Nicholas Bate

How To Write & Publish Your Business Book 1-30: 6

6: The Critical Title.  With my Instant MBA, whether or not you have one or are studying for one, it captures the desire we all have: instant knowledge. We know it's not possible but the idea is attractive. All can be clarified in the by-line and blurb. Covey's Seven Habits of Highly Effectively People was apparently not a title his publishers wanted to use, it seeming long and clumsy. With hindsight, it is perfect. By-lines are increasingly the norm and can help a very brief/bold/dramatic title. With my Being the Best I would now have added a by-line Being the Best Version of You. Get a Life for work-life balance worked very well. The 4h Work Week by Tim Ferriss is superb: it's what we'd all like, the precise number adds credibility. So: over to you, what's your passion and how do you encapsulate it in an appropriate title with maybe a by-line? The Critical Title.

The Story So Far:

Saturday W 7

1. Wet weather.
2. Wondering...
3. Will she?
4. Wary!
5. Walking.
6. Wherever.
7. Wondering...

How To Be Wealthier By Sundown 7

1. Notice what is working. No, really notice what is working. There's a lot.
2. Work in cash and re-calibrate to real money again.
3. Connect again with someone you love and trust. They'd love a text. No big deal. Just: hi.
4. Remind yourself he/she is tired and/or just doesn't get it. Whatever: they are not going to get you down. No way.
5. Take a walk and re-engage with the world. Huste and bustle. Conversation. The park at lunch-time.
6. Make any person's day better, easier or more fun, by thanking, helping and/or supporting.
7. Be there for sundown. Feel wealthier.

How To Write & Publish Your Business Book 1-30: 5

5: The Title Is It.  If you want a serious publisher to support your book idea, then the submission must appear to be one to sell plenty of books. That's the bottom line. As one publisher once said to me: "I don't care whether they read them or not: I just want them to buy them". Your passion is essential and the start but it isn't enough. I strongly suggest that before pitching, you work on your title. Let's say your chosen book is on Time Management. Are there plenty of books on this subject? Yes. Can the world take a few more? Surprisingly, yes. Essentially we have an insatiable thirst for this topic. So your subject doesn't have to be obscure but you do need to help your potential readers feel this is a special book on time management, a fresh angle, something different.  Four Hour Working Week by Tim Ferriss was a very bold re-positioning of the whole time management field. A more traditional but great title was Do It Tomorrow by Mark Forster. More on this in future posts. For the moment you need to pin down the title. The Title Is It.

The Story So Far:

Sir Paul: Back in Hamburg 49 Years On

read on here.

Selling Without Tears 1-25: 23

23: The Sales Pitch (1 of 2) . When you do a presentation in a sales situation, there is only one reason for being there: to take the sale to the next stage, be that to the negotiation, to the short list or simply to getting the sale confirmed. There are three components: plan the pitch, do the pitch, review the pitch. And in doing the pitch there are seven stages. Planning the pitch is made up not only of assembling the best presentation possible (see tomorrow) but also rehearsing. Few sales people do enough of that: make sure you do. Rehearse the timings, handing the questions and your close. The Sales Pitch (1 of 2)

The Story So Far:

To Be Pushed or To Take The Leap?

right here.

Need a Fresh Angle? 7

1. Phone/text a friend you trust.
2. Take a walk, alone.
3. Ask: if I had to make a decision and it were black and white, what would I do?
4. Dip into a random book, at random.
5. Write it out at speed, then leave it 24h.
6. Think of a hero/heroine of yours and ask: how would they tackle it?
7. Google/Bing it, shuffling a few times the chosen search phrase.

How To Write & Publish Your Business Book 1-30: 4

4: So, what do you write about? That shouldn't be a problem. It mustn't be a problem. You must want to write about something. Making it a marketable idea, driving out the words, getting a publisher, achieving decent sales so you can get a second book deal. Yes, those are reasonable problems. But. But: you must want to write about something. Books can (and clearly are) written on topics as varied a 'work-life balance' and 'hypnotic leadership' but they rarely gel with an audience and are very hard work for the author. No: you must have a passion about your subject.  It's not enough as we will see. But it is the essential start: what's yours? So, what do you want to write about? 

The Story So Far:

Selling Without Tears 1-25: 21

21: Negotiate (2 of 2).  The mechanics of negotiation are as follows: don't start negotiation until you have 'in principle' sold/only give something if you get something in return/take your time: give slowly, give small and remember the negotiation is  a lot about people and their psychology of wanting to feel they have 'got a deal'/ finally and most importantly time limit any deal: to this particular sale or this FY. Don't allow it to be open-ended. Negotiate (2 of 2).

The Story So Far: