Advisor Perspectives welcomes guest contributions. The views presented here do not necessarily represent those of Advisor Perspectives.
Writing is my passion. I love writing articles that help advisors just as much as I love writing books. My first book, The 29% Solution: 52 Weekly Networking Success Strategies, was a collaborative effort with a mentor/friend, Dr. Ivan Misner, founder of BNI, the world’s largest networking organization. This book became a Wall Street Journal best seller and is now published in seven languages. Next was a cookbook that compiled my family’s most treasured recipes. My third book was also a collaboration with my business partner, Patty Kreamer, titled A Woman’s Way: Empowering Female Financial Advisors to Authentically Lead and Flourish in a Man’s World, and it became an Amazon best seller within a few days.
Many advisors want to write or have an idea for a book stuck between their ears. They’re waiting for the time and inspiration to get it down on paper.
Let me tell you a secret.
It will stay there forever unless you do something about it. A book remains one of the best marketing tools for establishing expertise, acquiring speaking opportunities, enhancing your revenue stream, building a sales funnel, attracting a niche audience and capturing your content to use in marketing.
The case for having a book to your name is a no-brainer. That said, let’s look at what it takes to get started and stay committed to the process of writing a book.
Create time to write
Nobody I know has time for writing a book. We are all busy and have the same 24 hours in a day to get stuff done. How do those busy people find time to write? You create time to write just like you would create time to walk if the doctor said, “If you don’t start walking now, you’ll be dead by the time you’re 55.” Time is available, but it’s possible that you’re not being efficient or effective with your time. Perhaps you need to delegate more to increase your efficiency. Perhaps you need to say “no” more often to things. Or maybe you need to establish boundaries and decrease your distractions.
Without time to write, nothing happens. For my first book, I blocked off Mondays for a year to complete it. Every Monday, I spent the whole day writing or working on the book in some way. I established boundaries and everyone knew that Mondays were writing days and that unless there was a true emergency, I would return calls and emails on Tuesday. Since I wasn’t providing a life-saving service, everyone, including clients, respected my need for focus and couldn’t wait to see the finished product.
Figure out what works best for you. I do my best work with large chunks of time. Some people can be very effective with short blocks of time. Whatever you decide, make it known that your writing time is a priority. Block it out in your calendar with little to no chance of interruptions or changes. This will ensure you have the time you need to achieve your goal.
If you struggle with finding time, reach out to my business partner and productivity coach, Patty Kreamer, to see how she can help you out. She has written several books too.
Organize your thoughts
My writing style and thought process is very linear. I write in order of how my books flow from start to finish. All I need is a good table of contents and I am off and writing. If you’re like me, organize your thoughts into a table of contents that flows and make sense. Break it down further into sub-sections if that’s helpful.
If you’re not like me and you like to write things that pop into your mind organically, try a mind-mapping exercise to help capture main topics and sub-topics. Mind mapping techniques can be found on the internet by Googling “mind mapping.” Creating a mind map starts with a brainstorming session where you place your main book idea in the center of a page. From there, you create branches for every main topic you can think of that relates to your book idea. Each branch gets a separate main topic. Then you take each main topic separately and begin brainstorming all the sub-topics that pertain to that main topic and build branches out for each of those. In the end, you’ve created quite a mess on paper, but it’s a well-organized approach to seeing what you want to include in the book and how deep that topic could expand. You might even realize that you have more than one book in front of you or that you need to add more depth in certain areas to bring more value.
Get your thoughts on paper and out of your head. Your brain will thank you and you’ve just begun the process of writing a book!
Write today, write tomorrow, repeat
Now that you’ve set aside the time and you’ve given enough thought to what you want to write, it’s time to write. Part of the reason why you’ve not written your book yet is because you can’t hold yourself accountable. That’s okay. You’re not alone. Loads of financial advisors can’t accomplish tasks without someone to hold them accountable. That’s why I’m in the business of working with advisors to help them grow their practice. Sometimes, a writer needs a coach. The right coach knows how to tap into your motivations and preferred ways of work to help you stay in alignment with your goals. When you pay someone for their support, like a fitness coach, you’re less inclined to disappoint them and will perform better than you would alone. Perhaps there’s a coach who can help you stay focused.
Other forms of support to help you accomplish the dream of writing a book are mentors. Again, having to share your work with someone keeps you pushing forward. Find someone who is not afraid to tell you what you need to hear if you start to slack off. You need a mentor willing to hold you to your deadlines and writing goals. The right mentor might even be a writer and willing to help you make connections and develop a successful marketing plan.
I was told by my mentor that writing is the easy part. Marketing the book after it’s published is the challenging part, which could be an article for another time. Do whatever you need to do to write. Close your door. Silence your phone. Turn off all dings, bells and whistles. Go somewhere other than your office or home. Remember to write today, tomorrow and repeat. Get it done. And if you still find it difficult to accomplish it on your own, hire a ghost writer.
Leverage your network
Never underestimate the power of your network. The people you know also know people. And most likely, you only know a small fraction of who they know. Eventually, you’re going to need an editor and a publisher. Make a list of all the people you know who have written books. These people have already been through this process and have a wealth of knowledge to share with you. If you don’t know anyone who has written a book, talk to people about who they know who have written a book and ask for their help in making an introduction. Most authors are very willing to talk to aspiring authors and help in any way they can by sharing what they’ve learned and making connections if needed.
Finding a publisher can be a challenge because many restrict the types of books they take on, making it hard to find a match. Generally, publishers are expensive and looking for very large audiences and influencers who have a huge following. Partnering with an influencer like I did for my first book enabled me to gain best-seller status quickly and extended my reach around the world. Many publishers are known to require a high print count that leads to storage and inventory needs. More authors have found that self-publishing is the perfect solution for their needs. This method allows you to print on demand and minimize inventory concerns. Other authors and writing coaches can direct you to good resources for self-publishing.
Your valuable network will come in handy once again after the book is written and ready to be launched. They can help you get to best-seller status on Amazon, write testimonials, promote the book on social media, connect you to speaking opportunities, etc. Gather lists of people who can help you in various ways before, during and after the book is written.
I wish you the best of luck in your writing endeavors. Count me and Patty in your network of people who have written a book and are willing to share our lessons and experiences. You can find our contact information below.
Michelle R. Donovan and Patty Kreamer own Productivity Uncorked LLC where Michelle (Referral/Business Coach) and Patty Kreamer (Productivity Coach) offer a one-two punch to help financial advisors get more done in their day and be more profitable. If you want to finally get that book out of your head with proven accountability, email Michelle at [email protected].