Archives for July 2013

10 Key Questions to Ask Before You Begin Writing Your Book – Part 3

July 30, 2013 by Leave a Comment

This is the final installment in a three-part series on the questions to ask before you begin writing your book. Be sure to check out the first post (covering Questions 1-3) and the second post (on Questions 4-6) in the series.

Now, on to the final four questions!

7. Who is my audience?

“Everybody” is not the answer to this question! You might say you want to profile your target market. I prefer to phrase it as creating a portrait of your ideal reader because the word “portrait” reminds us that we are talking about people here – not about some abstract. So what do your ideal readers know about the subject? What do they need to know? What do they want to know? Why would they buy your book? What is going to grab their attention? Can you identify their demographics? Psychographics? Lifestyle? Goals, dreams, pains? The better you know your audience, the better the book you will write!

8. What tone and style would I like to use?

Once you know your audience, you will be able to answer the question of tone and style. Some markets will prefer a personal, conversational style. Others will want a lot of information and a scholarly approach. A different segment will want copy that is quick and scannable. Remember: there is no style that is “perfect ” for every book, just as there is no book that is perfect for every audience. Your subject matter, your goals, your personality, and your audience will suggest an appropriate tone and style.

9. How long do I want my book to be?

You can certainly just start writing and when you reach the end, stop. The finished product may be 100 pages or 400 pages. But you may find it helpful to figure out ahead of time the approximate length you would like for your book. After all, if you are going for a quick, scannable style, it may not make sense to have a 350 page tome. On the other hand, an in-depth treatment of a topic might require nothing less. Determining the final length of your book will also give you a general guideline as to how long individual chapters should be.

10. Will I need a marketing plan or a marketer, or can I handle both the marketing strategy and implementation myself?

Don’t forget about the work that happens post-writing! For your book to be a success, you will need a marketing strategy and time and effort for implementation. If you can work that end yourself, that is excellent. But if you can’t (either because you lack the knowledge, expertise, or time), then plan on bringing in an outside resource to assist you. Either path will require an investment, but good marketing is crucial to your ultimate goal: having people read your book!

So, having gone through these 10 questions, here is one more … are you ready to write?

 

 

Filed Under: Books

10 Key Questions to Ask Before You Begin Writing Your Book – Part 2

July 18, 2013 by Leave a Comment

This is the second in a three-part series on the questions to ask before you begin writing your book. The first post in the series (covering Questions 1-3) can be found here.

Now, on to the questions … starting with Question 4:

4. Why me?

Why are you the perfect person to write this book? What are your credentials and qualifications? Books are a great way of promoting your credibility, true … but only if you have the knowledge, experience, and expertise to back it up! A general rule of thumb: you are most credible when you talk about something you know inside-out and backwards.

5. What’s my point?

You need to go beyond “I want to write a book” to “I want to write a book about THIS.” Whatever “this” is should be something you are passionate about, something that is compelling to your target market, something that meets a need, something that is different in some way from similar material already on the market. Consider writing an elevator speech for your book: what would you say to people to tell them what your book is about and why they should read it?

6. Am I willing to put in the time?

Books take time. I know there are “write a book in a weekend” and “the secret to breezing through your first book” seminars touted all over the web. I’ve written many books – spanning everything from a short 40-page ebook to a 400-page novel. Trust me: writing a book takes time. It takes time whether you write it yourself or hire a ghostwriter (since you’ll need to provide the ghostwriter with all the content, and read and edit the manuscript). So ask yourself: Am I willing to put in the time? If I want to write it myself, how good a writer am I? How fast do I produce quality material? How much time am I willing to commit? Will I put aside concentrated time to write my book, or do a little bit every day, or write when I have a spare hour?

Stay tuned … final questions to come in Part 3!

Filed Under: Books, Ghostwriting

A Tangled Web

July 15, 2013 by Leave a Comment

How many websites have you …

  • clicked into, only to immediately click out again?
  • wandered through aimlessly until you finally left in disgust?
  • found interesting, but not compelling?

You don’t want any of the above scenarios to describe a visitor’s experience with your website! So here is one of the primary keys to avoiding the “tangled web” syndrome:

Set a goal for each page and write to achieve that goal.

Notice that I didn’t say, “Set a goal for the website.” You should do that as well, but that is probably a broad goal such as “make sales,” “establish credibility,” or “generate leads.” It is the individual pages and these smaller, specific goals that make the overarching objective a reality.

Let’s take three examples common to every website:

First, the Home page. A primary goal of the Home page of your website is to answer the question “Am I in the right place?” It is not to spill all the myriad details about your company, forcing people to scroll on and on and on. Give people enough so that in the second or two their eyes sweep your home page, they say, “Ah-ha! This is what I am looking for!”

If someone is in the right place, then your Home page has a secondary goal: to answer the question, “Where do I go from here?” Don’t leave people hanging! Imagine yourself walking into a building for a conference. You know you’re at the right location because of the huge banner hanging above the main entrance. But once in the lobby, where do you go for the seminar you signed up for? There are four hallways – which one do you go down? Your Home page needs to provide clear direction for all the different visitors who come your way.

Next, let’s look at the About page. Let me tell you what doesn’t work: giving a history of your company from the dawn of time. You will yawn people to death. Instead, use your About page to answer the question “Why should I choose you?” This changes the focus of the About page from facts to benefits. Might you still want to point out that you have been in business for 20 years? Sure – but do so by stressing your longevity or your reputation or your expertise. These are benefits that excite people’s interest. The facts back up the benefits.

Finally, turn to the Contact page. So often, I simply see the company contact info. Period. But the goal of the Contact page is to prompt action. A phone number and web form doesn’t cut it! Re-cap for people why they should contact you: it might be the final push necessary for them to pick up the phone or send an email. Would you want to lose a sale just because someone lost their momentum at this absolutely crucial juncture?

Take Action!

Take a look at your website. Can you identify the goal for each page? Or, to position it another way, what does each page accomplish? If you can’t readily and clearly answer those questions, it’s time to re-think the copy!

Filed Under: Websites