A book on its own is rarely the money spinner people expect it to be.
People ask me all the time, “How many books have you sold?” The answer to that question (unless you’re a very big name) is rarely correlated to how well the book is working for you in an income generation sense. Low book sales does not mean the book is not working for your business. In fact, often times the opposite is true.
For thought leaders and people in small business, having a book that demonstrates your core philosophies and frameworks is like having a business card on steroids. It’s the door opener, the lead generator, rather than the direct income stream. The business that comes out of people having read your book and then wanting to work with you, is what brings in the income – in other words, the learning products you can create out of that book.
The book is the body of knowledge: the raw material for workshops, programs, diagnostics, resources and learning experiences that can reach more people and generate the real income.
So the simple answer to the question of ‘How can you leverage your book to grow your business?’ is to use a system for extracting them – a system that allows you to extract multiple learning products from the same IP.
If you’d like a visual snapshot and a trusted process for deciding which ones to create, the best place to start is my article, How do you choose which learning products to create?
This interview below with Andrew Griffiths goes one step further by thinking strategically about how you can leverage a book as part of your business offerings because books can be a powerful opportunity for business growth if you’re strategic about the way you use them.
That’s exactly what Andrew Griffiths and I explored in this conversation on his podcast, The Business of Being an Author: how to stop treating your book as the finished product and start seeing it as the foundation for something much bigger.
If you’ve written a book and you’re not yet sure how or why to turn what’s inside it into learning products people actually need and are willing to pay for, this one’s for you.
Prefer to listen?
Hallo! If you’re curious about the ideas explored in this article and how I might be able to help, please book in for a quick (complimentary) chat! Every client is different, which is why I have lots of different ways of helping – whether it’s an upcoming event, free resources on my website or one to one coaching, let’s work out the best fit for you and your unique scenario!
Continue the Learning
If you’d like to explore these ideas further, the resources below may be a helpful next step.
Further Reading
If this topic has sparked your thinking, you may find the following articles helpful. Each explores a different aspect of creating learning experiences that are engaging, practical, and meaningful.
How do you choose which learning products to create?
It can be confusing trying to figure out what learning products to create – Articles? Books? Online courses? Workshops? How do you choose? This article shows you a strategy for working out what’s best for you, and what’s best for your learners.
Everyone’s a Teacher
Maria Doyle’s book Everyone’s a Teacher explores the principles behind engaging, effective learning experiences. It introduces a practical methodology for making learning more interactive, memorable, and meaningful — whether you’re working with students, professionals, or teams.