Today, more than ever, people read nonfiction books and look up to their authors as trusted leaders and authorities.

If you have a business – selling products or services – writing (and publishing) a nonfiction book is a crucial step in building credibility, authority and expert position.

However, what can you do with your nonfiction book once it’s written? It’s not enough to know how to write a nonfiction book and get it published.

Nonfiction books have tremendous potential to change your business and life. You need to know what to do before, during, and after you write the book and publish it.

Here are 10 ideas of how to use your nonfiction book to change your life and business forever:

1. Create Relationships with Experts

When writing your nonfiction book, don’t hesitate to reach out to other experts and interview them about some of the topics you write about. Not only will most experts be happy to contribute to your book, but they’re also likely to spread the word about you, your book, and your business.

2. Create a Signature Talk

A signature talk is a speech only you can give. It’s your message, your story. A signature talk is an important component of your personal brand. If you write your nonfiction book with a very personal touch, your signature talk is a shorter, spoken version of your nonfiction book. If your book isn’t personal, then your signature talk is the personal version of it.

3. Show Thought Leadership

Your thought leadership may be based on expertise, education, or experiences. What matters is that you give other people in your field a reason to listen and follow you. When you are engaged, informed, and giving, you stand out as a thought leader and become authoritative and influential.

4. Create a Methodology You Can License 

You can use your book’s contents to create a methodology that can then be licensed. A methodology is simply a repeatable process you and other people can use to generate the desired outcome.

5. Create a New Program

Why do people choose to hire a coach (for example) when all the information they need is available at a low cost online and in books? That’s because information alone doesn’t get you to your goals. With a coaching program based on your book, you can guide people, either individually or in a group, to the outcome they seek.

6. As a Lead Generation Tool

You can sell or give away your book on a landing page where people must enter their contact information. This way, you can sign people to your automated email sequence and offer them other products or services.

7. As a Gift to Your Clients and Partners

You can also gift your book to your clients after they have purchased your product or service. Instead of increasing conversions, you improve the customer experience by overdelivering. You can also gift your book to strategic partners. 

8. Get Yourself in The Door

Once you have a book, you gain access to opportunities you never even thought possible. You can send a copy of your book to any prospective client, no matter how important or busy they are. Include a few post-it notes on several pages, where you describe (in handwriting) how this piece of information can help them. Then follow up with a phone call…

9. Land Speaking Engagements

If you’re not a public speaker already, now is your time to get started. With a nonfiction book, you have increased authority and credibility so you can reach out to event organizers and organizations. They will ALWAYS prefer a published author on their stage.

10. Raise Your Prices

What you charge is directly correlated to the amount and quality of the intellectual property you own. The more IP you have, and the more recognition your IP has, the more perceived value you create and the higher prices you can charge.

Now It’s YOUR Turn

For five minutes… come up with as many ideas as you can… how can YOU use your own book to grow your business?