11 Tips for Entrepreneurs Looking to Write Their First Book

Putting together a book takes time, energy and a lot of effort. And while it accounts for a lot of the book’s labor, writing isn’t the only thing an entrepreneur needs to concern themselves with. Publishing the book and the marketing associated with it also have a place in the overall success equation. But not all new writers know what to expect from the writing process. To help, 11 experts from Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) answer the following question:

“What advice would you give to an entrepreneur looking to write or publish their first book? Why?”

Follow these tips to ensure your first book-writing experience is a successful one.

1. Clearly Define Your Audience

“Having written my first book in 2019, I would share the following advice: It’s important you clearly define your audience and not get sidetracked. I kept thinking of writing for my peers, but the book wasn’t for them. Understand the goal you want to achieve and temper your expectations. Choose the most effective publishing options and develop a marketing strategy around the launch of your book.” ~ Kevin Getch, Webfor

2. Leverage the Right Tools

“The right tool can make a huge difference in the level of effort you need to put in to write a book. I suggest using personal knowledge management tools like a note app. There are also applications and web platforms that have features that support book writing. They’ll have referencing tools, research aids, chapter dividers, tags and other elements that can make it easy for you to write.” ~ Syed Balkhi, WPBeginner

3. Create Shorter Pieces First

“If you’ve never published educational articles on a blog or op-eds for online publications, it is going to be very difficult to dive straight into writing a book. Instead, start sharing your ideas and insights with a broader audience through content marketing, see what topics are resonating with your audience and use those to kick-start your book!” ~ Kelsey Raymond, Influence & Co.

4. Set a Daily Word Count Goal

“The most important part of writing is actually getting words on the page. Everything else comes later. So, if you are serious about publishing your first book, you need to establish good daily writing habits early on. Set yourself a daily word count goal and hold yourself to it. Not everything will be good or worth keeping, but at least you will have it. You can always revise it later.” ~ Jordan Conrad, Writing Explained

5. Start With a Short, Focused Book

“Start with a book that’s relatively short and focused. Many readers today prefer shorter books, especially for nonfiction, when the objective is to learn something. Narrow your subject down to something specific within your industry that you know well and give readers clear tips they can follow. You can always follow up with longer books later on.” ~ Kalin Kassabov, ProTexting

6. Create a Presentation First

“Create a presentation first with slides and visuals that describe your thesis and outline of the book, and end with key takeaways. Present it to a group to test your book idea before you start writing. You would test your new products on a market, so why not beta test your book? I published two books already and will soon be publishing a third. We always test our audience.” ~ Matthew Capala, Alphametic

7. Be Ready to Revise

“When writing a book, you have to revise. Few people can write a perfect nonfiction draft on the first try, even if they have a detailed outline and sources. Block out time for writing, taking a break, sharing the draft with trusted friends and rewriting. Research agents, large or small-press companies and relevant software for self-publishing. Then you can make a decision about these options.” ~ Duran Inci, Optimum7

8. Pay Attention to Cover Design

“Although people say ‘Don’t judge a book by its cover,’ many people still do that. So always pay attention to your cover design. It’s your cover that will set the first impression for your readers. So if it’s not an attractive one, you might lose a lot of potential buyers.” ~ Thomas Griffin, OptinMonster

9. Build Your Brand and Promote Early On

“My advice is to start building your brand and the book’s presence six months prior to the book’s publication date so you don’t launch to silence. Design a website for the book, build an email list, grow your social media footprint, get interviewed by the media and try to generate book reviews. All of these activities will maximize your book’s awareness.” ~ Kristin Kimberly Marquet, Marquet Media, LLC

10. Build Publishing Industry Connections

“Learn about the publishing industry and start building connections with editors and fellow writers now. It takes a long time to nurture relationships and build a community, so start early, even if your book is still in progress.” ~ Sean Harper, Kin Insurance

11. Be Careful What Agency You Work With

“If you choose to work with a publishing agent or agency to promote your book and develop a marketing strategy, research and verify their reputation. Publishing agents are notorious for promising the moon and underdelivering. If you sign a contract, make sure there are performance targets in place so you won’t waste money on unsuccessful efforts.” ~ Shaun Conrad, Guitar Repair Bench Online Lessons

Image: Depositphotos

This article, "11 Tips for Entrepreneurs Looking to Write Their First Book" was first published on Small Business Trends