Want to Release a Bestseller? Here’s A Plan.
Based on Big Deals
I was on my way to Hong Kong last week.
It was for a deal pitch. I rushed to the airport for check-in, only to find out that the flight got delayed by 2 hours.
Bummer.
However, good things do happen during bad days. I dragged myself to WH Smith within the departure hall. In it, I found Big Deals.
This is a book written by top financial planners, detailing their journey to the Million Dollar Round Table in the world of Insurance. Apparently, it is a big deal.
It felt like I could learn a thing or two from the book.
I bought it and headed to MacDonald’s for a drink.
A Treasure Chest in 5 Pages
The preface of the Chief Editor caught my attention while browsing.
These 5 pages nudged me to buy.
In it, he described the journey of releasing Big Deals. He had released many other books before this, so his words came across as credible. I read slowly, so I can soak things in.
Wave Chow (WC), the Chief Editor, mentioned that the origination of this book is a provocation. One reader of his previous book, The Soul of Selling, commented that his ideas work only for small ticket contracts.
WC got annoyed. He had multiple Million Dollar Round Table accolades under his belt. He chose to use anger as fuel to write his next book. Big Deal was born.
This is a beautiful start to the book. But I saw something else.
I saw that there was a demand for his work.
That makes all the difference.
It got me thinking. I have been working on my consulting sales book draft for months. I was busy spitting letters, pressing backspace, and deleting unnecessary sentences.
I never assessed the existing demand for my future book.
It made me realize that WC has a lot I can learn from on top of selling big-ticket contracts. I continued reading.
Unearthing a Book Release Plan
This was the first time I read a preface from page to page.
Of course, I had an agenda. I wanted to unearth WC’s book release plan and thought processes. Fortunately for me, WC bared it all.
He went through the following in his book release journey.
- Tempering his book sales expectations.
- Actively tapping into his local network.
- Expanding his content to regional relevance.
It is amazing just how much I learned from 5 pages. Some authors take 50 pages to write what 1 sentence can cover.
Apologies for my laments.
Firstly, WC was not looking to produce a bestseller. The original idea was to put his blueprint for success on paper and have it distributed to his team within Hong Kong.
You can think of it as apprenticeship material.
Therefore, he was only expecting to sell thousand-plus copies. It did not bother him. He published it anyway.
What happened after that surprised him.
Overseas orders were rolling in. There was a demand for WC’s work outside of Hong Kong. It turned out that,
- Peers in the industry wanted to learn more about high-ticket selling.
- Some people wanted to learn to grow their network.
- Some were financial planner wannabes.
I paused after reading this segment. I re-read it. And then, I took notes.
Here’s why.
WC provided a depth of knowledge to a diverse pool of readers. This is an idea that has never hit me.
My book draft was written for consultants in the consulting world. Big Deals made me rethink my positioning.
I questioned myself.
- What can folks in the consulting space learn from me?
- What can folks outside of the consulting world learn from my book?
- What can I impart to people who are young and looking for career direction(s)?
I never thought about all these.
The flight delay no longer bothered me at this point. I was immersed in my own reflection points.
I read on.
WC was surprised by the volume of the overseas order. He immediately worked on a book enhancement to make it relevant to the different regional markets.
(Again, another gem unearthed.)
WC then went along to speak to his peers within the region. Many of those who subscribe to his ideas of regional relevance volunteered to work with him.
Their contributions proved to be priceless. They provided in-country-specific high-ticket sales insights.
Major contributors became the editors of the book for that country. There were 5 for the version released in Singapore.
This, to me, is a crowdsourcing model for a book release.
It was fascinating.
And because of this approach,
- WC’s ideas spread across the region.
- His ideas got contextualized.
Also, WC was able to share the stage with highly successful peers he knew.
This is a Big Deal. This is also a mutually winning deal.
I was humbled.
Parting Keynotes
I learned a ton about releasing a book in 5 pages.
Before reading Big Deals, I was rushing to finish my book draft. After reading the preface, I decided to return to the drawing board.
I wanted to figure out and strengthen the orientation of my future book.
Yes, book sales are important for my ego and bank account. But I care about my work too. I want to be proud of it.
Big Deals made me think about the following questions.
- Is there a market demand for my book?
- What valuable skills can I share that apply to readers from all walks of life?
- Who can I work with to strengthen the relevance of my ideas in different markets?
I scribbled these questions on a napkin from Starbucks.
I slipped that napkin into the book. It reminded me that I needed a book release plan.
And. There is an embedded life lesson too.
It prompted me to,
- Go slower.
- Think more.
- Produce a piece of work I can be proud of.
And maybe… maybe… I can be a bestseller in the future.
As a content contributor, I write my observations from daily life and my business exposure. Because our life experience is the bedrock of our unique perspectives.
Get full access to Medium using this link and read gazillion exciting articles.