The Right Way: 6 Critical Steps to Create an Effective Business Building Book
If you see your book as a strategy to level up your business, you’re on the right track. Many successful published authors have used books to engage their target audience and grow their brand. The problems usually start when an aspiring author sits down to write, and winds up staring at a blank page instead.
In order for your book to reach its full potential, you have to have a strategic approach to writing. Based on my experience, I developed six easy-to-follow steps to bring your book to life.
But first, let’s talk about how to know if your idea is great or one to put back on the shelf.
The best business book ideas can be found at the intersection of:
What you want to be known for
What you want to write
How you want to serve
Problem your ideal reader wants to solve
If you look at this list and think that your idea doesn’t meet all four of these requirements, then STOP and rework your idea before reading on.
The following six steps will help you strategically approach writing your business building book to prevent writer’s block and accomplish your goals.
Clarify Goals for Yourself & Your Reader
Writing a book is a two-way street. Before you begin, you must have a clear image in your mind of what your goals are and what your readers' goals are. What do your readers want to get from your book? What problems do they want to solve or skills do they want to build?
Determine the Structure of Your Book
What will your book look like? How will it be structured? Determining the structure will help you to better organize your content in the next step.
Organize Your Content
Having a roadmap to follow while you write is writer’s block kryptonite. A well thought-out outline will save you lots of time and frustration.
Create or Mine Your Story Bank
Do you have a story bank? If you don’t, start building one right away. A story bank will give you plenty of resources that you may be able to use to demonstrate or emphasize a lesson. (For more on story banks, check out this blog!)
Identify Gaps & Determine How You’ll Fill Them
With the last four steps complete, it will be easy to identify where the gaps are in your book. Determine how you will fill them. What case studies, interviews, or independent research will you need to round out your content?
Write with Intention
Finally! You can start writing. This strategic approach allows you to be efficient and intentional. After following these six steps, the writing process should flow with ease.
