You have a great idea for a book. Congratulations. The world deserves to know what you have to say. You might be wondering how to get your idea published as a business book. We’re going to show you a few ways to do it, so read on.
To get started, besides having an amazing idea, you need two other things: time and money.
A business book is usually between 30,000 and 60,000 words long, and writing a book of this size takes time. According to a item by Press of the leaders, if you can write 500 words a day, three times a week, you can finish your manuscript in five to ten months.
The money must be invested in publishing as well as in the marketing of the book. You can ask a publisher to fund it, or you can fund your book out of pocket.
Publishers can put money up front and pay for production costs, editorial costs, author’s advance, and more. They are essentially investors who view authors as investments.
As an author, if you want a publisher to fund your book, you need a very compelling book proposal, which includes either a synopsis or an example of a draft.
If you can’t find a publisher, you’ll have to cover all the costs, publish the book through Amazon, and handle all the marketing yourself.
If you have the budget, there is another route for you. You can work with a single publisher who can help you write your book, publish it, and market it up to bestseller status.
Let’s first take a look at how to get your idea published as a business book through a publisher.
WORKING WITH AN EDITOR
Your book proposal
Business books are generally sold through a book proposal. Aside from the summary of the book, you need to show your authority and credibility while writing the book. Include a bragging sheet if you must. It is also necessary to include your outline and ideally a table of contents. Most literary agents and editors tend to overlook submissions that don’t include one or two chapters, so be sure to include them as well.
Find a literary agent
Literary agents represent authors and their writings to publishers. Their job is to pitch your book or concept to multiple publishers and get the best possible deal for you: upfront money, delivery times, royalties, etc.
Is it worth having a literary agent? Yes, especially for first-time business book authors. You get representation for editors who might not take you seriously given your inexperience. Remember, these publishers will fund your book. Very few publishers are interested in unrepresented business book submissions.
When looking for a literary agent, don’t just look at how successful they have represented business book authors in the past. It is important that your agent is someone you can trust and who will protect your interests.
One thing to remember, a literary agent should not ask for money up front. They should only charge a commission, and usually around 15-20%.
Most agents spend their time managing their existing clients and only take on two to three new authors per year, and most of these agents receive thousands of submissions. That is why, when looking for one, you have to be persistent in sending proposals to many agents.
If you want to be efficient in your agent search, you can search the Internet for literary agent listings. If you prefer to meet agents face to face, attend events such as book writing festivals and networking. Prepare your business card and bring copies of your printed book proposals.
Find a publisher
If you think that finding a literary agent is too much work, you can go directly to the editors. Again, as a reminder, getting the attention of editors is a challenge, especially if you are unrepresented.
If literary agents receive an overwhelming volume of submissions, expect publishers to receive even more. So how do you get their attention?
Most business book publishers prefer authors who are what they are.
You can start by finding business books in the same niche that you plan to write in, or authors with similar writing styles to yours. Take note of the publishers of these books and authors, get their contact details, try to make an appointment if possible, and send copies of your book proposal to their submission address (which can be digital or by mail).
What if you don’t want to bother working with a literary agent or publisher? There is always the option to self-publish
SELF-EDITING
Self-publishing has never been easier. Nowadays, there is a ton of knowledge available online, shared by self-published authors who have successfully done it on their own. Here are some of the benefits of self-publishing:
Complete Creative Freedom – You have complete control over your content, title, book cover, length and even your schedule. While you can seek professional help from editors and designers, all final decisions are yours.
Royalties – With no literary agents to pay and no publisher acting as an intermediary, you keep the net proceeds.
Ownership – Publishers generally reserve the exclusive rights to reprints, other media adaptations and merchandising. When you post yourself, you keep them all.
Now that you know the benefits of self-publishing, it’s time to start writing your book.
Find similar titles
First, since you already have an idea of what you want to write about, find similar or potentially competing titles. Do diligent research before writing your manuscript. Although it will take a while, read the work of authors who may have written content like yours. Find out what worked for them. Take note of their writing styles, how they organized their topics, and how they conveyed their message.
Plan your schedule
Before you plot dates in a spreadsheet or calendar, set a realistic goal of what you can write down on a weekly basis. Don’t compromise on your schedule, writing a 30,000 to 60,000 word book can take months. How much time can you allocate per writing session? How many hours can you save? How many writing sessions can you cover in a week?
Once you have all of these questions answered, figure out how many sessions it would take to reach your target word count. Plan your schedule accordingly. We suggest you use a project management tool where you can track your schedule and access your manuscript in one place.
Create an outline
Your plan is your road map. This roadmap is the journey your readers will take as they read your book.
To organize your thoughts, start with all the ideas you want to include in your book. You can do this at random during a brainstorming session.
Once you’ve written down all your ideas, organize them in a way that best conveys your message.
From there, you can write captions for each main topic.
Once you have your outline handy, trace the topics you cover in each writing session.
Write your manuscript
Now that you’ve done your research, created your outline, and laid out your schedule, it’s time to start writing. Find a designated writing spot if you think it will work for you, or you can write anywhere, be it a cafe or your favorite hangout.
You can ask an editor to help you along the way, or you can do it yourself. You can also find a writing partner or support group with whom you can share your chapters and get feedback.
Publishing and marketing
Once you’ve finished your book, you can publish it with Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing, an authoring platform where you can upload your book and list it for free. Amazon only keeps a percentage of your sales (either 35% or 70% depending on the price you set). With KDP, readers have the option of purchasing the eBook or ordering a printed version. Congratulations! You are now an author of published business books!
But what if it still seems like a lot of work? After all, as a business owner or entrepreneur, you don’t have much time.
OUTSOURCING
This is the best option for you if you have the budget but don’t have the luxury of time. Outsourcing the writing, publishing and marketing process of the book will allow your book to be published without compromising the quality of your work.
Yes, self-publishing is quite a feat. Yes, working with an editor seems like a good deal. But both options have their drawbacks in terms of timing, costs, and guarantees of bestseller status.
Imagine all the time you spend writing your manuscript without the assurance that your book will reach a large audience.
How does outsourcing work? With a company like Press of the leaders, you have a dedicated project manager to oversee the entire book writing process.
Who will write your book? Press of the leaders assigns a project manager who will spend hours working with you through recorded interview sessions. These recorded sessions will then be used by their seasoned authors as a guide to writing your book with your voice.
Once your manuscript is complete, the project manager then forwards the book to their team of writers. You also don’t have to worry about the book cover, as their team also employs expert graphic designers to get the job done.
But it does not stop there. Once the book is finished and published, the next step is to market your book until it reaches bestseller status.
In six to twelve months, with Press of the leaders, you can become a bestselling author and charge a profitable speaking fee with your book as a business card.
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