Welcome to the January edition of The Authority!

What an amazing start to 2017 this has been! Here at SRA Books we have hit the ground running this month. We have six new Authority Guides in the pipeline and another dozen or so proposals to be considered. When we began this project early last year I could not have dreamed how well people would take to it. Thank you for being part of it! We have so many exciting things planned for the year and it’s great to have you on board with us.

Thank you also if you took part in our survey that helped us plan what we would like to commission for The Authority Guides this year. Chris and I are delighted to announce the lucky winners of our draw. A full set of 7 AGs published to date are winging their way to:

Mike Pagan
Vicki Wusche
Neil Munz-Jones

We ended 2016 looking back on a very strange and disruptive year for most of us. The beginning of a new year brings the opportunity for a fresh start and a new outlook. For some of you that may even include thinking about writing a book for your business. If so, this issue of The Authority may be of some interest. We’ve turned the tables and asked one of our Authority authors, Tom Evans, to interview me with my author hat on (The Authority Guide to Publishing your Business Book).

For the book-ish, we’ll be following up with an interview with book PR, Chantal Cooke next month – see the sidebar below.

Wishing you a brilliant start to the year!

All good wishes,
Sue Richardson
Editor of The Authority

Sue Richardson’s Top Tips for Publishing Your Business Book…

If you’re thinking of writing a business book here’s Sue’s top tips to get you going.

1. Start with a proper plan: It can be hard to find your way to a destination if a) you aren’t sure what the destination is and b) you have no road map. Taking on a book writing and publishing project is no mean feat, so it really pays to be clear exactly what it is you want to achieve by publishing your book in the first place and then you can work out the steps you need to take to get there.
2. Know your reader: One reason some books simply don’t fulfil their promise is because the author has failed to be really clear for whom it is they are writing. Any reader likes to feel that a book is written for them, but if you are writing a business book, it is absolutely crucial to deal with the issues your chosen audience is facing. A book that is written without direction will soon be languishing unread on the shelf, so make sure you add to your plan a clear outline of your reader profile and keep that person in your mind as you write.
3. Don’t reinvent the wheel: It’s hard to always be 100% original and to be honest, I think very few books that are published are. We are all standing on the shoulders of giants and there’s nothing wrong with taking the ideas of those that have inspired us and building on them to create our own contribution. Having said that, there is very little point in publishing a book that simply regurgitates the theories or models of others. Whatever you write and whoever you write it for, bring your own authentic self to the party and make sure your book stands out in some way.
4. Be realistic about your writing schedule: If I had a pound for every time a writer has said to me ‘My deadline has slipped’, I’d be on a private yacht in the Caribbean right now. It’s really hard when you’re running a business to get time to focus on writing. Whatever the demands on you and whatever is going on in your life, do your best to set a realistic schedule. And if it isn’t working then change it. When I wrote my book last year it only got done after I realised I was never going to succeed in writing for an hour a day – so I took myself off on ‘holiday’ for a week on my own and turned off the phone. That got it done!
5. Get help: You don’t have to do it alone. Most authors have a belief that writing their book is all down to them, but if you are finding it tough don’t be hard on yourself. Think of getting your book written as just one more thing that you need to do for your business and get help. A coach, an editor, maybe even a ghost writer might make the difference between your book actually manifesting or it being consigned to the desk drawer.

Is it in your sights to write a business book in 2017? Why not contact Sue for a free 30-minute call to discuss your idea and explore your options? Contact Natalie and she will book a time in Sue’s diary.