We talked with Catapult member Larry Becker, who is quickly becoming well known around the Catapult Community as the guy that always seems to look and sound so professional in all the zoom calls. Makes sense, since we found out recently that he actually wrote the book, Great on Camera.  Along with the momentum from his timely book launch last month on Amazon, the National Association of Broadcasters asked him to be their virtual host for their virtual 2020 Convention. His book was also the topic of a recent article in USA today. Larry is definitely expanding his skillset during this pandemic and appears to be successfully pivoting his business strategically. 

Writing a book that can point to your business, can give you credibility and lead to other PR opportunities.  It can create an instant demand for your product or service as well as push you forward, maybe even into different aspects of your business. If you are spinning your wheels right now because of the covid-19 winter, why not bring any book ideas you have out of cold storage and get some traction by writing about what you already know.  

“Great on Camera: Exactly How to Look Great, Be Friendly, Sound Smart, & Attract the Biggest Audience”  by Larry Becker

LARRY HAS 7 GREAT TIPS FOR WRITING A NON-FICTION BUSINESS BOOK TO GET YOU MOTIVATED TO START WRITING TODAY.

1) Create A Compelling and/or Descriptive Title. 

Start by coming up with a title and subtitle that describes the payoff that someone will get by reading your book. Make the actual title relatively short and then make sure the subtitle unpacks everything people might need to know, so they’re able to quickly decide to buy the book. 

Then if it’s available, grab the related domain name so you can create a website all about your book and provide related resources (ie. free downloads, blog posts, Q&A info, etc.) 

2) Consider including a related story for various topics you’re teaching.

This makes each topic more relatable. Stories make almost any topic more memorable and they provide a tool to help the reader understand the main points being taught. Most of the bestselling business books I’ve read over the years have anecdotes and analogies as tools to help describe and explain the “why” behind various strategies being taught in the book. Stories will also make you more relatable. 

3) Outline your book so the topics have a flow where later chapters build on earlier chapters.

This is a simple formula for first time authors planning their book. Be sure to also reinforce content from earlier chapters as you go. Additionally, it is often helpful to include chapter summaries at the end of each chapter. There’s a triple reinforcement formula many presenters have followed for years. It works in written form as well as when presenting on stage: “Tell them what you’re going to tell them. Then tell them. Then tell them what you told them.” The opening of the chapter can be a story (as mentioned in item 2 above) , you can deep dive into the topic, and then thirdly, summarize. 

4) Get a real proof-reader who follows legitimate style guidelines.

Just asking a friend, spouse, or coworker to proof your work will often not get you the results you need. A pro proofreader will help you look like a professional writer as opposed to somebody who just wrote a term paper.

5) Consider self-publishing vs going through a publisher. 

For years the only thing most authors considered was going through a publisher to get their book out. Ironically these days, with the advent of Amazon and the internet, the need for an actual publisher is not only minimized, it’s almost not worth it. Sure, they will walk you through the whole process professionally, but they will take a long time to get your book in print and if you’re lucky enough to get any up-front money, it won’t be much. Plus, you give away a lot of rights to your content, and you still have to do most, if not all of the publicity. 

With this in mind, I used a self-publishing helper company that did all of the heavy lifting for me. They were extremely responsive. They helped me with all kinds of things I would have never known. Be sure to take a look at Writing Nights.

Yes, there’s a cost involved but it was worth it 100% for me!! 

6) Publicity is on YOU even if you have a publisher.

Consider putting out tips and tricks videos on the topic. Push people to your website for details, tips videos, etc. Contact podcasters and ask to be a guest on their show. Offer to do presentations to anybody you can.  

7) Don’t plan to get rich from book sales.

Sure, you might make a few thousand dollars if your book is somewhat successful. But the main way to look at your book is as a ‘company brochure’ that proves your credibility. If you call on a company and say, “I’d like to bid on doing XYZ for your company. I’m located here in Lakeland and I’ve been doing XYZ for years. Here are some testimonials. Here are some samples.” You might get some traction, but you aren’t necessarily standing out from the crowd.  

Contrast that with sending a signed book to a company followed up with a phone call. That’s a big deal and worth the effort it will take. You can also send your book to various media outlets and offer to do an interview. People will hear you on the radio or read about you in the news, and seek you out. That’s a way to get the higher paying clients. 

Read about or purchase Larry’s book “Great on Camera: Exactly How to Look Great, Be Friendly, Sound Smart, & Attract the Biggest Audience”.