High-Trust Business Podcast

You've got your book written. Now comes the format decision that most people mess up completely.

Print, Kindle, or PDF? The answer isn't about personal preference or what feels "real" to you. It's about how you're planning to use your book to start conversations with the right people.

Kindle might seem like the obvious choice because of Amazon's reach. But if you can't get those readers to identify themselves, you're building someone else's audience. Print books work great for speaking events but they're expensive to ship. PDFs give you complete control but feel less substantial.

The smart play? Start with how you want to use your book, then work backward to the format. If you're speaking at events, print makes sense. If you're running ads to drive leads, PDF wins. If you want Amazon traffic and have a solid follow-up system, Kindle could work.

There's no universal right answer, but there's definitely a right answer for your specific situation.

Show notes: https://mrstuartbell.com/podcasts/htb/064-kindle-vs-print/

Is Your Book Ready to Collect Leads? — Most books sit on a shelf. This scorecard shows you if yours is set up to start conversations and bring in clients. Take the Scorecard

There are a few traps that can catch you out, even after you've created the content for your book. The biggest one - endless editing.

After years of experience, we know the biggest challenge people face is letting go and getting their book out their, in front of people. The temptation to edit, and tweak, and edit some more can be overwhelming. Months can pass and you still don't have anything to share.

The good news is, you don't need to do that! If your book is being used identify new customers, if you're giving it away as a way to start a conversation, then 90% and out, is much better than waiting to get to 100% (which, by the way is an illusion), and sat on the shelf.

Remember, your book is not the product, and in today's show we talk about some of the common editing traps people fall into, and how to recognize them.

One of the issues is keeping your 'beneficial constraints' in mind, so we wrap up by talking about the right time to create a second book.

This is a great show to keep you moving toward the end of the process.

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You've got your content down. You know what you want to say. But somehow, six months later, you're still tweaking sentences and second-guessing word choices while your book sits unpublished.

After more than 1,200 books, I can tell you the biggest trap isn't creating content. It's the endless editing cycle that keeps perfectly good books from ever reaching readers. You'll convince yourself it needs just one more pass, one more polish, one more professional look.

Your book isn't your product. It's your conversation starter. When you remember that, the pressure to make every sentence perfect disappears. You'll hear exactly how to spot the editing traps that keep authors stuck, why your beneficial constraints matter more than perfect prose, and when it actually makes sense to write that second book.

This one keeps you moving toward the finish line instead of circling back to chapter one.

Show notes: https://mrstuartbell.com/podcasts/htb/063-avoiding-the-edit-trap/

Your Book Is Closer Than You Think — You already say everything that needs to be in your book. 90-Minute Books turns it into a done-for-you lead generation tool. Get the Free Book

Deciding what to include in your book can be mean more than just the words.

All too often we talk to people bogged down trying to include images, charts, checklists, and screenshots in their book.

As with everything, there is a right way and a wrong way to approach this, so in today’s show we’re taking a little time to talk about the pros and cons of including images.

We’ll look at the constraints you need to be aware of, some tips to better use the additional information you’re trying to include, and the best way to think about the context in which your book will be read.

The aim, as always, is to help you get your best book out there as fast as possible, without getting caught up in all the image pitfalls.

And… we finish off the show with a quick look at the outlining tools we use to map out our content

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You're writing your book and wondering whether to include charts, screenshots, checklists, or infographics. Smart question, because there's a huge difference between images that help and images that hurt.

After working on more than 1,200 books, I've seen people get completely stuck trying to perfect their visuals. They spend months tweaking charts that three people will actually look at. Meanwhile, their book sits unfinished.

I'll walk you through the real constraints you're dealing with, when images actually add value, and how to think about context. Your book needs to work whether someone's reading the Kindle version on their phone or flipping through a printed copy.

You'll also hear about the simple outlining tools we use to map out content without getting lost in the weeds. Because the goal isn't to create the most visually impressive book. It's to get your best thinking out there as fast as possible.

Show notes: https://mrstuartbell.com/podcasts/htb/062-images-in-your-book/

30 Strategies to Build Your Business with a Book — The playbook behind 1,200+ books that start conversations and bring in clients. Yours free. Get a Free Copy

We know your book is the best way to start a conversation. A way to identify invisible prospects from all the people out there who could be customers.

But rather than offering it to everyone, there are ways to improve your results by offering it to those who are already predisposed to want to do business with you.

The great news is, this approach can benefit everyone. Not just you, but the people you’re working with, and their customers.

Today on the Book More Show we’re talking about working with others to add more value to their customers, and at the same time, giving you the opportunity to spread your message, and introduce your solution to people who are already in the market for whatever it is you offer.

Working with complimentary, non-competing businesses is one of the best ways to identify that group of customers, one step removed from your current sphere of influence.

By taking a couple of extra steps to orchestrate that referral process, you can ensure the best chance of a new, relevant, potential customer hearing about you in a way that starts the conversation in a great way.

We also talked about ways to work with others to create your book in the first place.

This is a great show, especially if you operate in a geographical area where you have connections, or have built relationships online already.

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Your book isn't meant for everyone. It's meant for people who are ready to buy what you're selling.

The problem? Most people treat their book like a billboard, trying to reach anyone and everyone. But there's a smarter way. Partner with businesses that serve the same customers you do, just at a different stage.

We're talking about real orchestration here. Not just hoping someone mentions your book. Specific ways to structure these partnerships so both businesses win, their customers get more value, and you get introduced to people who are already predisposed to need your solution.

This works whether you're local with face-to-face relationships or building connections online. You'll also hear how to collaborate on creating the book itself when it makes sense.

Show notes: https://mrstuartbell.com/podcasts/htb/061-working-with-others/

Your Book Is Closer Than You Think — You already say everything that needs to be in your book. 90-Minute Books turns it into a done-for-you lead generation tool. Get the Free Book

We've talked recently about the different ways you can identify new customers once your book is finish, and one common theme across these approaches is email.

No matter how you get in front of people, at some point it probably involves sending them a message.

In today’s show we look at 2 ways you can make the most of the messages you send; your Super Signature, and following up with a SPEAR email to move the conversation forward.

No matter what business you're in, the aim of your book is to start a conversation with a potential customer, and your emails are the best way to develop the relationship while giving people the opportunity to move to the next stage. To take that minimum viable commitment step toward doing business with you.

There are some great ideas in this show, things you can implement today, and you can grab a copy of the Email Mastery book from EmailMastery.com to up your email game even further.

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Every email you send is a missed opportunity if you're not thinking strategically about it. You're already writing to prospects, clients, and contacts. Why not make those messages work harder?

This episode breaks down two tactics you can implement today: the super signature and SPEAR follow-up emails. Your super signature turns every routine message into a soft marketing tool. The SPEAR method gives you a framework for following up that moves conversations forward instead of just checking in.

You'll get specific examples of how to craft signatures that don't feel pushy but do generate interest. Plus a step-by-step approach to follow-ups that actually get responses.

Whether you're terrible at follow-up or just want to make your existing emails more effective, these are changes you can make immediately.

Show notes: https://mrstuartbell.com/podcasts/htb/060-your-super-signature/

Is Your Book Ready to Collect Leads? — Most books sit on a shelf. This scorecard shows you if yours is set up to start conversations and bring in clients. Take the Scorecard

The biggest benefit of having your book, is... having your book!

It may sound obvious, but it's easy to forget about all the different ways you can use it when you're caught up in creating it.

Once it's finished, it becomes the flagship asset, the 'thing' you can offer, reference, and refer people to, in many different campaigns.

That's what we're talking about in today’s show as we take an hour to talk with Focus James.

Focus has just finished her book ‘How to Have a Healthy Love Affair' and with a speaking event coming up in the next few weeks, we look at all the ways she can use her new book to amplify her message, compel the audience to take the next step, and get into a conversation with all the people who are interested, but not quite ready today.

Focus has a model, a framework to help people, a passion to share her knowledge, and now has her book, her manifesto to help spread the word and identify all the invisible prospects... people she can help and would love to work with her.

This is a great show, and another opportunity to create ideas for a real-world example.

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Questions/Feedback: Send us an email