When writing and publishing a book, most authors rightfully focus single-mindedly on getting the manuscript written. But sooner or later, every author must answer one all-important question: “What do I call this thing?” As part of your book’s packaging, the title must help with three important jobs that I refer to as the 3Ds: 1) […]
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Gisele is a powerhouse of a management consultant. She pulls in nearly $1 million in annual sales, three-quarters of which is profit. But while she’s always been sharp and talented, she wasn’t always landing the five- and six-figure deals she does today. You see, Gisele struggled with lead generation with many enquiries being a poor […]
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Governments around the world are working hard on both health and economic fronts. They’re trying desperately to fight back the escalating COVID-19 (novel coronavirus pneumonia) and its impending impact on the global economy. If like me, you’re in regular (non-physical!) contact with the entrepreneur community, you too have likely been debating how can small business […]
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Unfortunately, many entrepreneurs’ books fail to drive meaningful results because too often, business owners don’t treat their nonfiction book strategy with the same rigour as the rest of their business. If your book isn’t grounded in your business strategy, and if it isn’t approached with strategic thought, the result can feel disconnected. An effective nonfiction book […]
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As an experienced business-person, you understand the importance of knowing your customer. Your customer strategy allows you to tailor your branding, products, marketing, all your communications, in ways that feel personally relevant to the people you’re serving. As an author, your customer is your reader, and so it’s just as important to have a reader strategy […]
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The key to understanding nonfiction book ROI is the business case. A business case takes the mostly financial view of the benefits expected, subtracts the costs of the project, and then turns that into a percentage return (ROI). Having been involved in more business casing efforts than I care to admit, I’ll be the last person […]
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Common wisdom tells us that “Everybody has a book in them”, and the stats back this up. More than 80% of people say they hope to become a first-time author. Entrepreneurs are no exception. At Grammar Factory, we recently surveyed business owners. We found that even among this time-starved group, nearly 70% want to write a […]
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A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to be interviewed on The Entrepreneur Way by serial entrepreneur Neil Ball about the biggest lessons I’ve learnt on my entrepreneur journey – check it out at Positioning Yourself as an Expert in Your Niche with Jacqui Pretty.Just some of what we covered included: Entrepreneurial role models The biggest difficulties when […]
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I launched Grammar Factory as a freelance editor in 2013. I was charging $1,500 for a structural edit, and my goal was to book three to four clients a month so I could quit my corporate job.While I had some leads coming in, I lacked the business experience, social proof, and referrals to sell them on my […]
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When working on a client’s book, it never ceases to amaze me when I come across content that isn’t relevant to their target readers. This could include terminology they don’t recognise, examples they won’t resonate with, or information that doesn’t clearly relate to what they’re trying to learn from the book.The end result? This content […]
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Imagine this scenario…You sign up for a business course or coaching program.Your coach makes you delve deep into the passion behind your business. They open your eyes to new possibilities and endless horizons. They build your confidence, telling you about the difference you could make and the impact you could have on the world.You realize […]
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One of the most valuable questions for any business owner is, ‘what can you do that will make the biggest difference in your business, right now?’In my case, I knew it was writing a book. Having worked with over 100 entrepreneurs, I’d seen the difference that writing a book made to their businesses – some became […]
Continue readingJob Description of a Billionaire: Lessons learned from the icon of entrepreneurship
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When I got the interview for one of my first writing jobs, I was over the moon. I spent days researching the company, the industry and where it was going. I stalked people at the company on LinkedIn and even managed to have a pre-interview coffee with a former employee, which gave me inside information […]
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