The Power Of Blogs For Writing Your Book

Nine out of ten professionals and small business owners have at least one book or information product inside their head, but lack the time and organizational skills to get it out into digital or print form.

You may cringe when you read this list of ten things keeping you from writing your book, because it rings too close to home. You may have already written a book or an e-book, or have come close to starting it. It's hard, we know it, and we've been there too. But go ahead and read this list, see if you can identify, and let's discuss a possible solution to the book writing problem.

1. I can't seem to find the time.

2. Every time I sit down to write I go blank.

3. I need uninterrupted time to immerse myself.

4. I need clarity on my message, but there's no one to consult with.

5. I don't know where to start or how to organize all the chapters.

6. I'm afraid of losing clients and having my business suffer if I take time away to write my book.

7. I agonize over the writing, the grammar, the sentence structure and punctuation.

8. I know what I have to say, just can't put it into written form without losing clarity and impact.

9. I keep thinking about all the time involved in writing the book, and wonder if it will ever bring me the results I want.

10. Once I get it written, I have no idea how to get it formatted, let alone marketed.

Ok, you know why you haven't started writing your book. Do you know why you need to write a book?

Why You Need to Publish a Book

Here are a few reasons why writing and publishing a book is important to you as an independent professional, small business owner, or solo-preneur:

1. Having a book, whether in digital, soft-cover, or hardcover establishes you as an expert in your field.

2. People buy from people they know and trust; reading your book is one step in creating client confidence and relationship.

3. Once people buy and read your book, they will want more of what you have to offer in the way of services and knowledge. Your book can attract readers into your sphere of potential clients; once they have bought your book, they are ready to buy other services from you.

4. A book is a great marketing tool, and people will actually pay for your expertise.

5. Books are one of the major sources of passive income for professionals; once it is published it can continue to generate sales for you, over the years and while you sleep.

6. If you don't get a book out soon, your competitors will have the edge, because many of them already have one and even two books out.

7. If you are a speaker, they make great bonus gifts and back-of-the-room sales.

8. They provide a platform for you to expose your readers to your mind and your heart, showing not only what you know, but how much you care. You can reveal your deepest philosophies through your writing, as well as your personal stories.

3 Solutions to the Book-Writing Problem

Of course, there is no problem if you have a lot of money. You just hire a book writer. There are many of them listed at Elance.com. Some professionals do this, especially when they need to get something published fast. However, is this really what you want to do as a professional who has an important message to convey?

Here is a list of solutions:

1. Hire someone to write your book for you.

2. Hire a writing coach who will walk you through the steps, chapter by chapter (again, for a substantial fee).

3. Bite the bullet, put your business on hold for a few months, and devote your time to just getting it written.

Expensive? Yes, all three solutions are expensive. They each have their advantages and disadvantages.

The Fourth Solution

Another solution ties in the power of blogging with book writing. Blogs are powerful web-based marketing tools, but they also are great for content management.

You can pick a category (for example, a chapter) each time you write a short article on your blog. After a period of time, export all your posts in that category, and rewrite it to form a completed chapter.

Your blog is also a great opportunity to build up an audience of interested readers. They can contribute feedback and ideas, by using your blog to leave comments.

Upon completion of your book, you will find you already have an audience of interested buyers for your book.

If you don't have a blog yet, go ahead and create one. They are simple to set up and use (we recommend getting an account at Typepad.com). (There are many other blog software providers, even free ones, but they lack some of the features you may want later on.)

Your blog can be used to stay in touch with clients and to write your thoughts in an informal way. A blog is like having a conversation with people interested in your subject or expertise. Once your book is finished and formatted, you can then use your blog to market it. You already have a built in audience, hungry for your content.

To read more about how this system works and how you can benefit, go to this site: blogtobook.com – the way you think about writing your book will shift and you'll see it in a whole new light!