So You Want to Write a Book? Pt. 2

Many people in the financial services industry have considered writing books.  Having a book published can provide huge benefits for an individual or a business: they help establish credibility and create publicity, branding, and marketing opportunities – think Ric Edelman, David Bach, Suze Orman.

Earlier this week on our blog, we wrote about the first thing you need to do when you decide you want to write a nonfiction book: create a compelling proposal.

A proposal can include several components, including the title, target audience, author bio, table of contents, and sample chapter.   But arguably the most important thing to include in the proposal is your author platform.

What’s an author platform, you ask?  It’s one of the things that helps a literary agent and publisher determine the sales potential for the book.  It should include: information on any media interviews you’ve done or articles you’ve written; how many copies of the book your company will purchase; the number of cities you will visit to promote the book; high-profile/well-known contacts you know that would be willing to “blurb” the book (those quotes on the back cover of a book); and any other details that you would use to impress potential employers or employees, including number of Twitter followers and Facebook friends, whether you have a public relations firm or in-house public relations person that will help secure media opportunities, or a close personal friendship with Joe Nocera, Maria Bartiromo, or Oprah Winfrey.

Brainstorm and leave no stone unturned – the proposal is where you sell yourself and your idea.  Good luck!

Posted by: Nicole Kalian Abbott, Senior Account Supervisor at JCPR. Nicole worked previously as an associate director of publicity at Simon & Schuster in New York.

Tags: Public Relations