I believe, in today’s world, more than ever before, success comes from being yourself; if you are willing to express your uniqueness, you will inevitably contribute something of real value to the world.
I find thinking this way is a bit of a relief – it really takes the pressure off! Just be you. AND this is why I love the Mama Creatives community so much!
So How Do I Figure Out My Why?
In terms of publishing a book – here are some questions that, when answered by you, will help to provide clarity on your outcome and help you navigate the right path for you.
Write down the answers to the following:
- What would you like to do with your book once it is published? – Knowing this upfront, may save you a lot of ‘unpicking’ of your work later.
- What would you like your book to do for you, or your business? Either clarify this in your mind, visualise it, or document it on your marketing plan. Ask yourself: Why am I creating this? Or, What is this book’s job?
Once you are clear on these, it makes it so much easier to take your creative ideas that form part of this body of work and turn it into something that has meaning to you, and offers value for others.
Knowing your motivation will help determine many things for you, such as:
- whether you will publish an ebook, a paperback book, or both
- how you will distribute your book
- who will buy your books
Getting clear on your book’s primary purpose is an excellent way to determine where to publish it. If you are not clear about what you want this book to do for you (personally, or for you in relation to your profession, if you are publishing a non-fiction book based around your area of expertise), you may end up publishing a book containing an ineffective message, to an un-interested audience, in all the wrong places. Phew! … exhausting AND unsatisfying all at once 🙁
So, by clarifying what your book’s job is, really narrows down the multitude of self-publishing choices you are faced with making and takes a lot of the guess-work out of how to bring YOUR book to market.
Here are some ways your book could be published with a purpose in mind:
- As a Lead Magnet – To attract more clients to your business.
- To build your Authority/Personal Brand – It may serve as an Authority Builder if you are trying to establish yourself in a new industry or niche or to strengthen your Personal Brand within your industry.
- Revenue – As an additional stream of revenue (directly from the book, or through other channels as a direct result of having the book)
- To Launch a New Career – You may want to publish a book to launch a new career for yourself as an author, publisher, or to side-step your business into a different area of your profession.