A Book Publishing Conversation

By Sophfronia Scott

Can I share something with you? I had a conversation recently with an entrepreneur eager to grab one of the handful of chapters being offered in my new anthology project, “How the Fierce Put Family First”. It turned out to be one of those talks where I thought you might like to be a fly on the wall because the things we talked about are the things that every entrepreneur trying to make a business work must think about right now.

I knew it was important to share this information with you. So here’s what went down:

This entrepreneur and I were discussing the value of the anthology project. Since I designed the program to offer as much value as possible, I enjoyed sharing with her the fact that if she were trying to publish a book on her own right now, she might be able to produce the book, but she would not be able to afford the extras that help a book sell well including:

**professional cover and interior design for the book
**a full marketing campaign
**an Amazon.com bestseller campaign
**connection of being published with other top co-authors

She also wouldn’t be able to get copies of her book without paying extra and she wouldn’t necessarily have the best distribution for the book.

(By the way, all of these valuable pieces and more are included in my anthology program. You can read all about it at http://www.PublishingShortcut.com.)

But after I presented the entrepreneur with this I said, “You know what? I can give you all the value in the world, but only you can know if this project will fit in with who you are and what you want to do with your business.”

I could tell she was surprised, so I went on to explain:

“You could get 200 books out of this program,” I told her. “If you can sell them all for $20 each, you’ll make your investment in this program back quickly. But can you do that? Is your website set up to sell? Do you speak at events where you can sell this book? Do you have an audience to sell to? Only you have the answers.”

I also pointed out that only she would know where her business is right now and what strategies would be best to take her to the next level. If a book could be one such strategy, she would have to figure out how best to implement that strategy. My project would be one such way. Doing it herself would be another. Again, she would know best what would be best for her.

You see, I have this conversation with each and every client I work with. This type of thinking is what I teach in my Business Book Bootcamps. (The Fall 2010 Session is now enrolling!) This is how you would think about any book you choose to do, not just this anthology project. If you don’t have a plan for how to use the book in your business, it will be a wasted opportunity.

It doesn’t have to be that way for you. If you would like some help in thinking through a strategy for how you would benefit from participating in “How the Fierce Put Family First”, here’s what you can do:

1.) If you haven’t done so already, listen to the call I hosted earlier this month, “Co-Authoring Your Way to a Bestselling Book”. You can access the recording at this link:

http://www.doneforyouwriting.com/audio/newanthologycall.mp3

2.) Review the information page on the anthology project at http://www.PublishingShortcut.com.

3.) Send me an email at editor@doneforyouwriting.com to schedule a strategy session so we can create a plan for how you would use this book in your business.

It’s as simple as that. No more worrying, no more hand-wringing or anxiety about whether or not you can make this investment.
No more wondering if you’ve missed your chance and then kicking yourself next year when this book comes out because you know you didn’t do your homework.

It’s really all about making a sound, well-considered decision just like the ones you make for your business everyday. I know you can do it, and I don’t want you to miss out on this book because you thought otherwise, especially since I know you probably have a great story to share in your chapter!

I’ll wait to hear from you, unless you hear from me first telling you that all the spots in the book are taken.

Best wishes,

Sophfronia

Sophfronia Scott
Publisher, Messenger House Books
Executive Editor, The Done For You Writing & Publishing Company

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