Podcast 24: Why You Should Write a Book for Your Holisic Business

content marketing ethical marketing marketing podcast Jul 30, 2020

Do you dream about writing a book? I speak to many complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) professionals who share your dream, but sadly only a handful make it a reality. Those who write a book will have a distinct advantage over those who don’t.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be exploring the world of writing a book as an option for CAM practitioners. And the reason for this theme – my new book ‘Your Holistic Business Recipe’ is being published in September 2020 – I’m super excited! More on that later.

I’ll share my journey to becoming an author for the first time and the tips I’ve picked up along the way.

1. Authority and credibility

A book is a super-powered business card for your work and knowledge. It will help you stand out in your niche and against your competition.

You’ll be a professional author (which you can add to your profile) and you’ll have a professional piece of work to your name. A book will create opportunities and open doors for you as an expert in your field. It’s also a great introduction for clients to work with you directly.

2. Deepen your understanding of your topic

Whatever you write about, you’ll be doing a lot of research and reading. It’s a brilliant way to get a much deeper understanding of your topic and develop your approach to working with clients.

3. Share your message

Why do you do what you do? What are you passionate about? If there is something that’s important to you, and you have a message to share – write a book. It’s a great opportunity to create a legacy and something you’ll have for the rest of your life.

4. Improve your writing skills

You’ll become a much better writer in the process. You’ll find everyday writing tasks such as emails, blog and social media posts much easier and faster to produce.

Writing a book will help you communicate your message as you’ll have to learn how to express your ideas in a way people will understand.

I was amazed at how some ideas made perfect sense in my head, but they didn’t always translate on paper. When my editors proofed some sections, I had to go back to the drawing board and find a better way to explain them. Although I knew what I meant, sadly they didn’t – hmmm!

5. Make money

Whilst very few people make a living purely as an author, it does provide you with an additional income stream. According to scribewriting.com, the average sales for a book are 250 copies per year for a non-fiction book and less than 2000 copies in its lifetime. That’s not going to make anyone rich!

Rather than the direct income from the book, it’s the effect it will have on your other income streams that will pay dividends. The potential for attracting paid clients to your practice is the starting point. It will also help you get speaking gigs, PR opportunities such as requests to comment as an expert, invitations to share your knowledge with other peoples audiences by being interviewed, etc., etc.

6. Personal development masterclass

Writing a book is a personal development masterclass! It will test your willpower, your discipline and bring out every demon you have. It will test you to the limit and then some.

It’ll help you to learn about yourself and understand how you work and what makes you tick.

I found the process of writing a book traumatic at times and therapeutic at others. My inner critic had a field day – who was I to publish a book? I’m no writer – my English isn’t good enough, I don’t know enough, I haven’t got a degree, blah, blah, blah. Not to mention questioning my ability to actually finish it – at times it felt like a never-ending project.

I did a lot of work on myself and my confidence through the writing process. It also gave me the chance to reflect on what I’d accomplished and how far I’d come. How it felt as a practitioner to get great results for my clients, and what kept me going in the early days.

Introducing ‘Your Holistic Business Recipe’?

I always knew the power of writing a book but never felt it would be something I’d do. I had a lot of doubts about my ability to write a book. I’d been writing articles for years and it turns out a publisher had been reading them and approached me – the rest is history.

I know how challenging setting up a small business is, and I saw so many of my peers struggle and fail. I wanted to create something to demystify business and marketing for practitioners. The aim is to provide a guide to create your own recipe, working to your unique strengths and available resources.

Writing a book is hard work and not everyone will do it. Whilst many practitioners dream about it – the best book is the one you’ve written – the one that makes it out of your head.

Your Holistic Business Recipe – available now

A handbook created for CAM professionals who want to build a thriving, sustainable practice, their way. Whether they are new or struggling, many find marketing and running a business overwhelming. This book simplifies the process of business and marketing and supports practitioners in making the right choices for themselves.

Order your copy here.