How to write a book in 14 days chapter two

How to find an audience for your book?

Okay, so you've made the decision to write your book! Great! You've picked your topic, you've got your outline, and if you were good, you started with your first post last night.

Awesome job. That's chapter one.

How does it feel to have that under your belt?

Now Chapter two, the sequel. Keep on telling us information about your subject. But start to think about what you hope to accomplish:

What's the purpose of the book?

Does it exist for the book's sake?

Most fiction writers, at least the good ones, try to take you on a journey that leaves you wanting more once done, and make you go, wow, I didn't think of it like that.

By that same token, you want your non-fiction book to do the same thing. Can you get your audience to think about your subject in a new way?

For example, if you were to write about real estate, you could try to convince your readers that their home is not an investment, but a liability that pulls money out of their pockets every month. (Thanks RK). There is a solid argument to support this: but what do you want your audience to do with this information.

Is your writing a call to action?

Or you could ask, are you using words to inspire?

You could inspire your audience to visit your blog, and sign up. You could inspire them to want more information and call you for a teleseminar (which should lead to something as well). Or you could inspire them to buy a second, and third book from you, creating a lifetime fan. (Fiction writer's do this! How many of you have bought books by the same writer's over and over?)

So while you are constructing your page, you need forward motion to move you toward a goal. Your goal is to give information that inspires action. Your audience's goal is to get entertaining information and be inspired.

If you are not entertaining, you will lose people.

If you are not inspiring, you will lose people.

The best way to be both? I told you yesterday, be interesting.

Interesting people are engaging. They make us want to know more about them, because they:

Lead lives we wish we led. (Hello Harry Potter, you mischievous devil, how you made me want to wield a wand)

Go on adventures we wish we could join: (Fantasy writers. Sci-fi writers. Real estate investors.)

Know things we wish we knew. (David Bach. Robert Allen.)

Do things we wish we could do. (Sebastian Junger)

You get the gist of it. Tell a story (even non-fiction) that people want to read, and tell them things they want to know. Make it fun.

Did you ever read a great little book called, LIKE WATER FOR CHOCALATE? This little novel was turned into a good little movie, and had an awesome premise. It was a love story (unrequited, the best kind) and each chapter began with an actual recipe.

If I wanted to write a cookbook, I would lump all of my like recipes together, like for a meal or gathering, and then I would create a narrative around the recipes, and use the text to push a cooking DVD, or to generate interest in a cooking show on the Food Network.

I'm giving my audience information (their goal) while promoting mine (a cooking show), and using the book as a tool to do it.

Why hasn't PAMPERED CHEF done that? I mean, they have these great little products, and they're sold at cooking parties. Why not put together a little book about each product, something fun and engaging that would act as a catalyst to get people to order? Like product placement within the work? Is that wrong? Or does it add a layer of believability to the text?

Imagine for a moment (as if you haven't been creating pictures in your head based on the words) a book with an agenda to sell something. Are you trying to sell something in your book?

You have to answer yes. And if you don't answer yes, then maybe you should revisit the purpose of the book.

Even if you are not selling a product, you are selling yourself to an audience, in the hopes that they will buy your next book. That's one of the reasons I'm a student of marketing. Everybody sells themselves on a daily basis.

Don't believe me?

Go on a job interview.

Need more proof?

Go to the bar and watch people pick each other up. You are surrounded by people who sell, and are being sold to constantly. We tend to go numb to it because it's second nature. Have you ever met someone you instantly liked?

Maybe they told a joke, maybe you liked their smile, but something about that person made you consider them: They sold you. Plain. Simple. You were sold on their personality. Now, some people are better at this than others, and some people are just plain naturals. You like them.

You trust them.

And what happens when someone you trust makes a recommendation?

You consider it.

Which is what you want to do in the text of your story.

Decide what you are going to accomplish.

Make your audience like you.

Make them trust you.

And never, ever abuse that trust.

Have you heard of Seth Godin? Seth is a marketing genius who does exactly what I'm talking about. He's written almost ten books, has four or five blogs, articles for FAST COMPANY, and free ebooks across the web. He's a huge proponent of Web 2.0, which is what we're doing here at hubpages. It's a social network in progress.

Seth writes like he talks.

He gives and gives and gives information. Lots of it.

I was introduced to him through a free book he gave away called THE IDEAVIRUS (go on, Google it). It talks about how big companies grow through big ideas.

I liked his work so much, I bought a book. Which made me like more, and I bought another. Which made me like him even more, so I bought another. I have six of his books on my shelf right now, and plans to buy two more as a gift to myself soon.

He gave me info. He entertained me. And I helped him become a best seller.

Two more great facts about Seth:

One: He preaches being spectacular. Don't be good. Be unforgettable. Be worthy of talking about. Be the water cooler topic. Don't think of what you can do to keep up with your competition. What can you do to blow them away?

Like write a book in 14 days. That's spectacular. That's something worth talking about.

Or helping people write their book in 14 days. That's an idea.

And number two: Seth gives away info. Lot's of it. He pioneered one of his books by giving away the first half or so, then told the people they could order the rest. That one move made him a millionaire, and he didn't share any of it with a publisher.

How?

He started by giving away information to his customers up front. He didn't hit them up for a sale. He gained their trust. Then he gave them a book, for free (The Ideavirus). Then he gave them the first chapters of his new book. They had the option of buying the rest through a link at the end of the chapters. When they bought, he shipped.

Sounds like a great plan?

I know it works, because I've gotten close to 50 free beginnings since then from various authors on various subjects. I've also found hundreds of free books on line, and read most of them.

What sets you apart? What makes you spectacular? What makes the information you have to give so exciting, so new, so topical and relevant that people are going to talk about it?

David Bach told everyone they could get rich on a cup of latte every day.

Imagine that, getting rich on $4 a day?!

Well, as you can imagine, it's a little more complicated than that, but it's a start, and a great hook.

What's your hook?

Why is your second chapter so compelling that people are going to want to read the third?

Stick around and find out.