Positioning Yourself as an Expert Author

By Laura Cross

I’m pleased today to have an article by Laura Cross. Laura is a successful strategist who provides business, publishing, and platform strategies to help entrepreneurs get known as the go-to expert in their industry. Laura is a real advocate for authors and always inspires me with her enthusiasm and know-how. Here’s her article:

If you’re an entrepreneur, there’s never been a better time to become a published author. In today’s struggling economy the title of published author is a valuable commodity that will help you establish your credibility and position your expertise, so you can command higher fees, easily attract ideal clients, and differentiate yourself from your competitors.

There is a direct correlation between your perceived credibility and your revenue and profit growth. Research conducted by the Reputation Institute shows that a print book is number one on the list of “credible” marketing methods. That’s because consumers consider a book to be the most credible form of communication. In fact, becoming a published author increases your credibility factor by 300%. That’s a huge return on your investment. Authors are perceived as experts and that expertise or credibility translates to big returns for you and your business through a shorter sales cycle, a higher closing percentage, higher quality leads and clients, and the ability to charge higher fees and easily acquire that higher rate.

When you are perceived as an expert in your industry:

• You can market more effectively and less expensively
• You acquire major media appearances and features more easily (approximately 60% of the authors you see interviewed on talk shows and news programs are self-published)
• You attract clients to you instead of having to chase them
• You land more speaking engagements
• You can work less because your pay is equal to the value that you deliver, not the hours that you work
• You get paid much higher fees with better profit margins without experiencing price resistance (in other words, people are happy to pay your high fees)

Writing and publishing a book related to your expertise will have a significant impact on your credibility and can substantially increase your bottom line. In a survey conducted for the Business Impact of Writing a Book:

• 96% of authors reported that publishing a book positively influenced their businesses
• 94% said it improved their brands
• 95% generated more speaking engagements
• 96% generated more clients
• 94% generated more leads
• 87% said it allowed them to charge higher fees
• 87% reported that it allowed them to generate a more desirable client base
• 76% said it allowed them to close more deals

What those figures reveal is that if you’re serious about your business, becoming a published author is no longer an option, it’s a necessity for market advantage.

Here are three powerful strategies to establish your credibility with your book and position yourself as an expert author:

1. Include exercises
   Exercises are extremely important to the success of your business, self-help, or how-to book. Exercises help the reader implement and absorb the material. They get the reader to engage and move forward toward the outcome or result, and what that does is allow readers to experience the value of your expertise, and position you as an authority in your field.
2. Provide examples
   Stories or anecdotes are an essential component for connecting with the reader. Stories create social proof. They bring the main points alive. Successful nonfiction books are jam-packed with stories. They are one of the strongest teaching tools available. The best stories tell how someone handled the same situation the reader is currently dealing with and allows them to see the possibility of achieving the intended outcome. The best part is that stories show readers that you, the author, are an expert in solving the problem they want fixed.
3. Present your material in a solid framework with a signature system
   The framework is the organizing method you use to deliver your content.  You want to have a framework that effectively delivers your signature system – the proprietary process you lead readers through to achieve a specific goal or outcome. People like systems. Step-by-step methods sell. They give readers a direct path to the solution. Without a system delivered in a solid framework, readers become lost, they lose interest, and they don’t achieve results, which ultimately diminishes the author’s credibility and expert positioning.

If you’d like to receive more tips, techniques, and strategies, you can listen to my powerful free recording on Writing and Publishing a Profitable Book and Establishing Yourself as an Expert Author at http://www.ExpertAuthorBookBlueprint.com

Laura Cross is a business strategist, published author, and professional ghostwriter. She provides business, publishing, and platform strategies to help entrepreneurs get known as the go-to expert in their industry, attract high-paying clients, garner major media, and earn more money with less effort by positioning, packaging, and profiting from their expertise. Her clients have appeared on Oprah, The Today Show, FoxNews, and CNN, and been featured in People magazine, Entrepreneur, Publishers Weekly, and The New York Times, and on Amazon’s bestseller list. Claim your free copy of the audio CD “How to Establish Your Expertise, Become a Published Author, and Leverage Your Knowledge for More Profits, More Prospects, and Major Media” at www.RockYourExpertise.com

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