How to write a TINY book
When The Prosperous Coach was first published, we got a bunch of great reviews. Mostly from friends and family, of course!
But a couple of weeks later, we got two scathing comments on Amazon and I called Steve Chandler in a panic.
“Steve, we just had two terrible reviews. What shall we do?”
“Nothing!” said Steve with a smile. “That just means we’ve made it…”
He wasn’t wrong. This year, we hit 100,000 copies sold.
I’ve been writing a lot recently about the importance of creating your own intellectual property (IP), if you want to become a sought after coach. Well, the very best IP is a book.
You should write a book. Before you are ready. Trust me on this.
A book lets people experience you before they become a client. Here are 28 books written by clients of mine. Some are bestsellers with big publishing houses, some are self-published. One was designed to never be sold – it’s only intention was to be placed in the hands of the author’s dream clients. And one was first published over 25 years ago and is now in its third edition…
If you are writing a book today, you need to remember how short people’s concentration spans have become. A tiny book often has far more impact on a reader than one with 300+ pages.
The Prosperous Coach isn’t a big book. In fact, after we finished writing it, I spent 6 months removing every unnecessary word, sentence and paragraph. It says all that needs to be said but no more. In fact, if I’d had more time, I would have cut out even more!
The purpose of a tiny book is threefold: (1) to stop a potential client in their tracks, (2) to show them you understand them deeply, and (3) to provide a solution for their biggest challenge.
How to create a tiny book for your dream clients.
STEP 1: Stop Them in Their Tracks
Write down 5 complaints or concerns you hear most often from your clients. Use their words, not yours. You want them to feel like you really get them.
As an example, here are five concerns I hear most from coaches:
- I feel sleazy trying to get people to pay for coaching…
- I hate using social media to get clients…
- I keep getting rejected and it sucks…
- I feel intimidated to coach highly successful people…
- I don’t know where to find high-performing, high-fee clients…
STEP 2: Solve Their Biggest Challenges
Turn each complaint into a solution. Now you have 5 chapter titles. Here are the five I would write:
- How to help clients love paying for your coaching.
- How to create clients by coaching them. No social media needed.
- Yes doesn’t mean yes. And what to do about it.
- How to coach clients who are 10X more successful than you.
- High-performing, high-fee clients are closer than you think.
STEP 3: Create a Tiny Book
For each chapter, create seven pages. More is ok, seven is enough. Two pages to describe the challenge. Two pages to describe the solution. Two pages of stories, where you or your clients solved the same problem. Make sure to describe an amazing result from your coaching. End each chapter with a single page of action steps.
Add a page at the start of the book to explain who you wrote it for. Add a page at the end to describe who you are and what you are up to.
If you can, add a visual or two to each chapter. Many people are visual and will turn to your diagrams, first.
That’s it. You’ve got yourself a 50 page tiny book.
Do not create an “Amazon Bestseller” campaign. That’s so 2010s!
- Even though you’ve written a book, you’re still a coach. Your purpose is to create clients, not to become an author.
- Your book is a start point, not an end point. Send copies to your clients. Send copies to potential clients. Share it on social media, if that’s your thing. Build an audience by continuing to write about what’s in the book. Build a community of people who are interested in what you wrote.
Remember the power of slowing down. Don’t send out dozens of copies of the book to potential clients. Send one copy a day, with a handwritten letter. Or stick on a post-it note that tells the recipient to read a single chapter and why you chose that for them. Make receiving the book feel incredibly personal.
Create a tiny book. It’s easier than you think.
Don’t know what to write about? Here’s a tip: write the book you are scared to write…
Want to write something powerful. Here’s how to write a book that lasts forever…
Want to read any of the books my clients have written? Check below for Amazon links.
Love. Rich
From The Core by John Wineland
The Dojo by Tony Bonnici
So You Feel Stuck In Your Career by Martha D. Karimi
How To Get Paid For What You Know by Graham Cochrane
Joy-Full AF by Erin Baker, PhD
The Gift of Pain by Helen Macmillan
The Shed Method by Sara Milne Rowe
Think Possible by Allison Garner
Remarkably Easy by Danielle Macleod
The 3 Alarms by Eric Partaker
Only 10s by Mark J. Silverman
The Success Trap by Amina Aitsi-Selmi
Unconditional by Allison & Piper Garner
Unorthodox Success by Chris Frolic
Soulbbatical by Shelley Paxton
The Unwritten Rules of Women’s Leadership by Helen Appleby
This Book Will Make You Dangerous by Tripp Lanier
I’m Not Crazy, I’m Just Not You by Sarah C. Albritton and Roger R. Pearman
Detached Love by Cordelia A. Gaffar
Insights from the Stratosphere: Georgie Dickens – not available on Amazon
How To Get The Most Out of Coaching by Karen Davis & Alex Mill
Climbing The Right Mountain by Tony Martignetti
The Evolved Masculine by Destin Gerek
Where’s Dad? by David Foster
5G by Dan Maxwell Jr
The New Golden Rule by Emily Golden
Mindset Mondays by David Taylor-Klaus
The Wolf Connection by Teo Alfero
The Essential Guide to Raising Complex Kids with ADHD, Anxiety, and More by Elaine Taylor-Klaus
