• Position yourself as an industry leader
• Build a community
• Pursue publicity
• Explore public speaking
• Start a podcast
• Develop an email list

Many business authors don’t invest much time thinking about marketing their book before it is written. In fact, most first-time authors assume their publisher will handle all of the marketing and promotion activities. Or if they do begin to think about what they can do to promote it, it’s not usually until the manuscript is in their publisher’s hands for production.

That’s too late.

Marketing your nonfiction book needs to start today or, ideally, before you even start writing it.

Also, I hate to tell you but you’ll be responsible for marketing it no matter which publisher you choose to print and distribute it. Although publishers do invest heavily in the promotion of well-known
bestsellers with a track record of success, the most marketing support many authors receive is an announcement press release. That’s okay though, because being in control of marketing can be a good thing long-term.

Since marketing is up to you, where do you begin?

Here are some ideas, but a terrific resource is Stephanie Chandler’s book, The Nonfiction Book Marketing and Launch Plan.

Position yourself as an industry leader

Being able to claim the title of author can be a major boost to your career and personal brand, but the credibility and authority that come with being an author are closely associated with being seen as a leader in your space.

Before your book is done, it’s important to begin to associate your name with your field. That is best done by producing content that demonstrates all you know about your specialty.

Although you have a wide range of platforms on which you can share your content, choose one at the start and go all in.

That one platform might include setting up your own blog on your company’s website if you’re a business owner or creating a totally new one devoted to your topic. Or if you prefer video to writing, you could set up a YouTube channel or an Instagram account to share what you know. LinkedIn is another option, though it’s harder to get noticed without your own named place where you disseminate your content.

Creating and sharing original content in your topic area is step one.

Build a community

Another way to build a tribe of followers is by creating a community where like-minded people can gather to discuss popular topics in your area of specialization.

One of the easiest platforms on which you can create a new group is Facebook. LinkedIn also has groups, but they seem to be providing less support for that feature. And there are paid platforms like Mighty Networks, where you can bring together people.

Setting up the group is the easy part, however. Consistently giving members a reason to return and encouraging their friends and colleagues to join is the challenge. To do that, you’ll want to regularly share relevant content – some you’ve created and some that others have but that you appreciate – and encourage discussions. Ask questions, sponsor contests, and hold live events like webinars.

This all helps your community to see you as a leader and visionary.

Pursue publicity

Another way to enhance your reputation and prestige is to be quoted in the media. The good news is it’s not hard if you know where to find opportunities.

Granted, not every opportunity to be quoted will be totally related to your niche or specialty, but every media mention is valuable. For example, I was once featured in a New York Times article about a home our family considered but didn’t end up buying. Did it mention my ghostwriting business? No. But did it use my name? Yes. That mention adds to my credibility because I can say I have been quoted in the New York Times.

Likewise, you’ll want to broaden the scope of topics you’re willing to talk about with reporters. If you limit your area of expertise to your field, you may rarely come across opportunities. But if you expand the list of subjects you’re qualified to speak about, it’s likely you’ll regularly come across requests to weigh in on TV and article interviews.

For example, look for articles that have to do with where you live, your hobbies, the sports you play, how you’re saving for retirement, and where you shop. As long as what you have to say is useful and positive, it’s likely a good way to add to your list of outlets that have quoted you.

Now, you’ll find a list of articles, blog posts, books, TV, radio, and podcast topics in need of sources through websites that offer to match reporters and writers with people who have information (a.k.a. “sources”). You’re a potential source.

Those services are:

• Help a B2B Writer
• Qwoted
• Source of Sources

You’ll want to register at each of those websites – they’re free to use – and then scour the daily emails you receive to try to spot topics for which you can be a source.

The only time when it might not be in your best interest to respond is if the topic is negative or could paint you in a bad light.

Explore public speaking

Anyone standing at the front of the room is seen as the expert, so the more places you can find to speak to audiences, the faster your reputation will grow.

Develop a 15- and 30-minute talk you can give related to your area of specialization and then reach out to potential organizations that might be interested in having you present to their members or workers.

You could speak locally to service organizations like Rotary, Kiwanis, and Knights of Columbus, or to Junior Achievement or the Boys and Girls Clubs. You could speak to classes at area colleges and universities, as well as elementary and high schools, depending on your subject. Public libraries are regularly in need of speakers, as are trade shows and conventions.

The potential opportunities are virtually unlimited, and we haven’t even explored remote speaking gigs or summits.

If you’re comfortable speaking to groups, this could be a way to quickly elevate your personal brand.

Start a podcast

Podcasts and audiobooks are currently some of the most popular ways that people consume information. For that reason, you may want to consider creating your own podcast where you talk about your topic in a way that serves your target audience. That may require that you brainstorm how to discuss your topic in a way that is interesting and helpful.

For example, if you’re a graphic designer, you could explore trends in design, share examples of great design that you’ve seen out in the wild, interview other graphic designers, and even debate what good design looks like. The common theme across each episode should be that you are the expert and you’re trying to help anyone interested in learning more about it.

On the other hand, if you’re, say, a recruiter, you’ll want to think about what your audience wants to know. Mainly, they want to know how to land a new or better job. If your podcast can give them that kind of guidance, you will attract attention. But if you decide to talk instead about what not to mention on your LinkedIn profile or what webcam to buy for Zoom interviews, you may quickly run out of ideas for content and you may have difficulty gaining any traction with your audience.

If you don’t have the time or interest to create your own podcast, you can still pitch yourself as a podcast guest. The advantage of podcast interviews is that you don’t typically have to prepare a presentation – it’s more off-the-cuff and conversational.

Develop an email list

Building your own email list is another valuable marketing tool. And since it takes time to amass large numbers of followers and fans, start now.

One of the most effective ways to quickly grow an email list is to create a lead magnet and offer it in exchange for people’s names and email addresses. The lead magnet (a.k.a. freebie) needs to be of great interest to your people. If it is, they will gladly identify themselves and allow you to stay in touch.

You want this so that you can reach out once you begin to accept pre-orders of your finished book.

So, think about what information you can give your target audience that they really want right now. Don’t focus as much on what you want to tell them but, rather, what they’re looking for. In the small business world, entrepreneurs frequently want to know how to land more customers or scale their business. Ambitious career professionals often want to know how to land their next, more lucrative job. Parents frequently want tips to overcome common challenges, such as encouraging their child to eat healthy or develop a normal sleep routine.

If you’re not sure what your target market wants, do some Google research. What are some of the most searched words and phrases? What are members of your community after information-wise? You could also run a poll in your Facebook group to gather some of this information.

This is only a partial list of the many approaches you can take to get people talking about you and your book’s topic long before it is published. Ideally, you’ll spend the next few months educating your market and sharing your perspective so that when your book is released, people will be clamoring for it.

The risk if you don’t do any marketing in advance is that it will be released and no one will notice.

Strategizing what you can do to market yourself and your book while it’s being written is part of the service I provide to my clients. If you’d like to chat about having me ghostwrite your business book, please get in touch at marcia at marcialaytonturner.com.

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• My first ghostwriting project
• Ghostwritten books

I had the honor and pleasure of being interviewed by the Nonfiction Authors Association last week about mFy career as a ghostwriter.

https://nonfictionauthorsassociation.com/careers-in-publishing-publishing-professional-interview-dr-marcia-layton-turner-president-layton-co-inc-and-executive-director-association-of-ghostwriters/

Ghostwriting as a profession has been getting a lot of attention lately, primarily because celebrities and experts are becoming more comfortable admitting they had help with the writing of their books. However, getting started is the most challenging part for writers who want to enter the profession.

My first ghostwriting project

I was very fortunate to have been handed a ghostwriting gig about 20 years ago, before I even knew what ghostwriting entailed.

My agent at the time, Lisa Swayne, called to ask if I wanted to work with a well-known business expert, to help him “finish” his book. Only it turned out he hadn’t started it — hadn’t written a word.

He had a publisher-approved outline, years of notes and articles he had filed away for this purpose, and a clear vision for what needed to be said. He was the ideal client.

He boxed up his files and shipped them to me via FexEd, so that I could get up to speed on the content.

Over the next six weeks or so, we spoke regularly by phone, talking through what belonged in each chapter, adding stories to make the instruction come alive, and brainstorming charts and illustrations to supplement the writing.

Given the book was several months overdue, we didn’t have a lot of time to debate individual word choices or trivial details and he was happy with what I produced. We submitted it to the publisher, who was also delighted that we had managed to draft the book as quickly as we did.

Once the book was submitted, I called to tell my agent, “I don’t know what that kind of project is called, but it was fantastic!”

Being paid to collaborate with a leader in his field, to learn from him, and to make suggestions for improvement that the author took seriously was a dream come true. The fact that my name wasn’t on the cover didn’t bother me in the slightest.

“That,” she told me, “is ghostwriting.”

Ghostwritten books

Since that first project, I’ve worked on a business textbook, a book related to DEI, a guide to investing, a few corporate histories, a bunch of thought leadership titles, several leadership, marketing, and real estate books, and the occasional self-help or professional development book. I look for smart business leaders who want to write a book to promote their company or its products or services, or to position them for new business opportunities, such as speaking or consulting.

But my ghostwriting career started with a publisher who was willing to hand me responsibility for producing a manuscript on behalf of one of their important clients. And I suspect they were willing to do that because I had the experience and the expertise they needed at that moment.

The post Ghostwriting as a Career appeared first on Marcia Layton Turner.

The post Why Outsourcing Makes Me a Better Ghostwriter appeared first on Marcia Layton Turner.

• Why is ghostwriting illegal?
• Ghostwriters are collaborators
• Hiring a ghostwriter is outsourcing
• Plagiarism is illegal
• FAQs

Or is ghostwriting illegal?

Book ghostwriters are legal everywhere, as far as I know. It is totally acceptable to pay for help in developing, organizing, and drafting your book, just as it’s legal to hire a consultant, advisor, or coach to help with other tasks.

There are limitations on the use of ghostwriters in some industries, such as legal and medical, where there has been concern that non-lawyers and non-doctors are crafting reports. However, it is not illegal.

Why is ghostwriting illegal?

Ghostwriting is not illegal, with one exception.

The one type of ghostwriting that is illegal in some places is academic ghostwriting. That’s where students pay someone else to prepare assignments for them or submit someone else’s work as their own.

In that case, the ghostwriter is doing the majority of the thinking, analysis, and writing that an educator has asked the student to do. Submitting work that someone else has done defeats the purpose of the school assignment, which is why schools don’t want students paying ghostwriters to complete their work.

As of 2022, academic ghostwriting is illegal in the U.K., Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, and in 17 U.S. states, to varying degrees.

In countries that have not yet deemed academic ghostwriting illegal, it is at least unethical. Paying someone else to complete classwork and assignments is cheating. At many schools, not completing your own work constitutes academic misconduct or dishonesty and can be cause for expulsion. There can be serious ramifications for hiring an academic ghostwriter.

But that’s not what we’re talking about here. At all.

Book ghostwriting is both legal and ethical.

People who think otherwise generally don’t understand how ghostwriting works, especially with respect to nonfiction ghostwriting.

Ghostwriters are collaborators

For one, in most cases a ghostwriter is a writing partner or collaborator, not a surrogate writer.

They work with and alongside their client, who is typically the person who came up with the idea for the book in the first place.

It is the client who has the expertise and relevant knowledge, not to mention the stories, examples, and connections on the subject. The ghostwriter could not have written the client’s book without the input of the subject-matter expert, although the client certainly could have, given enough time.

That division of labor may be less true with works of fiction, where the author has an idea for a story and wants to hand it off to be developed and polished. In that case, a ghostwriter might have enough information to take the idea and run with it even without ongoing guidance and input from the client.

Hiring a ghostwriter is outsourcing

Paying a ghostwriter to complete writing work for you is an example of outsourcing or delegation. It is typical and even expected in many corporate environments. If writing is not the best use of your time, you shouldn’t be the one doing it.

If you’re not the best person to complete the task, it makes perfect sense to find someone who has the skills you lack. It’s why business leaders hire speechwriters, graphic designers, and video teams — because the other professionals have specialized skills.

As a leader, you aren’t expected to know everything or have experience in everything, which is why many experts “farm things out.” They turn tasks over to people who will do a better job than they would or could.

Even if you’re a skilled writer, hiring a ghostwriter could make a lot of sense if you lack the time required to get the job done by your deadline. Or you lack the time, period.

For example, if you have a conference or keynote coming up for which you want to have books available, you may want to hire a ghostwriter to ensure the book can be drafted and published in time. Professional writers typically work faster than average writers and may be able to complete a task in less time than it would take you.

Or, you may be a skilled writer who is also a perfectionist, so if it’s torture to get even a paragraph written, you should consider having someone else work with you so that you can pick up the pace of production, which, in this case, is writing. Hiring a ghostwriter to assist you will free up time you can invest in other tasks and will reduce your stress level by knowing a professional is on the job.

Plagiarism is illegal

Besides academic ghostwriting, which we’ve established is almost always unethical and illegal in some areas, copying someone else’s work and presenting it as your own is also illegal.

That’s plagiarism.

Claiming someone else’s work as your own may violate intellectual property and copyright law (I am not a lawyer and this is not legal advice).

But that’s not what ghostwriters do. Ghostwriters do not plagiarize.

A ghostwriter takes what their client, the aspiring author, knows and wants to share and organizes and presents that information in such a way that it benefits the reader.

Along the way, they may also provide marketing advice and publishing guidance as part of the assignment, too.

However, they are not involved in illegal activities.

Ghostwriters are writing helpers, just as therapists help heal trauma, doctors help improve health, and sports coaches provide guidance and instruction. It’s the client who requests help and the professional who works to support them in achieving the results they’re after.

All of which is totally legal.

FAQs

Other questions that often come up include:

How do you know if a book is ghostwritten?

If you see two names on the cover and one has a “with” in front of it, that person may have been a collaborator or ghostwriter on the project. You can also read the book’s acknowledgments to see if a co-writer, researcher, or collaborator is named.

What is the point of being a ghostwriter?

Ghostwriters help experts, leaders, and people who have something to say share that information in the author’s voice. That means that the book, article, or blog post reads like the expert wrote it. Ghostwriters typically enjoy learning alongside learned professionals and being paid for it.

Why don’t ghost writers publish their own books?

Many ghostwriters are also authors and they do publish their own books. However, there is a growing demand for ghostwriting services and it’s frequently more lucrative to write someone else’s book than to publish one’s own.

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