How to Write a Book for Your Small Business and Publish It On Your Website
A book - whether in PDF format, published online, self-published, or published by a traditional publishing company is one of the best conversion tools you can have on your website.
For my small business I've written 3 books - one for each service I provide.
However, I don't offer all three books in the same format.
A book need not be 300 pages You don't need to write a huge book.
Even if you're selling it, you need only provide super quality content.
Quality trumps quantity.
The book I publish entirely on my website in a series of web pages is only 10 chapters.
Each chapter is about 1,500 words.
That's a total word count of approximately 15,000 words - which is not anywhere near the length of most novels (usually 70,000 to 90,000 words).
That said, if you wish to get published by a traditional publishing company, your book will need to be longer.
How to plan your book First, note many of the questions your prospective customers have.
This is the best source of what content to write about.
Simply put - you want to write about what your prospective customers want to read about.
Second, put yourself in your customers' shoes.
What would you want to know about your service, product, and/or industry.
Here are some small business book topic examples
BUT, do not make it a sales-brochure.
Teach, don't sell.
The entire aim of your book is to inform your prospective readers.
By informing, you build trust.
When people trust you, they will hire you or buy your product(s) when needed.
How to choose which format to publish your book? For my first 2 books I made them available only as a download PDF (for free) plus mailed out a self-published hard copy.
All requests required that my prospective customers sign up for my newsletter (called an opt-in form).
It was interesting - one of my books was requested often, but another one much less so.
The book that was not widely requested, I decided to publish it entirely on the website entirely.
That book published entirely online now receives a good number of views - so I assume it contributes to that website's high conversion rate.
You'll have to test your offerings.
However, if you decide to publish your book entirely online in a series of web pages, be committed to that format.
That is a lot of content (great for search engine optimization), but if you remove it, you remove a lot of great content which could hurt your SEO.
I know the marketing community is big about getting people to sign up through a form requesting your book which adds them to your e-mail list, but sometimes, publishing your book entirely online in a series of web pages can have a better result by building credibility.
The key is that your prospective customers read your book so that you build trust and credibility.
It's a strategic decision.
At the end of the day, it's better to have a book regardless of how you offer it, than no book at all.
One final note about offering your book through having your prospective customers sign up for your e-mail list.
I've found that offering free mini-reports addressing a specific problem to be more effective than offering an entire book.
For my small business I've written 3 books - one for each service I provide.
However, I don't offer all three books in the same format.
- One book I publish in a series of web pages freely online on one website featuring one service.
- Another book (printed and PDF format) I offer on request for free (it's self-published and I mail it out plus provide it in a PDF).
- My third book is an E-book that I sell for $47.
- Publish it in a series of web pages entirely on your website.
- Offer it as a free download in PDF.
You can require that a person sign up through an opt-in form or give it without requiring any action. - Sell the PDF.
- Self-publish a book (print 50 or 100 etc.
) and then mail it to people who request it. - Publish it with a traditional publishing company (obviously this is the best, but most difficult).
- Publish it as a Kindle book.
A book need not be 300 pages You don't need to write a huge book.
Even if you're selling it, you need only provide super quality content.
Quality trumps quantity.
The book I publish entirely on my website in a series of web pages is only 10 chapters.
Each chapter is about 1,500 words.
That's a total word count of approximately 15,000 words - which is not anywhere near the length of most novels (usually 70,000 to 90,000 words).
That said, if you wish to get published by a traditional publishing company, your book will need to be longer.
How to plan your book First, note many of the questions your prospective customers have.
This is the best source of what content to write about.
Simply put - you want to write about what your prospective customers want to read about.
Second, put yourself in your customers' shoes.
What would you want to know about your service, product, and/or industry.
Here are some small business book topic examples
- A realtor could write a book all about staging a home for sale.
- A personal injury lawyer could write about how injured people can get income replacement and medical treatment while off work.
- A house painter could write about choosing the best paint and for various types of homes.
- A chiropractor could write about different treatment options for treating whiplash.
- A yoga teacher could write about the different types of yoga and the benefits of each.
BUT, do not make it a sales-brochure.
Teach, don't sell.
The entire aim of your book is to inform your prospective readers.
By informing, you build trust.
When people trust you, they will hire you or buy your product(s) when needed.
How to choose which format to publish your book? For my first 2 books I made them available only as a download PDF (for free) plus mailed out a self-published hard copy.
All requests required that my prospective customers sign up for my newsletter (called an opt-in form).
It was interesting - one of my books was requested often, but another one much less so.
The book that was not widely requested, I decided to publish it entirely on the website entirely.
That book published entirely online now receives a good number of views - so I assume it contributes to that website's high conversion rate.
You'll have to test your offerings.
However, if you decide to publish your book entirely online in a series of web pages, be committed to that format.
That is a lot of content (great for search engine optimization), but if you remove it, you remove a lot of great content which could hurt your SEO.
I know the marketing community is big about getting people to sign up through a form requesting your book which adds them to your e-mail list, but sometimes, publishing your book entirely online in a series of web pages can have a better result by building credibility.
The key is that your prospective customers read your book so that you build trust and credibility.
It's a strategic decision.
At the end of the day, it's better to have a book regardless of how you offer it, than no book at all.
One final note about offering your book through having your prospective customers sign up for your e-mail list.
I've found that offering free mini-reports addressing a specific problem to be more effective than offering an entire book.
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