If you’re lucky and talented enough to write a best-selling book, what impact will it have on your life? So many of us would like to be authors, but we have no idea what that means. Will you make more money? Get a better job? Have more sex?
How exactly will your life change?
To give us some answers, I brought in career expert Penelope Trunk, author of Brazen Careerist. As a syndicated columnist writing for the Boston Globe and Yahoo Finance, Penelope is already an authority on how to manage your career and how things like writing a book can affect your life.
She also has a blog, which is, in my opinion, one of the best on the Web. Since I know many of you are bloggers, I managed to squeeze a few nuggets of wisdom out of her on making the transition from blog to book. For more of Penelope’s advice, check out these posts:
How to Get a Six-Figure Book Deal from Your Blog
Coachology: How to Get a Book Deal
Now to the interview!
1) I’m an expert in my field. How will writing a book help my career?
A book is a great marketing tool. For example, it will help you get speaking engagements, if you want that. Having a book published is sort of like having a ticket to play in the speaking world. And if you have a blog, the book is good advertising for the blog. A book can do a lot of things for you, but you really need to know why you are writing the book. You shouldn’t write a book thinking it will be a bestseller because you are probably better off buying lottery tickets. And you shouldn’t write a book thinking that it will change your life to be a published author. It won’t. You are the same you whether you have a published book or not.
2) Should I start a blog first?
If you can handle posting regularly to a blog, it’s a great way to get yourself known for your expertise. A blog is a great marketing tool for consultants. You don’t get an advance to write a blog like you do to write a book, but a lot of people get so much business from their blog that they don’t need a book in order to grow their business to where they want it to be.
3) How is it different, writing for a blog and writing for a book?
A book needs to unfold, in a linear way into a big idea. A blog is nonlinear. And while most blogs have a few, central, big ideas, each post can stand on it’s own without being about a big idea. A blog can succeed by having a good topic area. A book succeeds by answering a good question.
I have a difficult time making the transition. In fact, I blogged about how my book was a year late because my editor rejected my first manuscript. (http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2007/03/08/hey-its-time-to-pre-order-my-book/) My editor had to teach me how to stop thinking like a columnist and blogger (very easy to transition between those two) and to start thinking in bigger ideas with linear buildup.
4) Can I repackage my blog posts as a book like Seth Godin?
We all can do that. But we won’t get the advances that Seth gets.
5) You’ve said sex makes people happier. Will writing a bestseller get me laid?
Research shows that making more money does not get you more frequent sex, it gets you a wider selection of sex partners. So I think that based on this research the answer to your question is no: The amount you are getting laid will not change.
6) I have 10,000 RSS subscribers. Will my publisher care?
The publisher will care a little. But you need to show you have other ways to sell your book because there is not strong evidence that if someone reads a blog they will buy that blogger’s book.
7) How can I convince bloggers to promote my book?
Be a part of the blogging community. And be nice. And be all this not because your book is coming out but because you genuinely care about the blogging community. In return, the community will care about you.
8) Which is more important: links from blogs or mentions in the conventional media?
Both have helped me. It is very hard to get a book deal today without being able to show you have traction in conventional media. So it’s been really good for me that I have a foot in each door. Tim Ferriss and Bob Sutton both got to the bestseller list without much help from traditional media, so this is good evidence that you can rely on bloggers to take you to the top. But publishers, I think, would still be wary of buying a book proposal that relied solely on this strategy.
9) How important is it to pick the right agent?
I don’t know. I sent my proposal out to five agents that I picked randomly from a list of agents who said they were not accepting new clients. (I figured they must be good if they don’t need more business.) One of those agents took me, and I am staying with her. I think that when things are not going well for a writer, the writer blames the agent. But my guess is that that is often misplaced blame.
10) Congratulations on getting a six-figure contract for your second book. How are things different, the second time around?
My agent is one of those really, really, busy always-doing-lunch types. The first time I sort of waited until she called me, which was so nail-bitingly intense. The second time I was a huge pest, and it was easier to know where things stand every second during the auction.
The other difference is that the first time I sold a book I thought it would be really easy to write a book. This time around I know it’s very hard, so I have more anxiety about getting it right.
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If there’s a publicist that can create a bestseller in the business category, it’s Mark Fortier. Five of the books he handled in the first half of 2007 hit the New York Times Bestseller List. He represents big names like Seth Godin, Sandy Weill, Robert Sutton, Chip and Dan Heath, and many others. You can find a list of his clients and experience here.
Just for us, Mark has agreed to answer 10 questions. If you’re thinking about hiring a publicist for your business book, you can contact him through his web site here.
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Why do some ideas thrive and others die?
This is the question that brothers Chip and Dan Heath set out to answer in Made to Stick. After reading the book in one weekend (it’s a page turner!), I managed to catch up with Dan and ask him some questions about sticky ideas and how to make your book more memorable.
Sidenote: Made to Stick embodies what it teaches. It’s now a New York Times Bestseller.
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Seth Godin is the author of seven (or is it eight now?) bestsellers. From Permission Marketing to Unleashing the Idea Virus to Purple Cow, his ideas have transformed the way we think about marketing. After only a few weeks in print, his new book, The Dip, has already climbed to #5 on the NY Times Bestseller List. As if that weren’t enough, he also writes one of the most highly regarded blogs in the world.
For a full biography, click here.
In my opinion, his advice for authors posts from 2005 and 2006 are the best of their kind on the Web. Not only is Seth one of the most prolific and consistently successful authors alive today, but he knows how to communicate what’s important to people that are struggling to understand the publishing business. If you haven’t read the above posts, they’re required reading for this interview.
That being said, here are 10 questions and answers with the legend himself, Seth Godin:
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Are you one of those nerdy academics with an insatiable curiosity and the hope of one day publishing a book?
Well, rejoice. There’s hope.
If a book about economics can reach number two in the non-fiction section of the New York Times Bestseller List and sell over a million copies, then it proves that your dream really is possible.
Steven Levitt, author of Freakonomics, tells about how he turned a private fascination with how things work into a best-seller. He doesn’t take credit, mind you, but in my opinion, he gives some of the most articulate insights we’ve published on this site to date.
Thank you, Steve.
Here’s the interview:
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I’ve struggled for several weeks about whether or not to post this interview. Personally, I disagree with the majority of what Michael says, but he’s the best-selling author and I’m not. He was also kind enough to agree to the interview, and I thank him for it.
So, here it is, in unedited form:
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Do you want to get a six-figure advance from your publisher on your very first book? Or how about start a blog that draws thousands of visitors per day?
Yes? Then you need a subscriber base.
A subscriber base is a collection of people that have given you permission to contact them. Online, they usually give you their e-mail address or subscribe to your RSS feed. Then you can send them regular updates and start building a relationship.
What’s the big deal?
If people give you their e-mail address or subscribe to your feed, then they are usually a fan, and if they are a fan, they’ll probably buy your book. A large list of 5,000 or more subscribers can sell a lot of books.
So, how do you build a subscriber base? Here are some links from the best of the Web:
Building Your Fan Club - If you read nothing else, read this!
What Is a Double Opt-in Email List and Why Is It Important? - Detailed guide
0 to 12,000 RSS Subscribers: - Story of how Lifehack.org did it
Permission Marketing - The book that started it all
The List Building Blog - An entire blog on the subject
11 Ways to Find New RSS Subscribers for Your Blog - From the master himself
What is a Namesqueeze? - What it is, and how to use it
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Publicity.
It’s a central part of every author’s marketing campaign — some say the most important part. If you going to become a best-selling author (and I know you will!), then it’s essential you start learning the ropes now.
But isn’t the publisher supposed to handle publicity?
If you’re lucky, the in-house publicist will spend a few months on your book. Some authors also hire freelance publicists, but in either scenario, you’re going to be involved. It’s unavoidable.
To help you get started, Lissa Warren has agreed to answer some questions on book publicity. She’s the Senior Director of Publicity at Da Capo Press, as well as the author of The Savvy Author’s Guide to Book Publicity.
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Best-selling authors, consultants, and publicists all say that you need a blog. Only, you’re an author, not a blogger. How do you start a blog that stands out from the crowd and makes you a best-selling author?
Below, I’ve collected all of the best resources from the Web to get you started. If you notice one I’ve missed, add it in a comment below.
How to Build a Profitable Home on the Web - A great collection of video tutorials
The 120 Day Wonder: How to Evangelize a Blog - Tips from a personal hero
The Blog Starter Checklist - Huge Collection of Tips
Competing for Attention in an Attention Deficit Blogosphere - How to stand out
How I Got a 120 Visitors to a Brand New Blog on Day One - Start with a bang
Don’t Sell… Teach - Use your blog to teach and the sales will follow
Focus on One Blog and Make It Special - Concentrate your efforts
Setting up a Home: Prelaunch Blog Checklist - What to do before you launch
Who’s There? - A free e-book from the master himself, Seth Godin
Blogging for Beginners - A series of posts (Read this!)
How to “Announce” a Blog - How to introduce yourself to the community
The Five Essential Elements of an Influential Blog - Grab their attention
Starting a Blog - An excellent series from the Blog Herald
How to Build a High-Traffic Blog - Tips from a guy that’s making a fortune
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Why do some of the most respected publishing consultants in the world recommend that every author should have a blog?
Because it works.
If you’re a prospective author, a blog will help you:
- Refine your ideas by writing about them
- Build a loyal following of readers
- Get to know other thought leaders
- Prove yourself to publishers
- Sell lots of books when you’re finished
To talk about it, I’ve brought in best-selling author Michael Stelzner. Perhaps the world’s foremost expert on writing white papers, Michael has written nearly 100 white papers for some of the world’s most respected companies, including Microsoft, FedEx, Monster, and Hewlett-Packard.
Further solidifying his reputation, he also published Writing White Papers, a guide on how to capture attention with white papers. It’s quickly become an Amazon.com bestseller, and Michael has become a thought leader in the blogging community. He’s graciously agreed to answer 10 questions about how he did it:
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