I’m Writing a Book—and It Might Be the Dumbest Smart Thing I’ve Ever Done

PodcastMarketing

Jul 22

Episode 973: Show Notes

For as long as I can remember, I have always wanted to write a book! It feels weird to say out loud, but I know that by sharing this with you, I will also hold myself accountable and publish this thing. I’ve had a few books stewing around in my brain for a few years now. But, after taking a swing at a partnered brand deal a few years ago and deciding it wasn’t the right fit for my first book, I’ve been a bit deflated. But people like Justin Moore, who wrote Sponsor Magnet, and Jay Clouse, whom I hosted for a super inspiring conversation and is in the throes of writing his own conversation, have helped me to reconsider. Let’s get into it!

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Why I’m Choosing Traditional Publishing (Even Though I Could Self-Publish Tomorrow)

I have three options: I could self-publish, I could traditionally publish, or I could pursue a hybrid deal. A hybrid deal essentially includes someone you pay who will help you self-publish and you still invest all your time and resources. Now, I’ve been told by people that I respect that if you’re in the online space, and you have an audience that buys your products and pays attention to what you have to say, self-publishing can be an incredible experience. You’re in full control. But, there are a few things that have made me want to go the traditional publishing route. There are not many restrictions around self-publishing. Anyone can read the instructions can self-publish a book, and to traditionally publish a book, a group of people has decided that this is a message worth spreading. Did you know you can only become a New York Times best-seller through traditional publishing? Honestly? That’s on my bucket list.

What I’ve Learned From Years of Online Business

Who you know makes a huge difference! Not only because they can introduce you to the people they know, but because who you know can get you access to what is going to make you stand out. So, I started shopping for a book coach or a book collaborator. I explored a few different options because I understood that beyond finding someone who was going to trust me and bring stuff out of me, I needed someone who was going to understand my vision fully. I liked different things about different coaches, and they spoke to different parts of what I want to do. I still haven’t decided! But during my search, I saw that Pat Flynn had written a new book! What I really liked about it was how simple it was. He’s not trying to say everything, but he’s saying something that makes people feel validated and seen. This principle makes so much sense to me, because it’s exactly the same when you’re designing an online course.

The One Thing All My Favorite Books Have in Common

The books I see performing best at the moment are ‘big idea books’. They’re built on a simple concept, but once you get into it, there’s so much nuance. Think of The Let Them Theory and Pat Flynn’s books. I recently attended one of his workshops, and he mentioned his coach and collaborator, Jeff Goins, who has helped many authors in the entrepreneurial space. So I went to his website, submitted some sample writing, and a few weeks later, his assistant reached out to me! We chatted, and it was one of the best conversations I’ve ever had about my work with someone who is pretty brand new to my world. It was definitely clear to me that this is who I wanted to work with. Jeff was so supportive that he pitched me to an agent before I had even signed with him. So, I was very bewildered, shocked, and excited when the agent was immediately interested too! I haven’t met with her yet, but there’s a lot of potential there, and I’m really excited.

What’s Next for Me on My Book-Writing Journey

I’m at the point where I have to take the plunge. It’s going to require an investment from me to move forward from the space I’m in now. If you decide to do this too, and pursue the traditional publishing route, that’s going to be most likely to land you the largest deal possible; you’re investing up-front. So, yes, the goal would be to get a book deal that gives you an advance before you write the whole thing, but what I’ve realized is that I have to pay between $15 000 and $25 000 just to work with a coach to help me put together a proposal. But in my opinion, if you’re aligning yourself with the right person, it’s so much more likely that it’s going to happen! In the time I’ve interviewed all these people, I’ve been writing and rewriting different parts of my story. I’ve been putting that message out there for two years, and I’ve been including all of that in how I’ve moved forward. I’m not going into this blind, and I know how it’s going to stand out in a very crowded space.

Why a Proposal is so Much More Than a Description of Your Book

A proposal is not just a concept and sample chapter; it’s who your examples are, a description of the book, what makes you an expert, your audience size, and how you plan to market it. A lot of a book proposal is really just a marketing plan, and a very little bit of it is a version of your story so that there’s buy-in to your knowledge. The average proposal is about 40 pages. It’s not a small thing. The current trajectory is: sign on the dotted line, pick the coach I’m going to work with, start working on a proposal, and then start talking to more agents with the hope that I land one sometime in the next three months. In a perfect world, 12 to 24 months later, the book will come out. But I’m not going to wait until then to start marketing my book. I know that it is in my best interests to continue to work on growing my audience now, because the more hype I can get around it, the more momentum it will have. The timing is crazy for many reasons. I know the risks, and I’m doing it scared. I want to believe it’s possible. I hope you’re ready.