Peter Fogel's "Self-Publishing: Your Ticket to Branding Yourself as an Expert!"

Who are you if you have a book available for purchase? An expert? Someone successful? A smart marketer? All of the above. Reinventing yourself often requires a new life set of references. The doubts are out there. "Sure", the clients says (or worst, just thinks), you were successful as a project manager for IBM for the last 20 years.

You obviously know how to make it in the corporate world, but what do you know about small business management? What can you really do for me? Heck, we can take him to the moon if he'll let us, but getting him to realize that often takes more than we can offer when we first start out. It's frustrating. 40 Years old and I don't have references again? Is my acne back as well? (Uggh!)

Writing a book solves that. And that’s because a A Book Tells The World (And Your Client) That You’re The Go-To Person Writing your own book is a fascinating process. It condenses our thoughts, prepares us for our Reinvented life and gives us the realization that we really do know how to handle the small business problems our client is asking about.

Writing a book truly makes you an expert. You hear all the time, "I know so much about this I could write a book." Do you really? Because if you do, you will discover that you really are an authority, and people will not only see that in your book, but see it in you.

Writing a book increases your:

• Client Base
• Income
• Self-Esteem
• Feeling of Success

When I wrote my book, “If Not Now… Then When? Stories and Strategies of People Over 40 Who Have Successfully Reinvented Themselves,” I not only studied the subjects I lived it. That’s what separates me from folks with doctorates or masters degrees. I am NOT a theoretician, “I practice what I preach” to my subscribers.

A book puts you in a whole different light than your competitor. Once you write one, people will read yours and refer them to others. My mentor Bob Bly has written over 60 books. (That’s right, folks, count ‘em—60) over a 25 year period. It has propelled him into millionaire “guru” status with his clients and the industry. And that’s because clients don't mind paying for expert advice.

(Cha-ching) It is only when there are doubts about the outcome that they barter down on you. Knowing what you know, seeing it sitting in front of you brings together a life. It ties up many loose ends. The process of building out a real book reveals your history through a new perspective.

Alright! You’ve Written The Book… Now What?

Naturally, you can write the book yourself which will give you the closest feeling (if you’re a man at least) to giving birth. Or you can hire a ghost writer. (You don’t think “The Donald” actually writes his books, do you?) Ghost writing will be the subject of another article. But for now, let’s assume you’ve completed the manuscript.

NOW what are you going to do with it? There are several options out there. The traditional publication methods of; getting an agent, sending it out to the publishing houses, (rejection) hassling with the editors, are all available, just as they have been for the last 200 years. No worries there.

Technology has also created several other options for you as well. Self-Publishing is now a viable, reliable and profitable way of getting your book to print. eBooks also bring your book to print and publication and available for immediate distribution—PLUS— all the profits are all yours. (Amen) And there is no reason you can't do both. There are a number of benefits to self-publishing which in the past could not be tapped, which technology has made available.

• Faster production from concept to printed volume
• Time-sensitive ideas able to be capitalized on
• Cost effective printing schedules
• High quality product

Traditional methods of publishing can take 8 months to a year to push through the houses, whereas self-publishing can get your book out in as little as 2 to 3 months. This is a huge marketing boon for those looking to get time-sensitive messages out to the public.

Self-publishing was once looked down on, they were called Vanity books. But not any longer. Self-publishing is now a real alternative. You can find Self-publishers that will help you with cover design, ISBN numbers, Book Store marketing, and Amazon.com listings. The quality of these books is fantastic, and the printing options very manageable. Short prints, and shipping arrangements are often available options.

eBook printing is much less expensive (obviously), but not less rewarding if you have the right people working with you. There are several great resources available to you as well. For example, if you need help in preparing your book for the public then Jim Donavan is someone you should contact.

He’s a writer's coach and even has a full course on getting your book to print and what to do once it is there (http://www.publishingsuccesscd.com/).

If you are looking at Reinventing yourself as a Consultant, or Life Coach, the benefits are really self explanatory. If you follow Jim's advice you will probably make your money back in sales alone, but the monetary value of the business your book brings in, just because it exists may be ten times greater.

Let's face it, someone that has a book available for purchase is someone who is stable, authoritative and knowledgeable. Books have clout that nothing else captures. Offices, business cards, and resumes are all very necessary, but a book puts you in a different category. Books bring people to you. Imagine a prospect coming to your work and they say…

"What can you do for me?" Your reply?
"Read my book and find out."
How empowering is that?!

Remember one important thing: Unless you get to Mark Victor Hansen status (millions of copies of Chicken Soup for The Soul sold) you won’t become wealthy beyond your wildest dreams with writing a book.

There’s a lot of variables involved. Marketing, timing, NY Times Best Seller list—yada, yada, yada. But can you imagine what a book can do for your business? I tell you from experience that nothing can launch your reinvention quicker into expert status than writing on a particular subject. It’s worked for me and I know it can work for you.