Remember when you were so excited about writing your book? You did it. Other people talk about writing a book, but do they, do it? No. Congratulations! You are one of the exceptional ones. What happened to your book? Surely, when you completed it, you might have fantasized, “This is it!” My book is going to be a best-seller, and I’ll never have to work again. I will go on book tours, be a regular expert in news media, and be a special guest on Oprah.
Tell Your Friends
You are proud of your accomplishment of writing your book. You’re holding it in your hands and you want to tell the people you are about the most about it, to share it with them. You think they will resonate with your message and your mission, so you show it to them. And what’s their response?
“Wow! That’s great! You’re a published author! I can’t believe it! I’ve never known a published author before! This is amazing!”
You feel proud that someone in your inner circle appreciates all your hard work and effort, and then, before you can utter a word of gratitude, they ask,
“How many have you sold? How much money have you made?”
And you’re like, what? They could have asked what the book was about, what your plans were, anything, really. But making it all about the money, and just that? You realize that this person does not get it, and certainly, does not get you. After a few of those interactions, you stop telling anyone that you wrote a book.
Hire a Publisher
And you know what? Your book deserves that kind of acclaim, but you never really got a chance. About half of us reach out to a publisher who promises us riches and fame, they have an impressive list of all the things that they are going to do for you. They will put you in their catalog, promote your book to all the bookstores in America, list your book with school, public, college, and university libraries. Send out press releases to all the news and media outlets and feature you in the most prestigious book shows and conventions in the world, and more… Wow! All for anywhere from $3,000 to $15,000… what a bargain.
You dip into your life’s savings, or beg, borrow, or steal the cash from Peter to pay Paul, and you jump through all their hoops. You pay for a professional headshot, provide them with your life’s history, pay for additional editing and reformatting of your book, and order a few copies for yourself, anywhere from 100 to 1,000 books.
Surprise! Here’s a Million Dollars from the Sales of Your Bo0k!
If you are part of the half of the people who did not do this, you may have tried some other things that you heard about on the Internet or in the news. I’m not saying that the stories of would-be authors standing at the gas pump in the middle of the night, trying to put gas in their car when their card is rejected, then wake up the next morning to a million-dollar check from the sales of their book are not true. They are. But your chances of being struck by lightning on a clear day while you’re crossing the street are far more likely. Yet, these stories inspire us, and they should.
The Book Guy
I am the book guy. Ask anyone who knows me. If you come within three feet of me, you’ve either written a book, or have started to write a book. I believe at the very least, when your life has come to an end, you should leave something behind, and a book is an excellent thing that proves that you were here, that your life had meaning.
There are many reasons to write a book, and for the authors that I work with, the most important driving force behind their desire to write is to make a contribution to the world. They want to share from their heart with others, how to live a better life and make the world a better place. And they do.
The Next Level
Then, my clients and friends take the book to the next level. They just don’t write the book and hope that someone discovers it. These movers and shakers build a movement, business, or empire around the book, which self-perpetuates the sales of their book, and they are quite likely to write other books and do the same, once they’ve done one successfully.
Writing a Book Means Something
Because that’s what you want to do, right? You want to write a book that you can put into the hands of people who need it, who want it, and who can benefit from your words, your heart’s song, your teaching, wisdom, and/or coaching.
This is your life’s purpose. Don’t cover your light, let it shine brightly to benefit others who are desperately waiting to hear your message. They are trying to find you, so let yourself be found by taking the initiative to introduce yourself in a big way, and don’t rely on someone else to do this for you.
Do It Yourself
No one cares about you, your message, your book, or your contribution more than you. You get you. Help others to hear you so they can get you too. Those who do this don’t care about their stats about being a New York Times Best Selling Author.
Be a New York Times Best-selling Author
For a quick reality check, I paid a lot of money to learn from a New York Times Best Selling Author, and it broke my heart to learn that if you follow a certain sequential list of tips, tricks, and techniques, anyone with any kind of book could make the list. This elusive title became worthless to me at that moment, unless of course, my book happened to make the list on its own merit.
Where Are They Now?
And take a look at all those NYT best-selling authors. Where are they today? Where’s their contribution? Where is the prosperity? Most authors who made it on the best sellers list have the title, but little else.
You Can Do This
But we, my friends, and colleagues do so much more. With us? It’s not about the title, it’s about the impact, and yes, it is good to be able to self-fund your own life’s work from the kinds of machines that we build to make it all work together.
If you’d like to do this, maybe you should look into it.
There is a better way.
