Why You Should Become an Author By Michael J. Dowling If you are an entrepreneur, small business owner, consultant, coach, or business professional of any type, your success depends to a significant degree on how well you are known and respected in your field. One of the best ways to increase your visibility, credibility, and profitability is to become an author. “I tell virtually every self-employed professional, as well as many small-business owners, to define their niche specialty, write a book about it, and get it published,” says Robert W. Bly, who is regarded by many as “America’s Top Copywriter.” “Having your name on a book can be an immense boost for your business,” says Steven Van Yoder, author of Get Slightly Famous: Become a Celebrity in Your Field and Attract More Business with Less Effort. “A book provides you with more credibility than anything else you can do,” says self-publishing expert Dan Poynter, author of The Self-Publishing Manual. “The fact is, authors are highly valued in our society.” Books Are Terrific Sales Tools! Your book will work 24/7 to promote you and your organization. When you become an author, people see you as an expert in your field. New opportunities open up to you. Customers and clients come to you already predisposed to buy. Here’s what business coach and consultant Joan Walsh said about her self-publishing experience: “Michael, working with you on my book - Ready, Set, PLAN, Go! - has been the one of the best moves I’ve made at this stage in my career. The impact in terms of visibility and credibility has been huge. Now when I’m introduced to people, I’m not only a business coach and consultant, I’m also an author. “As a direct result of the book, my speaking engagements have increased almost 50 percent. Many of the organizations who invite me to speak buy my book and give it to the attendees. That, of course, brings in additional revenues and further promotes my services. “On several occasions, it’s opened doors to profitable new business. In fact, before the first copy of the book was in my hands, it had already brought in two new consulting contracts that more than paid for its cost.” The Additional Advantages of Becoming an Author The writing exercise forces you to organize and focus your message, which in turn will allow you to increase the effectiveness of your marketing literature and sales presentations. A book can also form the basis for a seminar or class you might want to teach, and it will give you the credibility you need to get hired. Associations and other organizations are often looking for speakers. Your credentials as an author will move you to the top of their list of sought-after presenters. And selling copies of your book at your speaking engagements will generate extra income and promote your services. What Should You Write About? Rule #1: Write about your passion, which ideally will align with your area of expertise. Rule #2: Think about your target audience. What are their needs? What questions do they typically have? What information would be most useful to them? Information that may seem elementary to you can be very helpful to others. Some fields - like law, insurance, finance, employee relations, and safety - have complex regulations that must be followed in order to avoid substantial penalties. Books about these subjects that are well-written and easily understood can be of great benefit to your readers. If you’re a business owner, consider writing a corporate history to celebrate a company anniversary or other important occasion. It’s a good way to talk about your values, promote your products and services, strengthen customer loyalty, foster employee pride, and enhance your image in your community. Of course, your book does not have to be about your business. If have an avocation that is interesting to people, consider writing a book that makes that subject come alive for your target audience. If you’re writing for a substantial audience, you might want to look for a publisher. If your book has a smaller potential audience in a niche market, take the self-publishing route. The self-publishing industry has made tremendous strides in recent years. Printing 500 or 1000 books is not expensive. And print-on-demand (POD) services allow you to print books one-at-a-time at rather reasonable costs. Articles and White Papers To get even more mileage out of your book, use it as the basis for one or more articles or white papers. Magazines and e-zines are looking for worthwhile material to publish, especially for niche markets. “Writing and posting informative online articles to your website as well as submitting them to others is one of the best methods for increasing your website’s traffic quickly and dramatically,” says Jay Conrad Levinson, author of Guerrilla Marketing on the Internet. It’s Easier Than You Might Think Writing a book is not difficult with the assistance of a good professional writer/editor. But before you start writing, I suggest you visit the Resources page of my website (.MichaelJDowling.com) and download the following two free white papers: ” 5 Key Qualities to Look For When Hiring a Professional Writer (So You Don’t Make a Costly Mistake!) ” 11 Questions You Need to Answer Before You Attempt to Become an Author Michael J Dowling (.MichaelJDowling.com) is a writer, editor, and ghostwriter who produces clear, concise, creative, and convincing books, articles, and other print communications to increase the visibility, credibility, and profitability of individuals and organizations. Mike has an MBA from Columbia Business School in New York City, where he was a Harriman Scholar. He is the author of three published books. © 2008 Michael J. Dowling. All rights reserved. This article may be reproduced with the original, unedited text intact, including the resource box and URL links.5 Key Qualities to Look for When Hiring a Professional Writer (So You Don’t Make a Costly Mistake!) By Michael J. Dowling When you hire a freelance writer or editor, an element of risk is involved. If you hire wisely, you’ll accomplish your goals and save valuable time. But if you choose the wrong writer, you could end up missing deadlines, falling short of your goals, and damaging your credibility. How can you avoid a costly mistake? What qualities should you look for when hiring a writer? I believe that outstanding professional writers are characterized by the five key qualities listed below. When you know what to look for, you’ll make better hiring decisions. The Five Key Qualities to Look For ” Quality #1 - Proficiency Whenever you put something in writing, your image is on the line. A proficient writer will enhance your reputation. A mediocre writer can hurt your image and undermine your efforts to achieve your goals. While searching the Web recently for information about colleges for my son, I came across the following sentence on a university’s website: “Our walking campus tour does not include a residence hall, however the Department of University Housing is proud to offer a special tour of one of our newest residential complex, Eagle Village.” Did you spot the two grammatical errors in this sentence? First, this is what English teachers disdainfully call a “run-on sentence.” The word however is an adverb, not a conjunction. It should be replaced by the conjunction but. Alternatively, one could place a semicolon or a period after the word hall and a comma after the word however. The second grammatical error is that the word complex should be plural. After reading this website, I am less inclined to send my son to this university. Poor writing is worse than no writing at all. Review writing samples so you can be sure you’re investing in a writer who is proficient at his craft. ” Quality #2 - Efficiency You are successful because you are talented at what you do. A competent professional writer will free up your time so you can concentrate on what you do best. An inexperienced, disorganized writer will suck up your time and energy and distract you from your more important priorities. Writing projects are often complex, with tight time constraints. A missed deadline can be very costly…and embarrassing. Choose a writer who routinely finishes assignments on or ahead of schedule. Your time is valuable. Hire an experienced professional who will save you time by managing your projects efficiently. ” Quality #3 - Creativity Lots of writers do a fair job of putting pen to paper, but far fewer bring a strong creative element into the writing process. A creative writer will make your communication piece stand out from the pack. People will be more likely to read it and remember it. For example, when writing about a dramatic management turnaround at a hospital, I increased the impact of the book by structuring it as if the hospital were a patient. The book’s title - Healing A Hospital - and the chapter titles - “Alarming Symptoms,” A Sober Diagnosis,” “Intensive Care,” “Fiscal Therapy,” “A Rapid Recovery” - carried out the hospital-as-patient theme. Creativity increases impact. Look for a creative writer, not just a wordsmith. ” Quality #4 - Productivity The most productive writer is not the one who charges the lowest fees, but the one who produces the greatest return on investment. I’m always encouraged when my clients give me feedback like the following: “Michael, working with you on my book has been the one of the best moves I’ve made at this stage in my career. Before the first copy was in my hands, it had already brought in two new consulting contracts that more than paid for its cost.” (From a business consultant and coach) “The book you helped us write is a terrific marketing tool. This week alone two new donors called because they had read it. One wants to give $8 million to Christian charities!” (From a national charitable organization) A well-written book works hour after hour, day after day, year after year to increase your visibility, credibility, profitability. When evaluating writers, consider the benefits you expect to receive as well as the costs you expect to incur. Don’t simply try to minimize fees; aim to maximize your return on investment. Focus on value, not price. ” Quality #5 - Reliability Look for a professional writer you can rely on to deliver top-quality communication products that are on target, on time, and on budget. When your deadlines are at stake and your image in on the line, reliability is critical. You can count on a reliable writer to write precisely, edit diligently, communicate honestly, relate cooperatively, respond promptly, and serve cheerfully. He makes it his goal to accomplish your goals. A writer who thinks conceptually and gives you honest feedback based on his knowledge and experience adds tremendous value to your project. The results you achieve together will far exceed anything you could have accomplished alone. Before you hire a writer, be sure to check references. Hire a reliable writer who will meet your deadlines and surpass your expectations. Michael J Dowling - writer, editor, and ghostwriter - produces books, articles, websites, media copy, and other communications to increase the visibility, credibility, and profitability of individuals and organizations. He has an MBA from Columbia Business School in New York City and is the author of three published books. To learn more about Michael J. Dowling’s writing, editing, and ghostwriting services, visit . michaeljdowling.com. © 2008 Michael J. Dowling. All rights reserved. This article may be reproduced with the original, unedited text intact, including the resource box and URL links.