Follow the yellow brick road

According to Suzanne Bates of Bates Communications and best selling author of Speak Like a CEO and most recently published Motivate Like a CEO, writing a book for your business is similar to the journey Dorothy and her friends took to OZ.  Here are the steps she outlined in her talk at the National Speakers Association of New England Wake Up Call on February 14, 2009:

The Tornado: Finding Your Topic, Voice and View Can Feel Chaotic

Take time to sit with your many thoughts and determine a theme for your book.  Keep in mind you do not need to dump every bit of your expertise into one publication.  Take the time to brainstorm ideas, find your writing voice and tolerate the chaos as it is an important part of the writing process.

Follow the Yellow Brick Road: Moving Forward on Your Book

Once you discover your theme, write with the reader in mind.   Identify the target market of the book and keep that person on the forefront when writing the book.  Making a visual representation of the reader can help you focus on what you want to say to your audience.  Besides this information will be useful when writing your book proposal should you decide to traditionally publish.

The Wicked Witch of the West: Time

You don't find time to write you make time to write.  Anyone who has written a book knows that this is a constant struggle.  Suzanne mastered the Wicked Witch by deciding that she would give up her weekends for one summer to get the book done.  Schedule the time and protect it like you would the time you make for your clients.  Would you stand up your highest paying contract?  No.  So make time in your schedule, write it down and keep the appointment. 

The Scarecrows: Use Your Brains to Prepare a Brilliant Proposal

A good book proposal follows a predictable formula.  Learn the formula then draft a great proposal.  Pay special attention to the book's potential marketability as this is what makes a publisher pick up your manuscript.  Also include a well thought out marketing plan for the book.  Publishers distribute books, they don't market them.  Authors do.  Knowing this and building in a good marketing strategy for your book will help make your proposal stand out. 

The Lion: The Courage to Keep Going

Yes, it takes courage to write a book.  Find a place where you can get support and encouragement when the road gets bumpy.  A writing group, a writing coach or a good friend can make the difference between a brilliant idea and a finished book.

The Tin Man:  Write with Your Heart

Writing a book takes time and effort.  Make sure you are writing about something you are passionate about and that makes sense for your long term goals.  Suzanne was clear that she was writing a book to increase her company's visibility.  Others write for personal reasons.  Whatever your reason, make sure you love it.

There's No Place Like Home: Write what you know and to who you know

Do not try to be someone else.  If you are great at empowering women around money then write about that topic.  If you are gifted at helping people improve their speaking skills then go that route.  Writing what you know and to who you know will make all stages of the book process more effective and enjoyable.

Pulling Back the Curtain on the Wizard of Oz: Best Sellers Don't Just Happen

Market the heck out of your book.  Suzanne learned with her first book many of the tricks of the trade in selling a book and getting it to be a top seller on Amazon.com.  While writing the book is a great accomplishment, the difference between a best selling author and all the other authors out there is a commitment to marketing their work. 

So if you decide to go down the yellow brick road, enjoy the trip and know that in the end there is nothing like seeing your finished book in print for the first time!

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