The FIRST question to settle if you’re gonna write a book…
What’s your return on investment goal?
Here are several kinds of ROI, some of which you may not have considered.
Financial: Earn more in book sales than you spend (A publisher advance works well here)
Legacy: You might sell three copies, and give away 3,000, but your story is out there for everyone.
Spiritual: You know your story and insights can help people, and you know it’s the right thing to do. ROI is far above the bottom line.
Connections and lead-building: Your book as a business card. Instant credibility booster (Unless you muck it up. Don’t, okay?)
Speaking opportunities: Your book as a sales tool
Example:
My books have sold pretty well, and are perennial sellers, but I wrote them for two reasons:
A) As hard as I try, I can’t work with everyone 🙂 and I want to help people with their books and brands.
B) I’ve made 100x the moolah from resulting projects than I have in book sales.
(Made some great friends in the process, and enjoyed some meals on the mountain!)
When you know your reason and ROI goal, you can then invest time and money accordingly.
And yes, you can have multiple reasons and multiple ROI streams that combine!
What’s your answer?