As you embark on your growth journey, it may become a distant memory of what it felt like to first step into this process. Currently, you are at the beginning stage of your development. Nevertheless, your commitment to achieving success remains strong.

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Congratulations on establishing your business entity from your book! So, what’s next?

I assume you’ve published your book and set up a website, as this is a vital step in promoting your work. After laying this groundwork, your priority should be to attract fans. This marks the beginning of your journey into entrepreneurship. There is a systematic approach to creating something from nothing.

If you’ve published your book, the people who buy it are your fans. However, whether you chose traditional or self-publishing, direct access to these fans can be tricky. The publishing industry often limits your ability to reach out to your audience.

In both publishing routes, the distributor typically retains the contact information of your book buyers. Their email addresses represent a valuable business asset, and gathering this information independently should be a key goal for your business.

For self-published authors, you can easily start collecting email addresses. Consider adding a brief note at the end of your book, encouraging readers to visit your website for more information: “For more, visit my website at [your website].”

If you’ve published through a traditional press, work on having your website linked on your author page with the publisher, distributor, and any social media platforms where your presence is established. This is a strategic way to begin building your fanbase.

To enhance your online presence, the next step is to share high-quality, relevant content. If you self-publish, your business typically retains ownership of the materials in your book, giving you the freedom to use them as you wish. However, if your book is published through traditional means, you may need to obtain permission before using any of its content due to copyright concerns.

If you’ve opted for traditional publishing, reviewing your contract or consulting with your lawyer to determine your rights regarding content usage is advisable. Should you find restrictions, consider discussing this matter with your literary agent or publisher. If permission is not granted, you can still use your book as inspiration for new content instead of posting direct excerpts online.

Your book is valuable for its quality and relevant information, whether you draw directly from it or create new content inspired by its themes. Producing fresh material could even lead to additional work. Self-published authors can also gain new insights by engaging with their readers, which might lead to significant revisions or the development of an entirely new manuscript.

Choose a theme or topic from your book and create a website article based on it, whether a direct adaptation or an inspired take. If you’re concerned about length, consider writing concise, 1,000-word articles with four to five well-structured sections.

Now that you have a website article, you’ve created a significant asset for your business. To enhance its effectiveness, it’s essential to conclude each section of your article with a relevant image. This practice indicates to search engines that your content is valuable, improving the likelihood of a higher ranking.

Next, consider producing a podcast episode based on your article. Start with a standard introduction, including an engaging hook to capture your listeners’ attention. Then, read through the article and wrap it up with a compelling closing hook. For more details on podcast creation, refer to my other resources.

Additionally, you’ll want to create both long-form and short-form videos. A long-form video should capture the essence of your article in a highly produced format and last just a few minutes. In contrast, multiple short-form videos, each under 59 seconds, can be created based on individual sections of your article, presenting a more casual and relatable style.

Further instructions on producing these video types will be provided separately. Much like writing articles, podcasting and video production are straightforward processes. Be prepared to generate various content, keeping in mind that while it can be rewarding, it may also become repetitive.

After finalizing your podcast and long-form video, incorporate them into your article. Phrases such as “Keep Reading… Or Watch/Listen Instead!” can effectively guide your audience. By including images at the end of each section, your article will offer a rich multimedia experience favored by search engine optimization, enhancing engagement and visibility.

To effectively amplify your reach, start by sharing your article, podcast, long-form video, and short-form videos across all popular social media platforms. This broad approach is essential initially. As your fan base grows, take the time to analyze your analytics or conduct surveys to find out which platforms your audience prefers. At that point, you can focus more on specific communities.

It’s important to remember that your success is not solely tied to the number of followers you accumulate on any given social media platform. Often, follower counts can be misleading and serve as vanity metrics. Instead, aim to collect email addresses from your audience, as this serves as a crucial business asset.

You can effectively engage with your audience through email communications, utilizing the email addresses they willingly provide. The nature of these emails—typically consisting of low-cost offerings and higher-value items—will be discussed in a separate guide. It suffices to know that a typical strategy involves sending a community email cycle of about ten or eleven messages. A more detailed article on establishing this cycle will be available soon. However, it all begins with building a solid fan base.

Once you achieve your goal of attracting fans, the specific number you choose becomes a strategic business decision, leading to a series of rapid developments.

First, it’s essential to conduct a survey of your fans to determine their preferred social media platforms. By identifying where they are most active, you can streamline your efforts and focus on the sites that matter, thus conserving your time and energy.

Next, initiate your automated community email cycle. This series of emails, which will be dispatched over several weeks, should start off simple. As you engage in podcast interviews and interactions with your fans, this communication will naturally evolve and expand.

Additionally, you will begin to shape your product offerings based on insights gathered from your audience. This could initially involve a straightforward 30-day course that you presell to assess interest levels. You might also consider offering paid consultations for fans seeking more in-depth engagement at an accelerated pace.

This stage marks not the conclusion of your business journey but rather the commencement of a new chapter. Future discussions will include the possibility of hiring, such as bringing on a video editor, now that you have clarity on your branding needs.

One day, you may find yourself reminiscing about your early experiences. To preserve these valuable memories, consider maintaining a journal. It serves as an effective tool for documenting your journey. Currently, you are in the initial stages of this process.

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• On Social Media, Where Is the Best Place to Reach Your Fans?

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