This post is slightly altered and taken from the Books Open Doors Insights section of the Books Business Abundance Podcast Episode with Drew Berman
If you’re really busy and think you don’t have time to write a book, but you understand that you need a book to open doors to more opportunities, to make a bigger impact and more money, and create a lasting legacy, then you have two choices. You can make the time or hire a ghostwriter. Writing your book takes time and you’re going to have to schedule it and you’re probably going to have to say no to something that is in your schedule right now, while hiring a ghostwriter takes funds.
So, if you don’t have the funds, you’ll have to make the time and you can get started by downloading Book Planning Secrets, A 4-Step Simple Guide to Writing a Bestseller; www.booksopendoors.com/blog or on the podcast page. And you can also get on the waitlist for the next 5 Day Bestseller Breakthrough Challenge, Taking Your Book from Idea to Outline where I’ll walk you through how to set your book quickly and easily to become a bestseller and that’s at www.bestsellerbreakthrough.com.
If you’re going to hire a ghostwriter, then I suggest hiring one who works with you, who interviews you, and then writes the book or a team, not a ghostwriter who is going to research the topic you are already an expert in- that just doesn’t make any sense to me- and then tries to get it into your voice when it’s done as an interview it’s going to be much more adapted to your voice anyway.
I also suggest working with one who knows how to do the marketing research first, so you get the book you need to benefit your business, because ghostwriting is not cheap and you don’t want to spend all that money and not get the product that you need. And it’s definitely not one size fits all.
You also want someone who knows how to help you create your outline so it’s easy to follow and includes exactly what you need to connect with your ideal clients and get them to take the next step, whatever it is you want them to do next, join a FB group or get on your email list or whatever.
Next, let’s talk the investment. A good ghostwriter costs tens of thousands of dollars. If you have the funds great, but if you need help, there are a few ways to go to finance it.
So for financing, Paypal has a 6-month financing plan with no interest. You may also be able to get business credit depending on your situation. One of my clients, Andrew Rey can help you get started if you want to go that route. You can also get his book at http://ellenlikes.com/entrepreneurialsecrets Or, you can Facebook him at Andrew Rey. R-E-Y.
And if you have a lot of credit, you could finance it yourself, or with an installment plan, just make the first installment and then work on additional funding. The bottom line is it’s way more about mindset. Usually, people have a way to swing it; they just have to get their mindset in the right place and want it badly enough.
You can pre-sell the book. One of my followers in our Facebook Group actually raised over $20,000 from the pre-sale of her book on social media. So, I know it can be done. I also helped Terri Levine crowdfund her book and she did very well.
You can also speak and sell books from the back of the room with pre-orders. In other words, let’s say you make the first installment and then you have to get the rest.. When I spoke at Mega Book University, Jack Victor Hansen set out a pre-order sheet at each seat and people bought the book before it was published. You can speak on podcasts and set it up online doing the same thing. I recommend signing up with Speakertunity. It’s run by Jackie Lapin and her company compiles opportunities that are available. http://ellenlikes.com/podcast-radio-speak
Also, many vendors are giving generous plans because of the pandemic and all of the economic issues because of it.
So decide if you want to write your book yourself or have it ghostwritten, and if you are going to use a ghostwriter, figure out how you are going to pay for it, and get started!
If you’re interested in having a book written, there are a couple of openings right now. We specialize in working with inspiration speakers, coaches and heart-centered entrepreneurs. Please, send an email to me at ellen@booksopendoors.com and we can set up a time to chat so I can learn more about your business and see if we’re a fit.
Ellen Violette helps busy thought leaders, creatives, heart-centered entrepreneurs, coaches and speakers, get their book written so they can reach a bigger audience, make a bigger impact, make more money and leave a lasting legacy.
She is a multiple #1 bestselling author herself, an award-winning book and business coach, co-author of Sell More eBooks with Internet Marketing Guru, Jim Edwards, host of the Books Business Abundance Podcast, CEO of Create a Splash Marketing & Grammy-nominated songwriter.
