When you start to think of adding income streams, few are more powerful than writing a book. Regardless of your niche, writing a book can help your business grow more effectively than any other marketing strategy. And, critically, on the back of a book or a book series, you can launch an entire line of passive or partially passive products.

I DON’T HAVE TIME TO WRITE A BOOK

Writing a book has a reputation for being a years-long-locked-in-a-tower kind of project. It really doesn’t have to be (unless you want to write the next War and Peace). I teach people how to write a book from start to finish in 30 days. And not full time days at all! I’ve created books in just a few days. You may be astonished how much of a book you’ve already written, spread all over your hard drive. At the end of the day, writing a book is a manageable project and it has so many benefits, you may want to get started right away. Let me explain.

A book increases your stature, your fame and credibility. You know how people are introduced as “the author of…”? Doesn’t it impress you that they’ve written a book? It’s a praise-worthy accomplishment, since a lot of work goes into books. You need to know what you are talking about to organize and prepare the material, so the status of “expert” is well-deserved.

You can leverage this credibility and fame as you create and sell passive or partially passive income products. A single book can be the start point for numerous products. And the fans of your book will be first in line to buy the products so that you can help them further.

6 Products You can create based on your book

Writing a book forces you to think in a very structured way. Once your book is finished, you’ll probably find that you have articulated your “signature offering”. Because you have that structure from your book, you can create a number of different kinds of products and services in a very short period of time. Here are a few ideas of products you can create based on your book:

1. Book Series. You may want to expand into a series of books (link to the 3rd blog) that build on what you covered in your initial book. For example, if you wrote a book on knitting for beginners, you could write “intermediate knitting” next, followed by “advanced knitting”.
   A book series can also be about related subjects. If you wrote a book about desserts, your second book could be about main courses or appetizers. Book series have the advantage of being easy to sell – if people like your first book, they will very often buy all of the books in the series. You also benefit from the recommendations in Amazon. If Amazon recognized a book series, they will recommend your other books on the sales page.

2. Online course – Creating an online course requires work at the beginning – the actual production of the course – but then it can sell for years afterward. Once you have a book written, you’ll find that you already have the structure for an ecourse, which can reduce the time required to build the course.

An online course gives you the chance to dive deeper into the topics of your book. Through this deeper work, your audience can accomplish so much more. You’ll often find that fans of your book will be the first people ready to sign up for your online course.

3. Group coaching programs – These programs are not completely passive because they still require your valuable time but they can be priced lower than 1-1 coaching since your attendees are giving up some privacy in the group dynamic. It takes you much less time to help many more people because you can answer common questions once, rather than individually for each participant. A group course can follow logically from an online course, starting with a “live” version of the online course. They are priced higher than DIY courses, with the extra value being access to you and the community.

4. VIP days – Your most dedicated clients may crave even more of your personal attention, so you could add VIP days for them. Again, building on the ideas in your book you can craft 4-8 hour-long coaching sessions into a single day, focusing on what the client needs most. These are likely to be a very high priced product since your time is precious. For this reason not everyone can afford this pricing nor is every client prepared to doing that kind of quick and strategic work all in one day.

5. Retreats – If you combine the concept of a VIP day with a group coaching program, you can see how retreats are designed. You host an in-person multi-day session with a group of people. Usually these are done in exclusive resorts or hotels, in keeping with the VIP feel. The retreat, like a group coaching program, can be designed based on the teaching in your book. It’s a high investment product for you, but comes with an equally high price tag.

6. Signature speech – Your book can be a great foundation for a signature speech. While not really passive, once you have the speech written, you can give it over and over again to new audiences. Wouldn’t it be amazing to be introduced as “the author of…”? Instant elevation in your level of authority And, if you are giving a speech, ask the organizers if you can sell your book at the back of the room after your speech!

7. Start a new business/product line – Beyond pure business-building, writing stimulates creativity, and with that, you may get all kinds of other ideas on how and where you can expand your work. The time you spend in front of the keyboard pounding out chapters is an utterly creative process. It is a time that feeds your artistic tendencies. These are the times when ideas, plans, and methods for other projects will come to you.

One of my clients was going through my book writing course and her husband decided to join her and write a book himself. While he never published the book, writing the book consolidated his thoughts and he launched an entirely new business based on that idea.

Sell the new products starting with your readers

Your book fans will love your products, so they make a great first place to offer these products and services. It’s proven over and over again that the people who have experienced your teaching with success are highly likely to buy the digital products or group/individual programs you offer next because you have gained their trust and you genuinely help them. They have experienced how you teach and they want more of you, your expertise and your guidance.

Wider appeal is another impact of having multiple products based on your book. Some people are happy to read a book and move on. Some want more than a book offers and they could be great candidates for an online or group course. Still others will want personal tutoring and sign up for VIP days immediately. Some will want all of them. That means having multiple products will allow you to serve the most people in your niche.

When it comes to marketing, there is also a benefit of having related products. When you have a series of products in a related field, you are seen as even more of an expert. When you have enough material to coach someone for 3 months on Facebook ads, then you must be a master of your craft, right?

Regardless of the type of product line you are developing, the same principle as for writing books applies. The more time you spend creating products, reworking existing products, and planning out new products for the future, the easier the writing, planning, and publishing process becomes. The key is to start and see how quickly it all comes together for you.

Are you ready to start writing your book?