Apr 22, 2020
Time’s kind of making its own rules up these days, eh? ⏰ 🥴 🦠 🗓
Well, you can count on knowing it’s Thursday – because we’re back with The 4 AM Report, your weekly dose of late-night insomnia! 😴 😴 😴
And we’re excited to introduce you to Scott MacMillan, President and Executive Publisher at Grammar Factory Publishing.
Be honest. We’ve all thought at one time or another “I should write a book!”…right?
Or, maybe you’re looking at the screen cock-eyed right now wondering why a business owner/entrepreneur should put the work in and get a book out?
Here’s why – of those who wrote a book:
📕 86% of them grew their business.
📗 72% got speaking engagements.
📘 And 34% saw their overall earnings double!
Being published gave them authority and helped them stand out from competitors.
So, if you’re curious about self-publishing, put your feet up and have a listen.
For those of you who prefer the “skim” technique, scroll down for some snippets from Scott!
The ROI of Writing a Business Book
“(Of those who wrote books) some were just for the exposure. And the majority of them, you know, two thirds got media exposure of some kind, whether it be online, radio, TV, newspapers, or what have you. So, if we if we step back and think about these outcomes, what a book did for these entrepreneurs anyway, was give them a differentiator that their competitors didn't have and couldn't quickly replicate. Gave them authority signals that allowed them to raise their rates and be more selective around choosing which clients to work with. You know, it opened doors with media and event organizers and strategic partners who could help them achieve their business goals. And you know, what isn't captured in the survey - what I know anecdotally - is that the book asset provides these benefits in a scalable way. So, you write it once, and then you leverage it in your business. And while you have to work it alongside with your business, it keeps doing his job 24 seven, right, anytime, anywhere, whether you can be there or not.”
Me? Write a Book?? Come On!!
“The reality is, you know, any of us who are in business, we've got something to offer our clients, right. If we didn't, we wouldn't have a business. And the key to writing an effective book, a book that supports your business and grows your business, is converting that proprietary knowledge, proprietary approach expertise, converting that into an IP asset that gets into book form. And you know, what's really great about that is that it reflects the way you do your business. And, you know, you're no way an imposter because you're being authentic to the way that you work every day. And I think that's where a lot of people get hung up. But that's really the solution - if your book captures that, that uniqueness and those novel ideas, then you really have something that is of value to people. And generally speaking, the ideal reader of your book is the same as the ideal client for your business. And that's where the two really come together and really work together.”
Short. Sharp. Shocked.
“I would say that writing styles for books have become more informal, a little bit more ‘user friendly’. The caveat to that is the expectation when somebody's reading a book is a bit higher than what they feel when they're reading an article online. So, you know, grammatically, it still has to follow the general rules, right? But, you know, not those same strict rules that we would all have learned in school. If it has the intended effect to help you relate with the reader. It's really about understanding who your reader is, how they talk, and writing in a way that is going to impact them and move them. I think the other thing that is happening is the length of books is getting a bit shorter. You know, a nonfiction book 10 years ago might have been, you know, 400 pages, let's say. Most of the books that we publish now are somewhere between two to three hundred pages. Some are as short as 100 pages and, you know, I think that's probably a direct reflection of attention spans. And the fact that for these types of books in particular, people aren't reading them to be entertained right there. They're reading them for an outcome and the quicker you can deliver that outcome, the more value you're delivering.”
If you’re thinking of writing and publishing a book to help elevate yourself in the business space, Scott might just be the guy to make that happen for you!
About Scott
Scott MacMillan is President & Executive Publisher at Grammar Factory Publishing, a Toronto-based professional service publisher that has helped more than 200 entrepreneurs write and publish books that build authority and grow businesses.
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Plus, if you're losing sleep over a particular marketing/business related problem during this Covid-19 economic uncertainty, or if you have a guest idea on the topic, let us know.
Drop us a line at C+P Digital.
And as always, sweet dreams…well, hopefully!