Smart lawyers write books and leverage their knowledge and experience

By J. Nick Augustine, J.D., the publicity strategist for lawyers.

If you can draft an appellate brief, then you can write a book. If you can prepare continuing legal education materials, then you can write a book. If you can spend revenue on marketing, then you can afford to write a book.

This week our Money Talk Radio guest, Antoinette Kuritz, the publishing industry insider, gave us some leads on best practices and how to avoid getting suckered by the wolves in sheep’s clothing! If you have a book in you, which most lawyers do, forgoing this opportunity means you’re missing out on wealth-generating revenue. Your time and resource investments in the right book with the right publishing team will net you a huge catch.

Antoinette Kuritz, KUSI-TV’s (San Diego) Book Expert, is a book developer, literary publicist, publishing and media coach, the host of the Writers Round Table Radio show, and she is on a mission to preserve high quality in the publishing industry. Savvy business skills are absolutely imperative in book publishing according to Kuritz who offers this exclusive comment: “So long as you are writing a book just for family and friends, you are only an author. The minute you want anyone to buy or to buy into your book – whether it is the agent who will sell it to the publisher, the publisher, a distributor, bookstores who will carry it, or the public who will purchase the finished product – you are in business.  And it is up to you to acquire the education it takes to make that business a success. No where is this more imperative than in the quickly-evolving world of publishing.”

Learn more about Antoinette by visiting the La Jolla Writers Conference website and at Strategies PR.

The past decade of internet media expansion cleared the path for an increased number of authors and publishers. With e-books gaining popularity, more of us are reading and writing again. Spikes in the publishing industry also attract non-experts who purport to have what it takes to advise and represent authors, and who are great at taking their money, but lack the real expertise to produce a great book.

When you are in the market and accepting bids from publishing teams, Antoinette suggests you ask them a few questions:

• Ask a prospective editor to edit one chapter of your book – If the result is a dramatic improvement in the chapter while still maintaining your voice, this might be the right editor for you.
• Ask a prospective agent about their sales for the past twelve months – As the industry has tightened, advances are smaller, and agents are selling less and less.  If your prospective agent has sold a number of books in the past twelve months, particularly in your genre, it’s a good sign.
• Request that a book shepard give you a cost break-down – So many book shepards will not only charge you a fee, they will also receive mark-ups from vendors to whom they send you, thus tainting their referrals.  Check the cost break-down against real cost for services.
• Ask your consultant to go over different methods of publication with you – Someone who truly understands the publishing industry will ask you your goals and then help you decide what the best method of publication is for you. This is not a one-size-fits-all industry.
• Ask for a proposal – A good consultant should be able to provide you with a detailed proposal of everything that should be done to help you reach your goals, and they should then be able to tell you what you would most benefit from having them do vs. what you can do on your own, with their guidance.
• Ask for references – And then call or email those references.

Lawyers, finance, and small business professionals can leverage their knowledge and experience when they are published authors. The veracity a published book creates affords you more and greater media opportunities and speaking events to fill space in your calendar. Whether you’re writing fiction or non-fiction trade or resource books, the doors will open and you need only pick and chose revenue streams and career boosting gigs.

Get moving on this – start writing down book ideas, then collect and review. You have a book in you, and the process of finding it starts now.

For more information about how I can help you or if you would like an introduction to Antoinette Kuritz, please contact me through the Contact Us page at www.proservepr.com today. Take some time to listen to “Using Your Book as Your Business Calling Card with Antoinette Kuritz” on Money Talk Radio.

Comments

[Aurana Books]

This is great article on successful business. Business especially small one takes patience and old fashioned hard work to become successful.