Could you be a published author?
If people view you as an expert in your industry, you will do more business and have more opportunities because of your reputation. Most published authors are viewed as experts, so how do you become a published author in your industry?
Here are a few tips from SCORE on how to get published with very little time and money.
Your publication does not need to be big to be impressive. A short, well done booklet is all you need. Quality is much more important than quantity. Make it fun to read and informative, and illustrations can help, too.
When deciding on the content, think of the questions clients always ask you. Think of the top things potential clients need to know about your product, service or industry.
A Realtor could write a booklet called “How to Prepare Your Home to Sell it Fast.” The Handyman might write a booklet called “Home Maintenance Made Simple.” A furniture store owner could write a booklet called “Top 10 Decorating Tips.”
Once your booklet is done, have several friends proofread it to find all of the errors. When you are ready to publish the booklet, Amazon offers an excellent free publishing tool called Create Space. Create Space will help automate the layout and allow you to sell your book on Amazon.com. When you are ready to print, consider a good local printer to keep the money in your local economy.
Now that you are a published author, use your booklet to set yourself apart from the competition. Give it to clients during your sales presentation, have copies on display in the office and include links to purchase your book on your website. Be sure you hand deliver an autographed copy to your best referring partners, thanking them for the business.
Publishing a booklet is fast and easy. It separates you from your competition, and readers will view you as the expert. What are you waiting for?
