Why your business book introduction is killing its sales

 

If you’re like many business book or self-help guide authors, you probably wrote your book introduction using this kind of format:

• Introduce the topic
• Explain more about it
• Share your viewpoint
• Explain a bit more

Which seems pretty natural, doesn’t it? After all, it’s how we were all taught to introduce an essay at school. We explained what we were going to write about and what angle we would take, so that our readers would know what to expect.

But when it comes to your book there’s a problem with this, and it’s a huge one.

Unlike your teacher at school, who was paid to read your essay, your book readers are the ones doing the paying – in both money and time. That means your introduction has to earn its place in both their wallet and their day.

So if your book starts like an essay you’re probably missing out on hundreds or even thousands of sales.

Gulp.

You need to turn your pre-conceived notion of an introduction on its head.

Your introduction isn’t about your business book

You see, your introduction isn’t about your book. Nor is it about you.

It’s about your readers.

So put yourself into the shoes of your potential readers. How do they decide whether or not to buy your book? The answer is that they follow a remarkably consistent pattern of behaviour, which – once you understand it – makes the world of difference to your book sales:

1. They look at the cover to see if the title and design grab them.
2. They scan the blurb on the back cover (or read the promotional description on Amazon if it’s online) to find out more.
3. If they’re still keen, they look at the first couple of pages either physically or via the ‘Look Inside’ on Amazon. This is where they read some of the introduction.
4. If the introduction makes it clear that the book is aimed at them, will give them information and insights they’ll find useful, and is an enjoyable read, they may buy it.
5. Once they’ve bought it, they’ll read the first few pages and decide whether or not to bother with the rest.

Harsh, isn’t it?

So how do you write an introduction that encourages your potential readers to get to those fourth and fifths steps?

How to a business book introduction that sells

When I ghostwrite my clients’ business or self-help books, I know that the introduction has two jobs to do:

• to reassure their readers the book is for them, and

• to convince those readers it will answer the big question they have (the reason why they’re looking for a book in the first place).

It can be hard to know how to do this, so here’s framework to help you. It isn’t set in stone as every book is different, but it’s a handy guide to make sure you’ve covered off all bases.

Here’s a non fiction book introduction framework

1. Show you know who your reader is and what problem they have. This demonstrates you understand them, which creates trust and reassures them they’re in the right place. You should be happy for the ‘wrong’ reader to leave at this point.

2. Explain why your reader has this problem (and that it’s not their fault).

3. Briefly explain your solution as a top line summary. This must contain the benefits your reader will get from your book.

4. Demonstrate why you’re the best person to deliver this solution: who you are, why you’ve written this book, and why your reader should trust your advice.

5. Explain what your reader will gain by reading your book, giving some ‘proof’ in the way of evidence, stories, case studies and so on. These can be brief.

6. Tell your reader what they can expect from your book (for example, humour, stories, any specifics about how it’s structured).

7. Encourage your reader to start reading now. As an incentive, you may want to explain why your topic is particularly timely and relevant.

Can you see the difference between this and a general introduction to your topic? This is much more reader-focused.

Let’s look at an example

The following excerpts are from my own book’s introduction, Your Business Your Book. The book starts by recognising who my readers are:

You have an ambition – no, let’s call it a vision – and it insists on hanging around. Some days it makes you grin with excitement and others it fills you with a heavy feeling of apprehension. One week you’re raring to make it a reality and the next you feel incapable of starting, let alone finishing it.

This ambition is writing a book for your business, and it’s calling you.

It then goes on to explain the problem these readers have:

Let’s say that one day, while this fantasy of becoming a published author is still a dream, you attend a conference. Sitting in the audience, you watch as a speaker on your area of expertise takes to the stage. As you listen to his talk it becomes apparent he knows no more than you do about your mutual knowledge, in fact less. Why was he invited to speak and not you? It doesn’t seem fair. Even worse, the audience is lapping up his words as if they were spoken by a guru. As you leave the hall you pass a table piled high with copies of a professional-looking book – his book. Ah, so that’s the reason he was on stage: he wrote it.

After that and another couple of examples, it dives deeper into the readers’ issue:

So far so good, but there’s a problem. Writing a book isn’t the simplest of processes, is it? I always think a book is like a sausage roll: the end result is tempting, but you don’t want to know what goes into it.

First there’s the planning – the bit some people miss but that makes a world of difference. Get that right and you’ll create a book that touches the most important people and supports your business. Skip this step and you can waste months of your life writing the wrong book. Then there’s the small matter of crafting that tome so it engages, inspires and educates your readers. Actually let’s face it, there’s the small matter of writing it at all. And finally, how do you market and promote your book so it sells like hotcakes? How do you get as many copies as possible into the hands of a willing audience, so you build a reputation as the go-to expert in your field?

It presents my solution in a top-line way:

It’s not easy and it never was, but there’s the hard way and there’s the straightforward way. This book makes it straightforward. You’ll learn the secrets of writing the book your readers want, and that speaks to the question they seek an answer to. You’ll also discover how to keep your readers turning the pages – no mean feat with today’s short attention spans. And you’ll find out what simple hooks to use in your writing and marketing so your book does the job it needs to do for your authority: put it in the spotlight.

It then justifies why I have the right to write this book:

I know how to do all this because I’ve written multiple books as a business book ghostwriter (which means I write books for my clients in their voices). I’ve also coached countless business owners through the process of writing and promoting their own books. These people are now the proud owners of shiny new books and equally shiny reputations. I’ve seen with my own eyes how exciting it is to become a published author, and my aim is to help you to achieve the same result. Because I’ve experienced what it takes to put 50,000 words onto the page, and I understand from my coaching clients how easy it can be to let self-doubt, sagging motivation, and sheer lack of time rob you of the dream of becoming an author. Also, I don’t mind admitting that I’ve had to overcome these barriers myself in the course of writing this book!

After that, it outlines how the book is organised content-wise, and finally summarises the benefits the reader will receive and encourages them to get started without delay:

By the end of this book you’ll know what to write about, who to write it for, how to write it, and the best ways to tell everyone you’ve written it. As far as your expertise is concerned, you’ll be the person who ‘wrote the book on it’ – the one who’s asked to give the keynote, chair the panel discussion, contribute to your industry, and help more people. But there’s no time to lose. If you’re keen to see how a book can promote your business and give you the lasting satisfaction of becoming a published author, you need to start straightaway. Let’s get going.

Now that you know the difference between an intro that sells your book and one that sends readers away, you’re ideally placed to write an introduction that makes the difference.

And if you’ve already written your book, you can re-work the introduction if you do a second edition. All is not lost.

If you want learn about becoming the author of a book that your readers love and recommend to others, please get in touch.