How to Create a Highly Profitable Business Using a Self-Published Book
Customers expect a book to cost $9.95, $19.95, or perhaps as much as $49.95.With production costs, that doesn’t give you a lot of money to promote your book and generate sales. It depends on your income goals, but if selling the book alone, you’d have to sell hundreds or thousands of books a month to earn any substantial income. The cost of that operation and the marketing expense could easily exceed the revenues.
There is a better way. When you use your book as a sales tool to identify customers or clients to make additional sales, then your book becomes a money-generating tool that can drive a million-dollar business. Let me give you some examples.
Susan Berkley self-published her book Speak to Influence: How to Unlock the Hidden Power of Your Voice in 1999.The book has since sold over 14,000 copies, is now in the second printing of its second edition, and continues to sell every month. Susan continues to get quoted, even though the book is over six years old. In fact, the book recently scored blurbs in Glamour and Self magazines, and that’s without even trying.
More importantly, Susan invites her book buyers to sign up for her free ezine through her website. Through that ezine Susan offers subscriptions to her monthly newsletter, consulting, coaching, and teleseminars. The revenue from these additional products is many times higher than anything she has received from publishing her book. Best of all, Susan can easily market new products whenever she likes. If she decides she needs more money, she creates another program, sends an email to her list, and makes sales—all from a list created through her self-published book.
Brian invites book readers to visit his website for more information and a personal evaluation. Many times, this evaluation allows Brian to provide his mortgage services with fees ranging from $5,000.00 to $15,000.00. This $19.14 book generates a flow of great customers for his mortgage business.
Jordan McAuley published his book Contact Any Celebrity and sold it for $55.00.
Jordan’s book provides contact information for celebrities. It’s useful for authors who want positive quotes from celebrities to put on their book covers, fans seeking autographs, and charities seeking celebrity endorsements.
Even though $55.00 for a book is a hefty price,
Jordan didn’t stop there. He created a membership website with data that wouldn’t fit into the finished book.
Jordan includes publicist information, additional phone numbers, and charities the celebrity already supports. It’s a lot of useful information specifically for authors and charities.
Jordan charges only $9.95 a month for web membership and promotes this option throughout his book. So instead of selling a book and getting paid once,
Jordan has created monthly, recurring revenue from individuals who want constant access to more extensive and constantly updated information.
Too many authors see the publishing of a book as their end goal. When that book hits bookstores, they breathe a sigh of relief and pat themselves on the back for a big accomplishment. Yes, you should be proud, but don’t stop there. Self-publishing a book opens the door to hundreds of other business opportunities.
Robert Skrob is president of the Information Marketing Association, which encompasses companies producing products like traditional books, audio programs, videos, and DVDs. Members also produce magazines; newsletters; e-books; membership websites; teleseminars and webinars; telecoaching programs; seminars and conferences; and combinations thereof. Visitors to SelfPublishingResources.com can receive a free two-month trial membership in the Information Marketing Association, a $3,103.84 value.To receive your free membership, visit http://SelfPublishingIMA.com
. In fact, the book recently scored blurbs in Glamour and Self magazines, and that’s without even trying.
