Dear Reader

Did you know that 95% of people who think about writing a book never get around to it? That's a lot of unfulfilled dreams and ideas. But did you know that writing a book is just about giving? This means that a book is about sharing your ideas and your advice; it's about writing about what you know about.

I recently suggested to one of my clients that she should write a book. After she'd stopped laughing, we talked about how it could position her as an expert in her field.

Read on to find out what happened next and how the same could happen to you.

Is there a book in you? Click here to answer my question on LinkedIn and tell us what you would write about.

Best wishes,

Chantal

Chantal@Appletreeuk.com

Can a Book Turn You into an Expert?

What do you think of a person who has written a book? You probably think that they know what they're talking about. Being prepared to share their experience means they must be worth listening to, right? In this way, writing a book can position you as an expert in your field.

This is what I told my client, Debbie, a riding instructor who works with people and their own horses. There are hundreds, if not thousands of riding instructors in the UK, but Debbie is different because she brings a lot of psychology to her work. I knew that a book would help position her as an expert and that it would help her to promote her services.

Getting some expert help

The first challenge was to answer some concerns that Debbie had - which most people probably have. Her two questions were "What would I write about?" and "Who would read what I have to say?" Once over that, we arranged a half day session with Sarah Williams from The Book Consultancy. Sarah has published many books herself and now helps business owners to write and publish their own books. She's working on a clever process that will allow even more people to get the ideas out of their head and onto paper. Unsurprisingly, she's writing a book about her specialised thinking and planning process. She avoids putting too much structure onto ideas too early on, keeping the structure as flimsy and provisional as possible, for as long as possible.

Watching the process with Debbie was fascinating. After a couple of hours of what felt like loose brainstorming, things suddenly started dropping into place. From all the ideas and the loose structure, we could see chapters and sections of the book start to emerge. At the start of the day, if we'd asked Debbie what she wanted to write about, I don't think she'd have known. But when Sarah asked her now, she could see quite clearly the important aspects that she wanted to write about. Out of the colours and words on the flip charts – out of the provisional structure – came a plan and a process for the writing. How clever is that!

Is there a book in you?

Would you like to write a book that can turn you into an expert in your field? Even if you don't yet know what you would write about, there is a process you can go through. If you'd like to have some fun with the process, get in touch and become known as the expert you are.

FastTrack Your Book

Writing a book and using it to build your reputation is just one of the topics we'll be talking about at the FastTrack Your Business in Just One Day workshop.

On 16 Novemember 2011 in Oxford, we'll share tips and ideas on how to use a book as a marketing tool and how to get started - as well as lots and lots of other marketing ideas for your business. Just £49 +VAT for the full day, including lunch. Click here to reserve your place.

Brand New Book - order now!

I've nearly finished writing my book about Marketing Planning for Coaches and Consultants. It will be ready on 16 November 2011!

Pre-launch orders are now being taken - pay just £10 if you order by 11 November. Click here to go online and place your order.

And if you're coming to the workshop on 16 November, you can collect your signed copy there!

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