If you want to establish credibility fast in your field, there are few better ways than writing a book.

When you write a book, you effectively have your prospective client’s attention for several hours – giving you the chance to share your business philosophy and outline how you can help them.

When you have great content, you will immediately stand out from the competition – just by having published a book.

Giving out your book to potential customers is just like handing over a 200-page business card. It will really impress them.

Most people never question the authority of a book. If someone writes a book, they are automatically viewed as an authority.

Of course, writing a book may seem like a daunting task. That’s why most people don’t do it.

However, when you break it down into smaller chunks it is much easier. Here are some examples:

o Write a series of articles on your chosen topic that, over time, will build into a book

o Create a series of special reports on various topics that later form the chapters for your book

o Use content you create for blog posts, newsletter articles and articles for external publication

Since you will be creating this type of content anyway, this approach gives you a reason to create the content that will later become your book.

You can certainly write all of your own content for your book, but if you don’t like writing or simply don’t have the time, you can hire someone to write it for you.

You can find these people – called ghostwriters – locally or by searching for them online. One easy way to find several is by using sites such as www.elance.com.

Another great strategy for creating content is to follow the formula that created multi-million dollar success for Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen with their “Chicken Soup” series.

They got people from all around the world to submit their own stories. Then they compiled these stories into books, printed them and sold them.

You can do the same thing!

Ø How about having each of your clients write a case study about working with you?

Ø Or you could contact experts in each field that you want to cover and invite them to submit a chapter to be published in your book.

By having multiple people take on the burden of writing chapters of the book, you greatly lessen the burden on yourself.

Once you have created the content, most people think it is difficult and expensive to publish a book or that you have to get a publishing deal. However it is now much easier than ever before.

You can self-publish your book by having it printed by a printing company that specializes in books. You can find many such companies online by searching online.

One popular option is www.CreateSpace.com, which is owned by Amazon.com and offers all of the services you need to publish your book. They will even sell it on Amazon.com for you! Another popular option is Worldwide Expert Press, a book publisher that specializes in helping authors grow their businesses through book publishing. In the nature of practicing full disclosure, I am the founder and owner of Worldwide Expert Press. If you’ve ever said “I should write a book”, then visit www.WorldwideExpertNetwork.com to see how we can help you turn it into a reality.

My Personal Success Story

The first book I wrote was with my marketing friends Travis Miller and Jimmy Vee. It was titled “Car Buying Secrets Exposed – The Dirty Little Secrets of a Used Car Dealer”.

 

I created a 30-minute workshop/seminar based on the content in the book and gave it to hundreds (if not thousands) of civic organizations, churches, schools, etc.

 

At the end of every seminar, I would give everyone a free copy of my book.

 

The question I get asked the most is “how much did I get paid for the seminars?” The answer is nothing.

 

The books even cost me a few bucks each so I actually LOST money each time I spoke.

 

However, I was becoming the Celebrity Expert in my market place.

 

At one point, the book fell into the hands of an editor from the big daily paper in town and I became her “go-to” guy for any story related to the auto industry.

 

On weekends, I would even go into the local “big box” bookstore chains and put my book on the shelves. While I’m not sure that they ever sold them, they were never there when I went back!

 

I eventually condensed the book into a “teaser” free report that my sales pros give away in the dealerships.

 

They only cost about .22 (a little more than a business card) to make but bring back endless results.

 

You can do the same thing and become the “Go-To Guy/Gal” in your industry.