whitefox: helping brands, thought leaders and writers create beautiful bespoke books

Writing a business book doesn’t have to be complicated. With the right tools, attitude and approach you can harness your existing network and repurpose powerful content to create the ultimate business card: a book.

Chances are, if you’re thinking of writing a business book, you’re no stranger to content creation. Whether it’s a weekly blog on your website, the occasional LinkedIn publication or a monthly newsletter, the content you have written and shared over the course of your career is vital to writing and publishing a bestselling business book. Take the time to identify the one or two core themes or messages that stand out in your pre-existing content – that’s your book’s message, and your starting point.

How long have you been working in your industry? Five, ten years? Chances are you’ve seen (and had) your share of business mishaps. You know where things can go wrong and, quite often, how they can be resolved. Identify the pain points that prevail in your industry and think about how you can go about resolving them in your book. If there’s a stand-out issue, put it in your title – readers buy selfishly; if your book can help them, it will sell.

Once you’ve got a subject and a backlog of content (and identified any cracks that need to be filled), it’s time to let people know. It’s never too early to start promoting your book, and getting word out there is just as important as getting the book out there – no one is going to buy it if they don’t know it exists.

So, you’re familiar with business; maybe you’re an entrepreneur, a public speaker. You’ve got connections, so use them. If you don’t already have a newsletter, start one and use it to share extracts of your book, images, insights into your business and daily work life. Round up your network, wherever they may be, and make sure they know that – coming soon – your knowledge, experience and insight will be available to buy ‘in all good bookstores’.

Your network aren’t just readers. They’re critics, influencers and knowledge sharers. Call in that favour, set up that meeting – you’re going to need other thought leaders to shout about your book. A tweet by the right person can put your words into the hands of hundreds of new readers, so don’t underestimate the power of social media.

The publishing industry is evolving at a fast rate. Since the advent of audio and digital, things are changing rapidly with no signs of slowing down. Traditional publishing isn’t the only route, and for non-fiction authors who crave creative control, have their own network of readers and specific distribution desires, self-publishing can often present more lucrative opportunities. But don’t just take our word for it. Take a look at the pros and cons of self-publishing before you begin approaching companies.

There you have it: the 500-word cheat sheet to writing a bestselling business book. Good luck on your journey!