The Coach and the Cover
A coach hired me to write the book he could hand people who asked what his coaching was about. The goal shaped the writing, then the cover, then the promotion. A book with a job gets done well.
Tag: Business Books
A business book is the most durable marketing asset an executive can own. These articles cover what makes one worth reading, how business books get written and published, and how they turn expertise into authority that outlasts any campaign.
Authority Through AuthorshipThe Book a Professor Adopted
I wrote a book for working consultants. Professor Richard Makadok adopted it at Purdue University's Krannert School of Management. I never aimed it at a classroom. The specific book travels; the general one does not.
Book MarketingThe Accountant Who Loved His Book and Was Still Disappointed
An accountant hired me, loved the finished book, and felt disappointed anyway. Underneath his vague goal were three real ones that fought each other. Most goals do not go together.
Business BooksWhy Your Website Copy Is Costing You Customers
Your website copy and content are the foundation of your online presence, and most of it is quietly costing you customers. Here is how to write words that convert.
Business BooksThe Least They Could Get Away With: Pricing, Worth, and Why the Cheap Work Never Ends
Two contracts arrived unasked for and paid $25,000 in advance, and the look on the client's face said the quote had been too low. On Gamify Business Tavern Tales with Paul Pape: the $980 book that works out to five…
Business BooksExecutives Delegate Everything Except the One Thing That Builds Their Brand
You delegate contracts, campaigns, and code without a second thought. Then the book, the highest-leverage brand asset you'll ever own, gets reserved for your own two hands. The paradox, examined.
Business BooksPersuasive Writing That Respects the Reader
Persuasive writing is not manipulation. The writing that changes minds respects the reader, makes a real case, and earns trust instead of demanding it.
Book ROI & Business CaseWill You Ghostwrite My Book for Free? Why Royalty Splits and Exposure Deals Don’t Work
People ask me to ghostwrite for free more than you would believe, offering exposure, royalty splits, or a vague favor in exchange for a supposed bestseller. The answer is always no. Here is what the money actually buys, why cheap…
Business BookWhy I Always Write the First Chapter Last
Before the full manuscript, I write one chapter, send it over, and ask a single question: does this sound like you? Not is it accurate, not is it well-written, does it sound like you. Voice is what makes a ghostwritten…
Business BookThe Problem With Writing About What You Are Good At
Midway through discovery, almost every client asks the same thing: how much of this actually goes in the book? It is the right question, and the answer shapes the whole second half: principles, not application, share the thinking generously and…
Business BookHow a Book Finds Its Title
A business book's title is the first argument it makes, the concept the author attaches their name to in every conversation for as long as it is in print. Finding the right one for Joe Rockey's book took several candidates…
Business BookThe Project I Said Yes To
I turn down more projects than I take, because after fourteen years I have learned the wrong client costs more than no client. When Joe Rockey came to me about a business book, I already knew him through Eliances and…