Are you marketing it to the right people? Look at who you are talking to about your book in print, on social media, and in person. Are they your ideal clients? Or are you just telling anyone about it? While some of the random people you talk to may be able to refer the right people to you, you have to also make sure that you are targeted about your marketing instead just using the spaghetti on the wall approach.
5. Does anyone know about your book? Ok, let’s be honest. Did you self-publish, cross your fingers, and not say a word to anyone but your mom about your book? Though Mom is certainly proud, you have to talk it up, add it to your profiles, and advertise. Get visible.
6. Are you bringing it with you to events, networking, your vendor table? I have a rule: always have a book on me. If I break that rule, I always have a book in my car. And I’ve written eight books! Yes, I keep one copy of each of my books in the car because you never know when someone will randomly ask about them. AND, if you’re at a targeted event, carry one in with you. Show it off. Be proud. If they don’t tell you that you can’t, go ahead. I once had a manager say, “It’s easier to beg forgiveness than to ask permission,” so test it out. Be respectful, of course, if you are told to put it away.
7. Are you touting yourself as an author? Add “author” or “bestselling author” to your profile. All your profiles. And your bios. And your speaker sheet. And your website. Heck, buy a t-shirt and wear it. Get used to introducing yourself as an author so people know that YOU’RE AN AUTHOR!

These are just the basics to check, of course, and there could be other things keeping you from getting anywhere with that book. But just like making sure your device is plugged in before you call tech support to complain that it’s not taking a charge, check these simple things first to get real about why your book isn’t pulling its weight.

The post Why Your Book isn’t Helping your Business appeared first on Aurora Corialis Publishing.

We’ve all heard people refer to books as the new business card, but I believe that they are so much more than that.

First of all, if you hand someone a book, they aren’t going to add you on LinkedIn and then toss it in the trash. A tangible item is way more likely to either lay on their desk (reminding them of you every day), be given to a friend who may need it (hey, that’s a referral!), or sold at a second-hand book store (so someone who needs it will get it and learn about you!).

Second of all, books are a wealth of knowledge. You will learn so much more about a person through their book than their business card or even their website. That book took a lot of time to work on, and that writer is standing behind their name on it!

Maybe you’ve been thinking about writing a book, but you aren’t quite convinced yet that this is for you.

Yes, it’s a time investment. Yes, it can be a major emotional investment. Yes, you will need to work with professionals to make it happen. And yes, it is totally worth it.

Here are some of the big things that you get from writing a book for your business:

• Authenticity – no one can write it better than you. When you write your own book, you are able to reveal some of your deepest truths. Just the way you write is like your unique fingerprint. People can absolutely mimic your writing, learn about your topic, and write the book for you, but it won’t be totally you. When you sit down to write, you end up doing so much more than regurgitating knowledge. This isn’t a test. It’s a way to open up and let people in. And that authenticity leads to the next thing . . .
• Connection – know, like, and trust. Have you ever binge watched a TV show? Silly question, I know. Isn’t it funny how we feel like we know the characters when we’ve watched them interact on the screen for a long time? The same thing happens with a book, yes, even a nonfiction book. You, the writer, are also the main character and narrator. You are guiding us through your ideas. You are showing us the way. And when you help someone navigate a challenge, you grow a little closer.
• Instant Expert Status. What could be better than that? Writing a book means that you are stepping up in a big way, and people are going to notice. Part of the big visibility leap is what you do yourself with the book: the marketing that leads to the launch and beyond. Plus, that book will get passed around, and you can use it to give people who are looking for speakers a much better idea of who you are and what you do!

There is more, of course, but these are the biggest things that come from writing a book. The point is to drive people back to you as the expert.

The post The Top 3 Reasons to Write a Book for your Business appeared first on Aurora Corialis Publishing.

I know that so many coaches give more than they have to just to make sure that the lesson sticks, that the mind shifts, that the client is able to get over that hurdle and achieve what they’ve been looking for.

But you’re only one person, right? You can only give so much. And when you have a lot of clients or a lot of big projects, it makes it tough for you to give as much as you would like.

As a mom, I totally understand that you don’t want to put in a ton of extra hours just to help one person because, well, you have other responsibilities. You became a coach partially for the freedom it allows you, especially if you have a family. You can work around the kids’ schedules and help others! A major win/win!

So, many coaches turn to writing a book so they can help people more without blowing through a ton of time. Here are some great suggestions for ways to use a book to be of more service and give more than you could if you didn’t have to sleep!

1. Use a book to get your client up to speed so you don’t have to cover the preliminary stuff and waste a session. If you follow a process that involves a lot of steps at the beginning that, honestly, your clients don’t need you to hold their hand through, then use a book to let them walk through those steps on their own. Maybe they need to do some super basic brainstorming, writing about their dreams and goals, or organization of an area, file folder, or business plan to be able to jump into your program prepared. Instead of spending a whole session doing the basics, give them a book to start with so they will have the appropriate materials ready to dive right in.
2. Give the basic steps and a brief intro to the program as a whole. Talk about everything you hope to achieve with a basic client-coach relationship. Cover a step in the process for each step of the book and flesh it out a bit. But won’t they be able to just do it on their own after they read the book? Maybe. And that’s ok. In most cases, though, they will need to come back to you because it’s just easier to work one-on-one with a specialist who can adjust things to fit that specific person’s situation.
3. Prep your client for your philosophy. What is the big concept that you hold at the center of your coaching business? Can you talk about why that’s important, how that impacts real lives/businesses, and how it has impacted you? Start with that and talk about how it will work for a certain type of coaching client—your ideal client! When someone has a background on the process and understands you on a deeper level like this, it will help them when they are clients.

The beauty of a book is that you can make it evergreen, give it away as a coaching gift, sell it online or at speaking events, and work it to help others that you may not be able to work with one-on-one. You don’t have to spread yourself thinner to make a bigger impact!

The post How to Serve by Writing a Book appeared first on Aurora Corialis Publishing.

You’ve told your story. You’ve analyzed. You’ve provided the reader with a path to take, guidance, solutions, and the knowledge that you can help them through to the end of their journey.

Now what?

Before you send to printing, take another look at that book. It’s really a marketing piece, not a stand alone. What do YOU want to get out of that book?

A client, of course. So you need to have a good and obvious call-to-action when the reader gets to that last page.

What’s a call-to-action? It’s the instructions for the reader to take the next step. And yes, you want it to be completely obvious. Don’t cross your fingers and hope the reader goes to your website to email you about a private session. Let them know that’s what you want.

Part of developing a book for your business is having a plan for that book. Ideally, you should start before you write the book to decide how you want to gain clients from the book and where you want to send them. However, you can do it at the end as well. Here are some questions to ask yourself:

• How do you want to work with the reader? Do you want them to take a course, attend a lecture/seminar/workshop, or book coaching with you? At the end of the book, mention options for next steps so the reader can easily transition to that next step.
• What do you already have in place for the reader to do next? What do you need to build? Determine what information the reader would need next and give them that. If they have the basics from your book but would benefit from going straight to coaching with you, then that’s where you want to lead them. However, if you have some mini-courses they can take to expand on the information from the book, send them to the sales page. Make sure the next step is something that makes sense. AND make sure it’s a way for you to turn a profit.
• Can you get their email address? The absolute most important thing you can do is get that reader’s email address. That way, you can send them info, answer their questions, hook them up with great freebies like a video series or a worksheet for chapter 5, etc. This is a huge step toward know, like, and trust, so don’t neglect a reason to ask them for their email. Do this by sending them to your website for a freebie (a short video series is a great thing to offer), or by asking them what questions they have about the book.

You want to encourage your audience to take action now, right when they are fresh from your book, brimming with ideas, and ready to jump into their journey. If they can get on your list right away, then you can stay connected with them, so make sure you have that call-to-action at the end of your book.

Pro tip: Sprinkle things throughout your book that will encourage the reader to come to your website, join your Facebook group, or follow you on Instagram, for example. If you have something that would help out the reader at a particular point in the book, mention it. If it’s an ebook, link to it. Keeping it simple and making it attractive will help you out a lot with turning that reader into a client.

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