of the reasons for examining your competition’s books is so that you will be able to describe in detail the strengths and weaknesses of existing books in your proposal. And the better your research, the better your proposal will be. Additionally, a good reason is because it lets you know where you can aim as far as positioning. When I was in the planning stage of several of my books, I took the steps just like I told you.

I researched to see what was already in the market and was pleasantly surprised. I saw lots of books on my chosen topic but the quality was not good. Every book I read I thought to myself, “I know I can do better than this.” Now my thinking was not

Have you developed your book's promotion plan yet? You know now really is better than later. There are 2 facts to realize in developing your promotion plan. Realize it begins the day you conceive your book idea and never ends.

The other is the more you write the better you become at it. You need to begin building name recognition in your field. In other words, you want to begin developing your public image.

No I’m not suggesting you become a politician but I am saying you must get involved in your book’s promotion. After all, you are the one that cares the most for your project. Many authors and especially small business owners/authors dread book promotion like a plague. They say, "With all that I already do, I jumped the hurdle of writing and completing my book, now I have to promote it as well –arggh."

Look at it this way; you have more to gain than anyone in the success of your book. Therefore, when developing your book marketing plan you should:

Examine Your Competition

Your first step in researching the competition is to visit a large book store locally or go online to http://www.amazon.com and look for similar books. Additionally, visit http://www.bn.com (Barnes & Nobles Online) and http://www.borders.com. Since you have already identified the problem you want to solve with your book, be sure to include using search engines like http://www.google.com to help find articles, reports and websites devoted to the problem.

Don’t depend on your memory of what you have seen. Make notes and combine your research into a single Word document. In your notes make a list, and write down this about each book or document you find:

• Title and author
• Year of publication
• Sales rank
• Reader reviews
• Who wrote the Foreword or Introduction
• Number of editions or printings

Don’t be intimidated if you find more than several books already written on the topic. The fact that there’s existing books shows that the topic is an active one. If you decide to go the traditional route of publishing, you will find publishers are more willing to invest money in a book on a topic with a track record.

I encourage you to buy one or two existing books just to read, noting the case studies and references they cite as well as the quality of information they provide. You should make a mental note at least of things like:

• Is the information presented in an easy to read, helpful way?
• Is the reading a pleasant chore or is it like wading through mud?
• Is the information timely and accurate?
• Do the books contain any reader engagement tools like check-list, worksheets or questions?

One of the reasons for examining your competition’s books is so that you will be able to describe in detail the strengths and weaknesses of existing books in your proposal. And the better your research, the better your proposal will be. Additionally, a good reason is because it lets you know where you can aim as far as positioning. When I was in the planning stage of several of my books, I took the steps just like I told you.

I researched to see what was already in the market and was pleasantly surprised. I saw lots of books on my chosen topic but the quality was not good. Every book I read I thought to myself, “I know I can do better than this.” Now my thinking was not

a plague. They say, "With all that I already do, I jumped the hurdle of writing and completing my book, now I have to promote it as well –arggh."

Look at it this way; you have more to gain than anyone in the success of your book. Therefore, when developing your book marketing plan you should:

Examine Your Competition

Your first step in researching the competition is to visit a large book store locally or go online to http://www.amazon.com and look for similar books. Additionally, visit http://www.bn.com (Barnes & Nobles Online) and http://www.borders.com. Since you have already identified the problem you want to solve with your book, be sure to include using search engines like http://www.google.com to help find articles, reports and websites devoted to the problem.

Don’t depend on your memory of what you have seen. Make notes and combine your research into a single Word document. In your notes make a list, and write down this about each book or document you find:

• Title and author
• Year of publication
• Sales rank
• Reader reviews
• Who wrote the Foreword or Introduction
• Number of editions or printings

Don’t be intimidated if you find more than several books already written on the topic. The fact that there’s existing books shows that the topic is an active one. If you decide to go the traditional route of publishing, you will find publishers are more willing to invest money in a book on a topic with a track record.

I encourage you to buy one or two existing books just to read, noting the case studies and references they cite as well as the quality of information they provide. You should make a mental note at least of things like:

• Is the information presented in an easy to read, helpful way?
• Is the reading a pleasant chore or is it like wading through mud?
• Is the information timely and accurate?
• Do the books contain any reader engagement tools like check-list, worksheets or questions?

One of the reasons for examining your competition’s books is so that you will be able to describe in detail the strengths and weaknesses of existing books in your proposal. And the better your research, the better your proposal will be. Additionally, a good reason is because it lets you know where you can aim as far as positioning. When I was in the planning stage of several of my books, I took the steps just like I told you.

I researched to see what was already in the market and was pleasantly surprised. I saw lots of books on my chosen topic but the quality was not good. Every book I read I thought to myself, “I know I can do better than this.” Now my thinking was not

ing search engines like http://www.google.com to help find articles, reports and websites devoted to the problem.

Don’t depend on your memory of what you have seen. Make notes and combine your research into a single Word document. In your notes make a list, and write down this about each book or document you find:

• Title and author
• Year of publication
• Sales rank
• Reader reviews
• Who wrote the Foreword or Introduction
• Number of editions or printings

Don’t be intimidated if you find more than several books already written on the topic. The fact that there’s existing books shows that the topic is an active one. If you decide to go the traditional route of publishing, you will find publishers are more willing to invest money in a book on a topic with a track record.

I encourage you to buy one or two existing books just to read, noting the case studies and references they cite as well as the quality of information they provide. You should make a mental note at least of things like:

• Is the information presented in an easy to read, helpful way?
• Is the reading a pleasant chore or is it like wading through mud?
• Is the information timely and accurate?
• Do the books contain any reader engagement tools like check-list, worksheets or questions?

One of the reasons for examining your competition’s books is so that you will be able to describe in detail the strengths and weaknesses of existing books in your proposal. And the better your research, the better your proposal will be. Additionally, a good reason is because it lets you know where you can aim as far as positioning. When I was in the planning stage of several of my books, I took the steps just like I told you.

I researched to see what was already in the market and was pleasantly surprised. I saw lots of books on my chosen topic but the quality was not good. Every book I read I thought to myself, “I know I can do better than this.” Now my thinking was not

u decide to go the traditional route of publishing, you will find publishers are more willing to invest money in a book on a topic with a track record.

I encourage you to buy one or two existing books just to read, noting the case studies and references they cite as well as the quality of information they provide. You should make a mental note at least of things like:

• Is the information presented in an easy to read, helpful way?
• Is the reading a pleasant chore or is it like wading through mud?
• Is the information timely and accurate?
• Do the books contain any reader engagement tools like check-list, worksheets or questions?

One of the reasons for examining your competition’s books is so that you will be able to describe in detail the strengths and weaknesses of existing books in your proposal. And the better your research, the better your proposal will be. Additionally, a good reason is because it lets you know where you can aim as far as positioning. When I was in the planning stage of several of my books, I took the steps just like I told you.

I researched to see what was already in the market and was pleasantly surprised. I saw lots of books on my chosen topic but the quality was not good. Every book I read I thought to myself, “I know I can do better than this.” Now my thinking was not

of the reasons for examining your competition’s books is so that you will be able to describe in detail the strengths and weaknesses of existing books in your proposal. And the better your research, the better your proposal will be. Additionally, a good reason is because it lets you know where you can aim as far as positioning. When I was in the planning stage of several of my books, I took the steps just like I told you.

I researched to see what was already in the market and was pleasantly surprised. I saw lots of books on my chosen topic but the quality was not good. Every book I read I thought to myself, “I know I can do better than this.” Now my thinking was not in a negative way. It's just that I found it exciting and motivating to me that my competitive edge would be quality well-presented information.

The publishing world and our society have changed. Writing and publishing your book can still change your life. But now a book is not the be-all and end-all, it is simply a tool that allows you to become a more successful business person, taking the profitable road to success and destiny.