Book Funnel
Did you know that writing a book is one of the best ways to introduce potential customers to your brand and business? A book gives you instant credibility and clout in your subject. People will look at you and treat you differently once you can add author to your resume. Think of it as a glorified business card.
You may think it’s out of the realm of possibility. But I believe we are all experts in something or have a unique story to tell, and others can enjoy our varied knowledge. It is now easier than ever to self-publish a book.
Most people don’t even realize they have a book in them. Even if they do, they think they could never write it because they don’t understand how to, are too scared to do so, feel they don’t have the time, or a million other reasons.
Is there something that people have pointed out you’re good at? Is there something you’ve researched? Is there something you’ve studied in depth or gone to school for? Whatever it is, we all have something we’re an expert in whether or not we realize it. So why not share that with the world and make an impact all while making money off it, or building a brand and business around it?
Now, I know what you may be thinking: “Sarah, that sounds way too complicated, expensive, and time consuming. And who will publish my book?” You! That’s right — you! We’re in an interesting time now with the proliferation of self-publishing. There are a few companies who self-publish, but I use Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) by Amazon. It’s free to publish and you even get a free International Standard Book Number (ISBN) assigned. You don’t have to order a bunch of books and store them. With no need to physically manage an inventory, there are no upfront expenses in that regard. Everything is printed on demand through Amazon KDP. Any time someone orders your book, Amazon prints it and ships it. It’s that simple. Amazon = Amazing!
If you have a creative personality that likes to produce content, then writing a book would fulfill that creative itch. It’s also original. Sure, there may be other books out there on your topic, but no one is coming at it from your unique angle and telling it the way only you can. It’s always good to have a lot of different perspectives on the same topic. Why do we have so many fast-food burger joints, and why do they all seem to pop up on the same street corners as each other? There’s room for many people in the same space, which is a good thing because it shows there’s a market for it. So, don’t let competition deter you. Another advantage is that a book is a good introduction to both you and your business. It’s a glorified business card, if you will, and also creates instant credibility and authority in your niche.
A book as a business card is much more impressive than a standard business card, and it guarantees someone won’t just toss it or forget about you. Most business cards end up in the trash, but a book won’t. Even if the recipient never reads your book, they’ll see it lying around, as will anyone else who comes to their house or office, or they’ll give it away to someone who may be even more of your target customer than they were. Heck, maybe they’ll even sell it to a bookstore or at a garage sale. Who cares? If it’s in someone’s hands, or on display somehow or some way, that’s all that matters. Sure, this costs more than a business card, but regular business cards often get thrown away. To print a self-published book costs about $3 on average, give or take, depending on the number of pages.
Traditional Publishing vs. Self-Publishing
There is no right or wrong way to publish, but each method has its pros and cons. Unless you are a well-known authority figure or celebrity, it’s difficult these days to get traditionally published. It usually requires you to complete your book and then pitch agents to sell your book to publishers. That can be a long, arduous process. And even if you get a publishing deal, it can still take many months — usually over a year — to get the book out on the market. If you want to get your book out quickly and on your terms and timing, then self-publishing is a better option.
The main benefits of being traditionally published are twofold: being in bookstores, and generally you’ll receive an upfront bonus. But this isn’t free money. All sales you make up to this amount count against your bonus. And then if you don’t sell enough books, you have to pay back the difference. So, unless you know your book is going to sell, it may be disadvantageous to get an upfront bonus. Also, many people assume that having a traditional publishing deal means the publisher does all the marketing for you. From what I’ve been advised, this isn’t the case. It’s still the author’s responsibility to take on most of the marketing. An advantage, depending on how you look at it, is that they take care of the costs of the cover, editing, etc. On the flip side, this may interfere with creative control.
The biggest advantage of self-publishing is that you are in complete control from start to finish. You control the timing, the creative aspects of the book, distribution channels, and everything else there is to publishing. In addition, a lot of self-published authors make more money than traditionally published authors because of a much higher earning percentage per book sold. You can list your book at any price you want and in general, Amazon takes 30% (e-book) or 40% (print). Whereas with traditionally published books, you usually make around $1 per book sold.
The only disadvantage of writing a book is that it takes time. It’s one of the most time-consuming things you could do. But guess what? It may be a lot of work upfront but can provide a royalty check every month for years to come. The best part? Your copyright exists 70 years beyond your death. This means your children and grandchildren could earn monthly checks from your book(s). Talk about leaving a legacy!
Monetizing Your Book Beyond Book Sales
If you offer products and services beyond the book, then I advise to put a call to action in both the front and the back of your book. Heck, you can even intersperse it throughout the book. Just make sure it’s not overkilled. A pleasant call to action offers something free (e.g., an audiobook version of the book, a downloadable cheat sheet, or an online course, etc.) in exchange for their email address so you can market your products and services to them later.
A great way to make the most out of your podcast appearances is to have a lead magnet or CTA of some sort. This could be as short and simple as a checklist, guide, roadmap, or something along those lines. However, I recommend writing and self-publishing a short book (such as this one) that shows off your expertise. The very idea of writing a book can sound overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. I recommend writing a book right around 100 pages (just big enough to have a printable spine) such that a person can read it within an hour. The goal is so you can show just enough expertise to get someone to want to work with you. The goal isn’t to sell books, but to give them away. Of course, you can also have it up for sale on Amazon, etc.
You can even hand this book out at relevant conferences that have your ideal customer. For example, I plan to pass this book out for free at podcast-specific conferences.
If you are a podcast host, having a book to give away is a good lead magnet or CTA, but it’s especially useful for podcast guests. Think about it: you’ve already shared some of your expertise for 15–60+ minutes on a podcast episode. Listeners are just begging to learn more from you. You could even turn your book into an audiobook since we already know that podcast listeners are audio listeners.
If you want more information on self-publishing, I wrote a book on that topic (Authorpreneur), which is available on Amazon.
If you need hands-on help to get your book written and published, I recommend talking with Mike Capuzzi at Bite-Sized Books (referral link). We were guests on each other’s podcasts. While I published all my books myself, I love the fact that he focuses on B2B and B2C short, helpful books (Shooks, as he calls them).
You can create a “free plus shipping” book funnel where you give your book away for free and just ask the customer to pay for the shipping/handling (which ends up still being cheaper than they could purchase the book for on Amazon). The effective thing about book funnels is you can have a bump offer, upsell, down sell, etc., on top of the fact you gather that potential client’s email address for future marketing.
The software program I use and recommend for landing pages and sales funnels are Systeme.io (affiliate link). They even offer a free plan! I provide a “Free Book + Shipping” funnel that you can import for free into a free Systeme.io (affiliate link) account at Podcast Profit Pro.
If you wish to create a funnel yourself or with your preferred software program, I created this funnel graphic below to give you a visual idea of how a book funnel can work for you:
