Think Small, Act Big for Your Book

by Barb Sawyers

When I was trying to come up with something special for a close friend’s milestone birthday, I thought about creating a book about her, much like the print-on-demand ones Gretchen Rubin thrilled the parents with as part of her happiness project. What a way to honour your loved ones.

I figured I could contact Mary Ann’s brother for photos and stories about her childhood and her husband and old friends for her early adulthood. I could persuade her teen son to produce the latest chapter. With an e-version, we could link audio recollections, favorite songs, home movies and so much more.

But by the time I sourced photos and other media, interviewed people, edited and made it all look nice, Mary Ann could be hitting her next milestone. If I start soon, I might be ready for Christmas 2012.

Because I don’t knit or do anything crafty, and I often forget my cookies in the oven until I smell them burning, I’m thrilled that I can finally make personal gifts for loved ones, even though it demands a lot more than knitting a scarf. No offence to all you knitters and handy folk.

Many choices
While we’re hearing a lot about the surge in e-book sales, don’t forget that digital print-on-demand has also created opportunities for IABC members who have enough writing and design skill. The many vendors will provide any services you don’t have the talent or time to do.

While print-on-demand may decline as we transition toward e-books, I think there will always be a place for print, especially for books with lush photos and personal mementos that will be passed down for generations.

Print-on-demand and e-books are revolutionizing the medium in ways that have yet to unfold. According to Jeff Jarvis in Public Parts, it took many decades for the full impact of Guttenberg’s printing press to be felt. I don’t expect to savor the full bloom of the digital revolution.

But I’m thrilled to be part of this transformation. I can’t wait to see what evolves.

Already many people are writing small books on very specific topics they are passionate about. Others are publishing for a tightly defined group as part of their brand strategy.

Build from archived blocks
Many of us are looking for ways to make a little cash from all the content we’ve stockpiled. I’m thinking about updating my PDF book on newsletter planning and selling it for e-readers. I’ll have to commit to continually improving this living book to reflect developments and reader feedback. The unit price will likely be less than $5, the going rate for small e-books, but the sales might add up. Lots to consider.

In any case, it might be better than hiding it on my web site, where I stopped promoting it when I realized many experts want to write for themselves. To help them pull their ideas out of their head and onto the page, I wrote Write Like You Talk—Only Better. Much of it started as posts and has grown into a book just over 100 pages.

The new edition, which you can preview here, will be available very soon on Amazon, Kindle and other e-readers. Updating this from a PDF I sold on my site, reflecting feedback from IABC members and other audiences, has been an intense learning experience.

Yellow light
Although many of you have the right skills, some may be vulnerable to promises of magical short cuts to wealth and fame. As a professional, you know that even a 30-page book for a limited audience demands skill and time.

The dumbest pitch I have seen started out with the quote “Fact’s(sic) tell, stories sell.” Worse, the seminar lady attributed this well-worn cliché to a buddy. You’re too smart to consider spending $600 for a weekend crammed into a hotel ballroom with this opportunist, but I’ll bet plenty of others did.

If you’d like help to get started, reputable content marketers such as Copyblogger and Write to Done offer programs. However, the offer that has impressed me most came from Debbie Weill. She sets more realistic goals and has broken down the process neatly.

You can also learn from my experience. On my blog, I’ve warned against get-rich-quick schemes and advised on building with content lego blocks. I also had a guest post on Problogger recently, about the questions you need to ask yourself before you commit to a book.

As I learn, I’ll continue to share on my blog. And I’d love to hear from others who are following this path. Toronto members, please share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below.

It’s the right time for people like us who have the right skills.

Go!