The problem

A business book can act as the ultimate calling card; a powerful piece of content marketing offering accessible insight and advice on a topic or industry. After years of experience working as auction specialists, Jay Howard and Piotr Rusinek were frustrated by how inaccessible the industry was to everyday people. They wanted to demystify the auction process and provide potential clients with a how-to kit, but with no publishing experience, they didn’t know where to start. After discovering whitefox, ‘everything started to come together’ and Before the Hammer Falls began to take shape.

‘After being asked the same questions about property auctions over and over again, we knew it would be beneficial to put all the information into one easily digestible book. We knew that there was space in the market for a book that offers accessible, succinct information about the benefits, risks and rewards of the property auction industry, and we decided to fill it.’

The solution

Jay and Piotr worked tirelessly to produce their manuscript, but with ‘absolutely no writing experience’ the publishing process was ‘completely alien’ and they were left with a completed manuscript and nowhere to send it! Jay and Piotr approached whitefox with 60,000 words of insight and advice, looking for support with editorial, design and digital distribution. whitefox worked with the property duo to provide expert, step-by-step project management and consultancy throughout the publishing process, ensuring every stage of creation was transparent and that the auction team were at the centre of creative decisions.

The result

By working with an experienced, specialist typesetter to perfect Jay and Piotr’s innovative formatting desires, whitefox achieved the team’s goal of making project auctions an accessible and modern topic – the structure of the book was based around Jay and Piotr’s social media handles, as they each offered tips and tricks for property auctions.

Since publication, Jay and Piotr have seen a notable increase in business enquiries as a result of the clear-cut information provided in Before the Hammer Falls. Not only has the book provided the ultimate gift to present to prospective clients at events, but it quickly became an Amazon bestseller!

‘Since we released Before the Hammer Falls we have seen a significant increase in the number of enquiries that are coming in. The book has directly impacted our ability to convey information about property auctions; clients understand the process much faster now. When we attend a conference or give a talk on property auctions, we are able to leave prospective clients with something tangible and of substance, and this has had a huge impact on business’