This is the fifth post in a series dedicated to the anniversary of the publishing of my first book, Conquer the Entrepreneur’s Kryptonite. The purpose of this series is to share what I’ve learned to help inspire you to do the same if there’s a book in your heart waiting to get out.
After more than two and a half years of crafting my masterpiece, the end was in sight. I had no idea how much work the last six months before publication would entail, but I knew I wouldn’t do my best work if I did it alone.
It was about February of 2013 when I put out the invitation to join my Book Team. I created a private Facebook group where I could post content or questions, and they were a huge help. I thanked the 39 of them by name in the back of the book, but I want to share here the value they provided in those last few months leading up to the big launch.
1) Feedback
Whether it was posting cover ideas or polling them for their thoughts on potential book titles, they never failed to validate or challenge what I was thinking…sometimes both at once! This group of friends and fans provided the perfect sounding board.
2) Accountability
By inviting them into the creative process, I created expectations that I needed to deliver on time and on target. They encouraged me when the sea of doubts overwhelmed me. They pushed me finish, and because of them, I was still standing at the finish line instead of crawling on bloody knees.
3) Idea Generation
It wasn’t like I grabbed 40 random people to be a part of a focus group. This was a group of avid supporters who knew me and knew my project. They engaged in more than just support…they provided new and exciting ideas. Some were great (this is how the book got “Kryptonite” in the title) and some were not so good (like trying to put “zombie” in the title). Though the not so good ones were still fun.
4) Marketing and Promotion
In addition to being supporters and encouragers, the people on my team were promoters. They helped spread the word prior to the book’s release, including the Indiegogo pre-sale campaign. It is impossible to know how many books were sold thanks to their efforts, but it was enough to triple my crowdsourcing goal.
5) A Bigger World
If I had tackled the finalization and publication of the book on my own, it would have been a very lonely process. There were a lot of late nights and early mornings. The effort was very intense and stressful. But with 39 people on my team, how could I feel alone? I didn’t, thanks to them.
Stay tuned as I write about the writing process, the finishing process, formatting, creating the trifecta (book, e-book, and audiobook), crowdsourcing, my support team, and so much more. I don’t know how long the series will last and I haven’t written the next post yet, but I’m going to share all of the ups and downs I can remember!
If you have specific topics you want me to cover, leave a comment or send me a note!
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