Small Business Owners: How to Harness the Power of Amazon Kindle
Everyone has at least one book in them – a quote that is often used to motivate people to get something done. Replace the word “book” with webinar, podcast or song and you’ll get the picture.
This is the third part of the Small Business Owners series I started recently. In the previous months, I covered the topics of social media and Facebook advertising. Today, I’d like to talk to you about harnessing the power of Amazon Kindle.
Why Write A Book
Let’s start with the most important question: Why should you invest your valuable time into writing a book?
“Hey Krisz, I’m a small business owner not a writer. Back in school my English teacher told me I’m a disaster. I could barely graduate and now you tell me to write a book?”
Listen, if you’ve been on Planet Earth for a few years, I’m sure the quote applies. You do have at least one book in you.
Did you graduate last year?
If so, you could write a book and share your best tips and methods on how to discover what matters most and learn those lessons quickly.
Have you suffered from a serious illness?
If so, you could share your journey to recovery, what you did to get back in shape, the anxieties and worries you and your family have gone through and what you did to get past those feelings, the role essential nutrients played to getting back your energy and vitality etc.
How many kitchens have you remodeled?
If you’ve been in business for a few years and you’ve invested more than 10,000 hours into kitchen remodeling, I’m sure there’s a lot you can share with folks looking to give their kitchen a fresh new look without breaking the bank and by avoiding rookie mistakes.
So here’s my answer for why you should write a book:
Because you don’t want other people to go through the pain and suffering you and your family had to go through.
Because you want to share proven methods and principles, not some fuzzy-wuzzy information that provides no real benefits.
Because you want to help other people shortcut the process and increase the learning curve.
Because you love to serve other human beings while also making a profit.
Why Self-Publish on Amazon Kindle
Big publishers want to ensure they sell at least 25,000 copies, therefore getting a deal with HarperCollins or Simon & Schuster is tough.
Don’t make it hard on yourself.
Publish your book on Amazon Kindle and / or CreateSpace and save time, money and headaches.
The beautiful thing about launching your book on Amazon is the fact that you can test different covers and book descriptions. You can test different categories for your book to be listed. You can stick to the eBook version first, see how that performs and add a paperback or hardcover later in the game. No restrictions whatsoever. You control the game. And remember, it’s a free game.
Yes, you’ll have to pay royalties for being listed on the world’s biggest eCommerce site. In return you get buyers’ attention; lots of attention.
And if your book becomes a bestseller, who knows? Maybe the roles change and you get a phone call from one of HarperCollins’ chief editors. Everything is possible.
Something similar happened to me. Early 2014 I launched my first German book on Amazon entitled “Die Podcasting-Goldgrube”. Since I’ve reached bestseller status on Amazon, I’ve published a second edition of the book and I had a major German publisher reach out to me to publish my book.
All this can very well happen to you, too. For that to happen however, you’ll need to publish that book you have in you.
How to Write Your Book while Running A Successful Business
Let’s tackle one of small business owners’ biggest dilemma: TIME!
I get it. You’re not an author (yet!). You’re not an editor. Your writing skills aren’t the best. And on top of everything else, you’ve got one or more businesses to run.
How on Earth can you write a book under these circumstances?
Here’s what I suggest you do:
1. Download a voice recorder app to your smartphone or any other mobile device you like to carry around. Get a free one, you don’t have to pay for it to get the job done. Furthermore, a lot of the new devices come with a voice recording app pre-installed, so you don’t have to worry about that either.
2. Hit the red record button anytime an idea or a thought strikes you. Don’t worry about language and spelling mistakes, just speak into the phone and let the app do its job. Also, don’t worry about structure and book layout. Don’t let technical aspects get into your way. Keep it simple. No need to overthink it at this point.
3. Let experts convert your audio files to text. Use a professional transcription service like the one offered by Rev.com to get the manuscript of your book fast. For $1 per minute you get quality service. It’s reliable and fast.
And if you want to combine the two, that is a free voice recording app that integrates with a transcription service, then download the Rev Voice Recorder app. Once you’re done with the recording, you place the order for the transcription and you’re done. Everything happens from within the app.
This is one way of writing your book.
Obviously, there are tons of other paths you could take and if the above-mentioned method doesn’t feel good for you, go ahead and choose a different way. There’s no right or wrong here. It’s all about the outcome and that is, getting your book published on Amazon Kindle or CreateSpace.
One more thing before I share some best practices and tips with you.
Don’t compromise on quality.
Don’t put quantity as in number of pages above quality.
It’s not a good strategy, especially if you’re looking to play the long-term game, which I hope you do.
What There is to Know About Amazon Kindle
I’ve written several articles about publishing books on Amazon. You’ll find most of them here on my blog.
Here are some topics I have covered and where to look for them:
Don’t be Afraid to Share Your Story
Most people don’t take action because they are paralyzed by fear.
Some are afraid to fail. Others are afraid to succeed.
Some are fearful about what their family and peers will say. Others worry about the opinion of the Joneses – I mean, who wants to look bad in the eyes of the Joneses, right?
None of the above matters.
What matters is your story, your valuable experiences and all the knowledge you gained during the journey.
Look at this from another standpoint:
What if your message empowers a young adult to choose happiness over depression, drugs and a life of slavery?
What if your message helps women, men and children around the world heal from a disease that you once conquered?
What if your message changes perceptions and helps abandon deep-rooted beliefs that are holding people back?
Why wouldn’t you share the good in you with all of us while also making a few bucks on the side?
Give Amazon Kindle a go. Give yourself a chance to succeed!
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Originally published on my blog at StrengthInBusiness.com.
