Three Words That Open Doors
Do you remember the first time you ever said, "I'm a writer"?
I mean out loud and in response to someone asking what you do. Not something you said to yourself.
Pretty cool feeling, right?
Two weeks after Bootcamp 2008, a friend who owned a sales training business asked me what I was doing now. "I'm a copywriter," I said (for the first time ever).
His response: "Really?! Because we just fired our copywriter."
He hired me initially for a small assignment, but I went on to work with them for six months.
"I'm a writer" opens doors. It's a great icebreaker, for one, plus it connects you to interesting people and projects.
But there are three other words that are more powerful and open even more doors.
"I'm an author."
That sounds even more interesting and prestigious, doesn't it? It is.
We've been talking all week about becoming an authority. In my opinion, there's no quicker way to establish yourself as an authority in your niche than by writing a book.
Authors command respect. They're instantly considered an expert in whatever subject their book is about. And they're admired. Think about it – how many times have you heard someone say, "I'm writing a book," or "I'm planning to write a book"? The follow-through is what matters.
I know because for years I've been telling people I'm going to write a book. Yet I still can't utter those three magical words, "I'm an author."
That's about to change.
I was inspired when I discovered that November is National Novel Writing Month (www.NaNoWriMo.org).
Last year, over 200,000 aspiring authors signed up, and by November 30, more than 30,000 of them crossed the finish line, completing a 50,000-word novel (approximately 175 pages).
NaNoWriMo is a program for everyone who's ever thought of writing a book but has been scared off by the time and effort involved. Instead of taking months or years to finish, participants are encouraged to write fast and furiously for 30 days without endless self-scrutiny and editing.
So how does this apply to you and me?
I propose that for us freelance writers we change it to NaBoWriMo – Nat'l Book Writing Month.
Writing a book on your area of expertise gives you instant credibility.
You'll have a great lead-generation piece to promote on your website, a tool to help land projects, and a thank-you gift to clients they’ll be able to use to improve their business. You might even make money from it, but that's not the main goal.
What do you write about? A good starting point is to combine a copywriting style or technique you're good at along with an industry niche that you're passionate about.
Let's say you've just read Autoresponder Apprentice, and it clicked for you. You also love writing about products to help baby boomer women get in great shape. You could write a book, "How Fitness Marketers Can Attract More Women by Selling Less."
Here's another example. Your specialty as a web copywriter is landing pages, and you've decided to focus on the higher education niche. "Your Landing Page Could Be Landing More Applicants" is something you could promote to prep schools and boarding schools (okay, it's a corny name for a book, but you get the idea).
The point is, your book isn't going to be on The New York Times Best Sellers list. It's designed to be a specialized title that will appeal to a very narrow audience (your targeted prospects). But those prospects will see you as a respected authority because you've written a book and offered a possible solution to their problems.
Your book doesn't have to be 175 pages. For a non-fiction book showcasing your knowledge and expertise, a 50-page book will probably suffice. That's about 14,250 words – only 475 words a day for a month. That's doable, right?
Here are some tips to help you turn a potentially monumental task into something you can check off your to-do list on November 30:
- Use a program like NaNoWriMo.org to keep yourself on track. It's meant for fiction writers, but there's no reason you can't use it for any type of book (see NaNo Rebels on the Forum page). The benefits are that you can see your daily progress online, you connect with a group of like-minded writers, you set a public goal for yourself, and it's free.
- Don't obsess over quality. Aim for getting started and quantity to start with. You can always go back later and edit.
Take a day or two to brainstorm topics, titles, and chapter titles (similar to creating headlines and sub-heads). This is a great outline to work from. Again, think about what you're particularly good at and what your areas of interest are.
If you're a gifted storyteller with a flair for dialogue, and you're enthusiastic about travel, "A Tour Operator's Guide to Telling Stories (and Booking Every Tour Fast)" could be a working title. Chapter titles? "No more selling," "Confessions of a disgruntled traveler," and "The real reason tour companies fail," are just a few ideas off the top of my head.
- Wait until you're done to investigate self-publishing options and your next step. Write the book first, and then figure out what to do with it.
Writing a book is one of those things that won't make you money in the short run, but could really pay off long term. Follow this plan, write for an hour or two a day, and before the year is over, you'll have another answer when people ask, "What do you do?"
Who's with me? Leave me a note in the comments below and let me know if you have plans to write a book someday and if you're going to jump in and take the challenge.
Tomorrow, we'll wrap up this week of "How to Become an Authority in 60 Days" with a few final tips for polishing your image.
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LOVED today's message. Something I've known I needed to do for a long time...and have ideas and chapters and everything to boot. Just need to jump in.
Cindy Cyr – October 20, 2011 at 9:58 am
I was inspired to write my book 'Manage Your IT For Profit' (Hodder) after reading Robert Gentle's 'Consultant, Market Yourself.' It's well worth a look (as is mine of course)! Being an author means you have a powerful calling card at your disposal - I always keep a few copies around to impress clients and potential clients!
Guest (Michael Pagan) – October 20, 2011 at 10:10 am
Hi Steve, I've been participating in NaNoWriMo for three years now. This year is the perfect one to participate because for the first time it doesn't overlap AWAI Bootcamp. Very difficult to put in the 1,667 words a day (total 50,000 for NaNoWriMo). I recommend signing up with NaNo - there are many local groups organized and they often meet to have a big write-in...great fun.
Penny Thomas – October 20, 2011 at 10:47 am
Cindy - I'm guessing you could knock yours out in less than a month, knowing how you write! Keep me posted, and maybe we can keep each other accountable.
Steve Roller – October 20, 2011 at 11:23 am
Michael - I'll check out both. Congratulations!
Steve Roller – October 20, 2011 at 11:24 am
I remember well when I began telling people "I'm a writer". I received a variety of responses, from "Really? What do you write?" to "You make money for doing that?" I was in a hurry today, intending to skim your passage, but read it word for word. It was a very inspirational article that moved me to follow your advice and begin writing right away.
Cathryn Whitehead – October 20, 2011 at 11:52 am
Loved the article and nice to have another resource for writing. I have written 3 short books & in process of publishing to Kindle. Will give this a try and see how it goes.
Having a book is a great resource no matter the topic.
Guest (debby) – October 20, 2011 at 12:12 pm
Penny - thanks for the tip on local groups, I'll look into it. Hope we can connect at Bootcamp.
Steve Roller – October 20, 2011 at 12:49 pm
Cathryn - Glad you were inspired! Isn't it great that we can make money doing this? Best wishes with your book.
Steve Roller – October 20, 2011 at 12:50 pm
Oh, you have so inspired me to get my outline finished, and my book for Children's Ministry Workers written.
You are exactly right. . .it does not need to be perfect. . .it just needs to be DONE!
Thank you so much for your inspiration.
ReachingTeachingGenerations-Janice – October 20, 2011 at 12:51 pm
Debby - I'm looking into publishing to Kindle, too. Might be a topic for another article! Continued success with your writing.
Steve Roller – October 20, 2011 at 12:52 pm
@ReachingTeachinngGenerations-Janice - You're welcome. I've been the same way, waiting for things to be perfect. No more! Let me know when you finish, or if you'd like a quick review. I've been involved in children's ministry for about 14 years, and may have some insights. 3...2...1...Go!
Steve Roller – October 20, 2011 at 1:41 pm
Hi Steve, I made several attempts at writing novels on three different occasions. They ended up in the bottom draw of my desk, uncompleted. On November 1, 2009, I joined the National Novel Writing Month contest, met area writers at Panera Bread for support, laughs and comfort food which enabled me to write my first 71,000 word novel in 28-days. I won a free publishing certificate, along with the satisfaction of finally completing my first novel entitled, Consequences. Now, I am a writer. However, there is another path to publishing known as editing which is an expensive final process. I did the first round of reorganizing chapters, cutting and pasting paragraphs to other areas in the book, and editing. In March 2011, I finally relinquished the editing process to an editor who lets me pay as she edits. My novel will be ready for self publishing in December 2011. Then I can say, I am an author! I am looking forward to doing this again, but I'll certainly create an outline first. I sugge
Edith Brown – October 20, 2011 at 1:59 pm
Steve I am going to give it a try. It was the topic d'jour in my on line writer's chat last night. The topics are limitless. I am also encouraging the fans of my author page to join me as so many have said they want to write a book. I have a print book currently, "The Con" and 2 other short e-books. Thanks for the challenge
Guest (Gael McCarte) – October 20, 2011 at 3:18 pm
I have already written TWO books, plus at least 15 ebooks. None of them is in my niche. In fact, I don't even have a niche. I've been studying copywriting for a couple of years but only just now deciding that it's something I really need to do.
Jeff Kontur – October 20, 2011 at 3:36 pm
Sounds Fab Steve, thanks.
Nov 30th is my birthday and I see no reason to give this a whirl for cranking out my book "Copywriting for Twitter Impact!"
See you on the site ~ and in print.
Peace and profits, Tia D.
Guest (Tia Dobi) – October 20, 2011 at 3:44 pm
Just like many others, I have done NaNoWriMo for 3 years in a row. Sadly, never finished. I am also a full time grad student and it never seems to fail that I lack the hours needed to complete all of my projects. My local group is awesome, and at least I try. However, I want to write my memoir more than a novel, even finish my book of poetry. I love the idea of "book" rather than novel. I believe November is also Memoir writing month. I was thinking we should make December, being the last month of the year, the month to finish our New Years resolution and finish our book, no matter what style/genrea it is. Who wants to help me with NaBoWriMo.com? :)
Guest (Chrystal) – October 20, 2011 at 4:10 pm
Great post! I am working on a nonfiction book...NaNoWriMo gives me the perfect motivation to get going. I tried last year, but got busy and only got to 25,000 words. But it was a great way to stay on track.
Guest (julie mcelroy) – October 20, 2011 at 6:36 pm
First time I have heard of NaBoWriMo. I have had a couple novel I had been thinking about writing. One was a Christian version of a Titanic survivor, the trial and tribulations and learning to trust in the Lord , plus a inspirational mystery,
Need to do a lot of research before tackling these.
I would like to write some kind of book about writing email copy. Since this the area of copywriting I want to specialize in.
I believe I'll join next week … thanks for the great advice Steve
wvcopywriter – October 20, 2011 at 8:45 pm
@Edith - A NaNoWriMo veteran! Nice job. Thanks for the advice on the editing process, I'll keep that in mind as I'm cranking things out next month. Great idea on creating an outline first, too.
Steve Roller – October 20, 2011 at 9:02 pm
@Gael - I checked out your author page. Very impressive! I've always wanted to visit Australia, for now I'll have to settle for getting a taste of it through your book. Best wishes to you.
Steve Roller – October 20, 2011 at 9:06 pm
@Jeff - Wow! 17 books under your belt already. My guess is that you'll have a leg up on copywriting with that experience (plus you'll learn how to sell even more of your books.) Keep up the good work.
Steve Roller – October 20, 2011 at 9:08 pm
@Tia - Sounds like a good birthday challenge to me! Put me down for a copy of "Copywriting for Twitter Impact" (signed by the author, of course). Press on, and keep me posted.
Steve Roller – October 20, 2011 at 9:11 pm
@Chrystal - Hey, November or December - either way, what an accomplishment. I love the idea of writing your memoir. If you go to NaNo Rebels on the Forum page I'll connect with you and we can hold each other accountable. However you do it, make this your year!
Steve Roller – October 20, 2011 at 9:14 pm
Excellent tips. thank you.
I wrote my first, probably only, book, Ting and I: A Memoir of Love, Courage, and Devotion. Took about three months to write and another three months to finish up and get published through Outskirts Press, a subsidy publisher. Now available at amazon.com and tingandi.com.
I am an author! It does sound nice.
Next venture is helping others write and self-publish their own books.
Guest (Douglas Winslow Cooper) – October 21, 2011 at 6:56 am
Steve, three of us here in Minneapolis have challenged each other to write books in our respective specialties. One's writing about blogging, one's writing about content marketing, and because I'm a rebel and a contrarian, I'm writing about how to work with a custom jewelry designer to get the ring of your dreams.
And we ain't waitin' 'til November. We're already off & runnin'!
Ed in Minnesota – October 21, 2011 at 8:08 am
@wvcopywriter - I like your first idea about a Titanic survivor. Since like you said, that might require some in-depth research, go for the non-fiction book on email copy first. Let me know how it goes.
Steve Roller – October 21, 2011 at 11:06 am
@Douglas Winslow Cooper - Congratulations, author! I'll check out your books, and I may touch base with you to tap your knowledge on self-publishing.
Steve Roller – October 21, 2011 at 11:07 am
@Ed - I like it, an overachiever, getting started early! Love the idea of your book, that could be used by custom jewelers in their own direct response marketing. Maybe that's your plan. Great idea, let me know how it goes!
Steve Roller – October 21, 2011 at 11:12 am
I have already planned to write the biography of a local politician here in my county, Kenya. I sought his authorization. He liked the idea and promised to cooperate. It is now three months since he promised to do so. But a friend of mind as encouraged me to continue writing and doing research on his life without seeking any further cooperation. My friend thinks it is good that I have started the project and I should do it until I finish. I lack resources to first tract my work. Can anybody give some suggestions?
Guest (Ronald C Zochin) – October 22, 2011 at 11:26 am
Went to local NaNoWriMo Kickoff meeting yesterday. I will do 50,000+ words. I have to. I've told everybody including a blurb in the local paper. A checker 3 isles over yelled, "Author, Author" at me in front of a full store. I will do 50,000 words...or move.
TomandSharon – October 23, 2011 at 9:52 am
@Ronald C Zochin - I'd suggest moving forward, regardless of your subject's participation level. He gave you the okay, get a few chapters done along with an entire book outline, then check back in with him. Best wishes, and make it happen!
Steve Roller – October 23, 2011 at 11:30 pm
@TomandSharon - You rock! I'm inspired, and my new goal is to have somebody announce the same for me in a crowded store (preferably a Barnes & Noble)! Nothing like putting it out there to keep yourself accountable, hey? I'd love to hear how it finishes.
Steve Roller – October 23, 2011 at 11:32 pm
Wow! I am very interested in the idea of making that claim for myself. After having read all of the remarkable comments, I must admit that I feel just a touch out of my league; but, even as I write this, it comes to mind that all persons who ever aspired to be an author began "out of their own league". They aspired, as we do, to make a claim of grandeur which motivated them to do what they presumed impossible. I have talked myself out of this and then right back into it. :-)
Count me in.
Sam – October 29, 2011 at 10:52 pm
@Sam - You won't regret it. What I didn't really mention in the article is that once you're done, you may still have some serious editing to do. Most writers edit ad nauseum as they go, and never get past the first chapter. This approach kind of turns it upside down. Let me know how it goes! Press on.
Steve Roller – October 31, 2011 at 12:44 am