By Robert Skrob
Customers expect a book to cost $9.95, $19.95, or perhaps as
much as $49.95. With production costs, that doesn�t give you a lot
of money to promote your books and generate sales. It depends on
your income goals, but if it consists of selling your books alone,
you�d have to sell hundreds or thousands of books a month to earn
any substantial income. Your operation costs and marketing expenses
would quickly exceed the revenues.
There is a better way. When you use your self-published books
as a sales tool to identify customers and make additional sales,
then your self-published books become a money-generating tool that
can drive a million-dollar business.
Here Are 3 Examples of How Your Self-Published Books Can Create
a Highly Profitable Business:
1. Well-known speaking and presentation skills coach builds
a massive list of targeted, hungry prospects and a multi-million
dollar business with a self-published book.
Speaking and presentation skills coach, Susan Berkley self-published
her book, Speak to Influence: How to Unlock the Hidden Power of
Your Voice, in 1999. The book has sold over 14,000 copies, is now
in the second printing of its second edition, and continues to sell
every month. Susan still gets quoted from her book, even though
it is over seven years old. In fact, the book recently scored blurbs
in Glamour and Self magazines without even trying.
More importantly, Susan invites her book buyers to sign up for
her free e-zine through her website. In the e-zine, Susan offers
subscriptions to her monthly paid newsletter, and promotes her products,
teleseminars and consulting/coaching services. The revenue from
these additional services and products is many times higher than
anything she has received from publishing her book. Best of all,
Susan can easily market new products whenever she likes. If she
decides she needs more money, she creates another program, sends
an e-mail to her list, and makes sales�all from a list created through
her self-published book.
2. A mortgage expert increases web traffic and generates millions
of dollars of revenue for his mortgage brokerage company from his
self-published book.
Brian Sacks� self-published book, Yes, You Can Get a Mortgage:
Even If You�ve Had a Bankruptcy, Foreclosure, or Other Credit Issue,
has helped thousands achieve the American dream of homeownership.
For Brian, this $19.14 book has generated a constant flow of great
customers and millions of dollars of revenue for his mortgage brokerage
company.
Brian invites book readers to visit his website for more information
and a personal evaluation. Quite often, this evaluation leads to
mortgage services with fees ranging from $5,000.00 to $15,000.00.
3. The source for accurate celebrity contact information creates
monthly, recurring revenue from his self-published book.
Jordan McAuley self-published his book, Contact Any Celebrity,
and sold it for $55.00. This book that provides contact information
for celebrities is useful for authors who want positive quotes from
celebrities to put on their book covers, fans seeking autographs,
and charities looking for celebrity endorsements.
Even though $55.00 for a book is a great price, Jordan didn�t
stop there. He created a membership website with data that wouldn�t
fit into the finished book. Jordan includes publicist information,
additional phone numbers, and charities the celebrity already supports.
It�s a lot of useful information specifically for authors and charities.
Jordan charges only $9.95 a month for membership and promotes this
option throughout his book. So instead of selling a book and getting
paid once, Jordan has created monthly, recurring revenue from individuals
who want constant access to more extensive and constantly updated
information.
Final Self-Published Thoughts
Too many authors see the self-publishing of a book as their end
goal. When that book hits bookstores, they breathe a sigh of relief
and pat themselves on the back for a big accomplishment. Yes, you
should be proud, but don�t stop there. Self-publishing a book opens
the door to hundreds of other business opportunities.