Table of contents:
- Why Your Second Book Matters More than You Think
- The Strategic Framework
- Practical Implementation
- Common Pitfalls to Avoid
“How can I plan a second book when I haven’t even finished writing my first one?” you may wonder. If your first book hasn’t been published, you may find it ridiculous to already be looking ahead to a second or even third book.
And yet that’s what successful business authors do. They’re working on the outline for their second while their first is still being produced.
This isn’t unrealistic optimism that drives authors who are looking ahead — it’s strategy.
If you can map out a plan to publish, say, one book a year for the next four years, you can develop a writing practice and rhythm that can also help build your audience as each book is released. This approach is a lot like movie producers who already have a plan in place for future movies that build on the first (think Star Wars, for example).
Although business book authors are crafting nonfiction, not fiction, there are writing techniques they can use to tee up their next book at the conclusion of the previous one.
You should be doing this, too.
Why Your Second Book Matters More than You Think
There’s a saying that “Money loves speed,” which applies here. In business and publishing, momentum is critical but fleeting. You’ll make more money, generate more opportunities, and attract more attention if you can extend the buzz that your first book generates.
The release of your first book creates a window of opportunity that can last up to a year or so. During that time immediately before and after your book hits bookstore shelves, you’ll have the best opportunity for media attention, podcast interviews, speaking engagements, and guest lectures. Interest will swell during that time.
It will also start to wane over time, which is why you need a follow-up book strategy already in place during those first 12 months.
Planning your second book, your sequel, helps extend and preserve the momentum your first book generates. When people ask, “What’s next for you?” you can respond with the title of your forthcoming book, which your current audience can go ahead and pre-order. Strike while the iron is hot, as they say.
An added benefit of planning for your follow-on book is that you’ll position yourself as a serious business author rather than someone who only had one big idea.
The other benefit of a one-two publishing punch is that the marketing benefits can compound. The cost to promote your second book will be lower if you move quickly because you can leverage the platform you’ve started to build with your first.
You can go back to reporters who interviewed you about your first book, you can email folks who signed up to be notified of future books, you can announce your next book on social media, and spark interest from those who have been following you.
The Strategic Framework
Your first decision as you’re mapping out your publishing future is deciding if what you’re writing is best presented as a series or if each book will be standalone, on different topics.
A series is best when you have a theme or a methodology that you want to carry across several books. I see Jen Sincero’s books, You Are a Badass, are all theme-based. Whereas Malcolm Gladwell’s or Seth Godin’s books are business-focused but with different titles and perspectives.
One strategy isn’t better than the other, but you’ll want to plan accordingly.
A series often applies a common methodology to different demographic groups or fields, for example, such as The Complete Idiot’s Guide series that tackled dozens of very different topics. Standalone sequels, on the other hand, apply your thinking and perspective to varied topics.
No matter which approach you take, your books should all complement each other. They should all maintain brand consistency to continue to support your expanding author platform. That’s harder if your books look very different and are for very different readers.
A smart activity is to map out each book before you start writing, to determine in what order they should be written and released and to make sure they don’t overlap too much content-wise.
You’ll also want to strategize how soon after your first book your second should be released. You don’t want it to follow too quickly, or you may confuse your audience and cannibalize sales of your first book. Then again, you don’t want to wait longer than, say 24 months, because you may lose that connection to your audience that you forged with your first release.
Practical Implementation
Although many authors write their first book and then realize they have more to say, so they start work on a sequel, it’s much easier if you’re already building your sequel as you write the first.
You’ll inevitably end up cutting certain parts or deciding that some content won’t fit or doesn’t work in your first book. When you set those extra parts aside, don’t just toss them away or delete them. Instead, start a file that you fill with those bits and pieces. That can be a physical file folder or an online document, like a Google Doc or in an Evernote folder.
As you’re writing, you’re likely to spot many adjacent topics or unexplored angles that you simply can’t fit into your first book.
Before you start planning your second book, however, do a little market research on which topics resonate the strongest with your target audience.
You can do that by writing blog posts or articles on some of those bits and pieces, or drafting conference talks or podcast episodes. Pay attention to the response you get. Is it crickets? Or are you overwhelmed with comments and questions? This feedback can help you gauge audience interest.
As you talk about your research interests, don’t limit yourself so narrowly to the topic of your first book. Think more broadly about what your two or three or four books will have in common. Then position yourself as an expert in that. This positioning helps plant seeds for future books.
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
The biggest mistake authors make is writing follow-on books that regurgitate what they said in the first book, or that aren’t different enough to stand alone. Each of your books should be unique, sharing genuinely new ideas and insights and stories or research results that support your perspective.
The worst thing you can do is write a solid first book and then follow up too quickly with a book that is half-baked, or not as developed as your first. When that happens, your audience is much less likely to buy a third or fourth book, and your momentum dies.
Plan ahead, but take your time with execution. If your second book isn’t ready because your thinking isn’t there yet, don’t publish. Better to wait another year and roll out an exceptional manuscript than to rush and underdeliver.
Start keeping track of ideas that could become books. Write blog posts to test the waters. And map out how you can spread your extensive expertise over several books.
Your second book will be as successful, or more so, as your first if you plan for it now.
Crafting a sequel strategy will allow you to get out in front of your competition and stay there with an ongoing series of well-conceived and well-written titles.