Advice for Writing a Self-help Book

90% of all books sold are non-fiction.  Do you think it’s a good idea to write a self-help book?

According to an article published online Bill Zanker, the founder of The Learning Annex and co-author with Trump of Think Big, revealed that the self-help industry is generating roughly $19 billion dollars a year in sales.

Many people no longer seek professional financial advisors, but instead are turning to Self-Help Coaching Systems to handle their finances.  People who are in ill-health, or recovering from illness seek self-help books and programs rather than spend thousands visiting doctors.  And people who need encouragement to face the challenges of their lives, look to self-help professionals and programs to guide them to the next level so they can overcome their limitations.

“Most people behind the self-help movement are people who have gone through hell, and found the right mindset to overcome their limitation, and achieve their dream goals. These self-help movements are now the gurus teaching success without having to rely on the therapist or financial adviser.”

I wrote The Fearless Factor based on over thirty years of experience in getting past the self-doubt, the fears and the anxiety that were part of my life from birth. But writing a self-help book, while it seems easy, is not something to be taken lightly.  We are in fact seriously responsible for giving advice to others, and hopefully it is sound advice based on years of acquired knowledge and wisdom.

When I first began my journey of healing the wounds, I needed to get some clarity and focus on what was getting in the way, and what I could do to get beyond it.  I turned to self-help authors who were my teachers, my mentors and my guides through the treacherous waters of my transition to health.

After over thirty years of study, I knew intimately what worked and what didn’t. I had tons of books, programs, audio, video and in person conferences to call upon, but ultimately, it was my interpretation of the materials that would become the foundation for the work I do today.

Of course, much of it also ended up as shelf-help.  You know what I’m talking about.  The self-help by osmosis because it’s on the shelf!

So if you’re thinking of writing a self-help book bear these facts in mind. 
Thanks to Judy Cullen for the following:

1. Write a non-fiction book. Non-fiction books are 90% of total book sales. It makes sense to write and market non-fiction first. The most popular? How to and self-help books. You can use your profits to partially finance a fiction project.

2. Write a mini book. Mini books in any format, like eBooks, booklets, guides or special reports are faster, easier, and cheaper to write than full length books of 100-300 pages. The can be as short as five pages (special reports), to eBooks that can be 5-100pages (even longer)..

3. Target your book toward women. Women buy far more books than men, about 75%. If your message benefits women, you’ll do well in sales. If it’s a book your audience needs, it will sell more. It’s best to see the need and fill it rather than have an idea— then look for an audience.

4. Keep your book’s image sharp.Image is almost everything. Choose your title with care. Your front cover and title have around four to eight seconds to impress your potential buyer. Be clear, use metaphor and make sure your visuals connect to your title. . Elicit an emotion by your title words (preferably 5-7 words). What solutions and results does your book promise?

5. Expand your book into a series. Think of the huge success of the Chicken Soup Series. They have one cover for all the titles. One count was 12 million. Think of spin-off products that relate to your book. Some people prefer to learn by listening so the cassette, MP3, or CD-ROM. I recently bought a serial eBook and loved getting two chapters a week— so easy to digest. These formats can actually help you sell more books. Other spin-offs include coaching, consulting, speaking, seminars, columns, or videos.

6. Impress your potential buyer within eight to ten seconds with your back cover copy. At the top put your headliner. It must hook your readers, stir up their emotions, hit their desire. What benefits does your book offer? How to get more money, heart-centered relationships, more fame, more health? Include from 3-5 bullets of benefits, what your book promises its readers if you have room. Remember, testimonials sell more books than anything else.

7. Create your written marketing plan before you finish your book. This plan covers your first year’s launch period and lifetime plan. You’ll want to market at least one year. Inexperienced authors wait until publication and lose a great deal of sales. Your plan could include how many books you want to sell or how much money your want to make each month. Include your 30 second tell and sell, book reviews, news releases, the articles to market your book, the book signings, talks, electronic newsletters, and a book web site. Without a written plan, an author creates vague results. Want help? Ask your coach for her marketing plan coaching package.

8. Put as much time into marketing as you did the writing of your book. Your goal is to have people read and learn from your unique message. Why plant a garden if you don’t harvest it? For me, it’s easy to do at least one High Level Activity (HLA) each day on my book project. That equates to five to ten hours a week. If you are consistent, you will sell books. Your HLA’s may include writing an article to post on high-traffic web sites (my favorite), contacting a person to co-market, writing a book sales letter for your web site.

9. Include web marketing to sell more books. While you can sell your books on other people’s site, you eventually will want your own. An author without a web site is like a person without a name. Your site can contain book reviews, testimonials, excerpts and short articles related to its topic. You need to first write good content your home page and sales letter for each book. Then contact a reputable web master to design it.

10. Discover advanced article marketing, where you write short articles and excerpts from your book. Then submit them to high-traffic web sites. Every day people search for free information on sites such as www.ezinearticles.com. When they read and like your article, they will click onto the link that leads them right back to your web site. This is the number one way to market books online, and doesn’t cost a dime. To know more, ask your book or internet marketing coach.

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