Why you should write an expert book

“Someone once asked me how much I made from my first book. The answer I gave was $10 million,” he says. “The book itself only paid me $35,000 in royalties, but the speaking engagements, spin-off books, newsletters, columns, boot camps, consulting and wide open doors resulted in the remaining $9,965,000.”

This amount of money might seem like a dream to some, but publishing an expert book can reap in the rewards in more ways than one. They are simply based on what you know, what you do or what you’re good at but can have valuable advice for others in the same position you were just a couple of years ago. Because of this, they don’t always take as much research as other books, meaning the financial remuneration can be even sweeter and come much more quickly than those who write novels, for example.

So to start 2009 with a sparkle and make your business really stand out, here are seven compelling reasons to publish an expert book of your own.

1 Income In uncertain times, it is great to have an additional source of income. A book or an e-book can be sold globally while you sleep and getting it on internet shopping sites such as Amazon means there is no need to tour or do promotion for the title, just sit back and watch your bank balance grow.

2 Differentiate yourself from the competition If there is less business to go around then make sure it is you who grabs it. Show what you can do in a book. It could even help you progress up the career ladder if it gets into the right hands.

3 Establish Your Credibility Your expert book will enhance your authority and prestige. Add the words “published author” to your CV and you will have instant expert-appeal that wins business.

4 Readers will keep on buying from you When you sell a book, a client gets to know and trust you and they will return for higher priced services and products.

5 You can build your client database Offer a free report – to buyers of your book – to capture their e-mail addresses and build up your customer base.

6 Speed You can do it fast – you can write and be published in under six months, so time-wise it could earn you more money than your day job.

7 Journalists and TV researchers love published authors Get more publicity and be in demand as a media expert just by writing a book based on your career expertise.

-Jacqueline Burns co-runs the Free Thinking Consultancy. Visit www.freethinking.tv for more information.

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