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Stand out from the crowd: write a book!


Write a book? As if you haven’t got enough to do! Hear me out. If you’re involved in a
business, writing a book can help you with getting your brand better known,
engaging with your customers and having something to share on social and
traditional media. Having a book to your name will also help you be seen as an
expert and make more clients want to work with you. If your main offer is expensive,
adding an ‘entry level’ tier to your offer can not only add a passive income stream to
your business, but also act as a funnel for your customers, bringing them into contact
with you and your brand and allowing them to get to know and value you before
taking a step up to your main offer.

If you’re the owner of a business, it’s worth giving some serious thought to. If you
work in a business and would like to get noticed on your way up the ladder, how
about suggesting that you project manage writing a book for the business? You
might even get to be credited as the writer, which will give you something extra on
your CV that you can take with you to future jobs.

A food consultant I know wrote and self-published a short book with tips for new food
businesses. Not only did it bring her new clients and a passive income stream, she
was also approached by Unilever shortly afterwards, who hired her for a large
consultancy job: by writing a book, she’d made herself stand out as an expert (she’d
had that expertise for years: it was the book that made them come calling). She
frequently uses little snippets from the book on her social media and always sees
sales rise as a result.

But then the question often arises, how to get the book published? Traditional
publishing often requires a somewhat lengthy process of finding an agent and then a
publisher, and many good books are turned down because publishers do not always
take on many books a year and a business often just wants to write one book and
use it as a powerful marketing tool, not start a writing career. So now many business
owners and entrepreneurs prefer self-publishing, as it gives them creative control
and speeds up the process (even if you have a completed book and a publishing
deal, it can take over a year to get it out into the world). You can hire professional
editors, interior formatters and cover designers to ensure your book is the best it can
be and indistinguishable from a traditionally published book.

I’ve worked with many entrepreneurs over the years and now, with print-on-demand
technology, I see huge opportunities for businesses to use a book as a new and
attention-grabbing communications tool. Have a little think: what kind of book would
add real value to your business?

About Melissa Addey
Melissa Addey worked for 15 years in business and has an MA in business
creativity. She worked on developing new products for Sainsbury’s Head Office and
then mentored over 500 entrepreneurs through a government innovation grants
programme.
In 2015 she became a fulltime author. She has written and self-published 15 books:
10 novels, 2 business books, a parenting book, a self-help book and a children’s
picture book. She has a PhD in Creative Writing and was the Leverhulme Writer in
Residence at the British Library, where she still runs monthly webinars.
Two sessions are coming up that will help you both write and publish your own
business book. Sessions are recorded and attendees receive the video playback, so
you can book even if you can’t attend live.


18th March
How to self-publish (and 10 first book marketing steps

Self-publishing is now the way forward for many authors, especially entrepreneurs
who value creative control and speed. It is a quick, relatively cheap process and
simple when you know how, but often people hold back because they are not sure
how to get started. If this is your worry then this workshop is for you! We will cover
how to get from a completed manuscript to holding a published book in your hands,
step by step. 

13th May
Write a Book for your Business

In this workshop we’ll go through more detail about why writing a book makes good
business sense, cover the main elements to include in a successful book and get
you started on your own book. You’ll take away an action plan, lots of useful ideas
and contacts to help your book be a success, from formatting through to using your
book as a promotional tool for your business.

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