Tuesday’s writing tip for authors

Writing involves visuals as much as choosing the right words. Yesterday, I discussed the importance of organizing your book around a “big idea” that can be expressed in a simple title that describes what you book’s about in a conversational style, such as Tuned In: Uncover the Extraordinary Opportunities that Lead to Business Breakthroughs–Craig Styll, Phill Myers, and David Meerman Scott’s latest book. Their book also benefits form a content plan–based on a 6-step process–that provided the basis for a compelling visual that reinforces the book’s contents in a way that words, alone, cannot communicate.

Note the Tuned-in graphic at left. At a glance, you can see the underlying process , or sequence of actions, that the author chose to help readers achieve their goal.

Once you have identified a unique process, it becomes relatively easy to find someone who can translate your process into a unique and compelling graphic. Having a signature, or unique, graphic helps both you and your readers.

Reader benefits. First, your readers will be better able to understand both the underlying message of your book, as well as how the different parts of your book work together. This will improve reader retention and, hence, your reader’s ability to profit from your book.

Book marketing and promotion. Second, the graphic makes it easier for you to market and promote your book. You can use the graphic in newsletters, on the web, and–most important–in your speeches and presentations. Once you have the primary graphic, you can easily add additional graphics that can visually brand your book and website, helping set your ideas apart from your competition. In Tuned-in’s case, for example, small icons in the text , highlighting one step at a time, are used to call attention to new ideas as they are introduced and to help readers track their progress.

Back-end profits. Finally, the graphic can become the cornerstone of your back-end profits, audios, CD’s, and training materials that are based on your book.

Once you come up with a graphic, new ideas are likely to occur to you, such as the “tuning knob” used on Tuned-In’s cover and inside the book to call attention to important ideas and tips.

Takeaway #1
When preparing your book’s manuscript, don’t concentrate exclusively on the words! Take a fresh look at your book’s premise and table of contents, and look for ways to organize your ideas into a process that can be visually communicated. Look for ways that you can create a graphic that will improve reader retention and help you (and your publisher) market and promote your book.

Takeaway #2
Train yourself to look for ideas and inspiration everywhere. Your ability to write a profitable book is based as much on your ability to analyze what works for others–including the smallest details–as it’s based on your ability to write.

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David Meerman Scott, one of Tuned In’s co-authors, is a member of Published & Profitable’s Editorial Board, along with dozens of other successfully published nonfiction authors. See Editorial Board members A-M and N-Z.

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