You think it’s tough marketing your own ebook, book or info product – imagine doing a series of book signings, traveling the airports at 7-months pregnant?
That’s just what Heather Armstrong, author of “It Sucked and Then I Cried: How I Had A Baby, a Breakdown, and a Much Needed Margarita” is going through – and just yesterday she appeared on Oprah (albeit by Skype rather than in person) as part of her show on new Moms.
You see, the idea for her last book came with her last child when she decided to tell the world the “other” side of having children.
Most books for new Mom’s (especially those written by men) tend to only look at the positive side of chid rearing – but really anyone who has been a parent knows there are TWO sides to the parenting coin.Â
I know as a father that there is anxiety, worry, stress, anger, frustration and…did I mention worry…all wrapped up in parenting – and that’s only me – the FATHER. Mothers have that time 1o!
I want you to head over and read this brief, but great interview with Heather on how she started publishing her blog which led to her first book (hmm….where have we heard that before?) and on to a star-studded publishing career, fame and ah-hem…fortune, right Heather?
Now – as aspiring authors and information publishers, what can we learn from Heather?
1. Everday life events hold the secret to top selling topics. Heather began with her blog telling tales of her first parenting experience and it caught on – because it is REAL and other people want to know they are not alone, that there are others going through what they are going through. Then came the book – out of experience writing about REAL feelings and REAL stuff, Heather clued into an angle for her book that has made a huge difference in her life.Â
2. Blogging can lead to great book ideas and info product topics. Look, if you aren’t sure about your “angle”, unique value proposition or particular topic, then just start writing – blogs are a great way to build a following, attract some participation from your market and begin to collect information on what they are interested in…that WILL lead to book ideas and topics
3. Heather decided to be somewhat of a contrarian – she saw that most parenting books were skewed toward either theory or a positive representation of the experience when in fact, there are two sides to parenting – well 3 actually – the good, the bad and the ugly. So, she chose to take a unique position in the publishing market and address the bad and the ugly. That sets you apart from your competition – smart thinking!
So – your assignment for today, should you accept the challenge, is to pick a few things from the last 6-months you have gone through in your life that you could write about, here are some examples to get you started:
- A new pet
- Dealing with an ageing parent
- Retirement
- A major career or geographical move
- Taking a year off work
- Being fired (or sorry “let go”)
- Dealing with the trials and tribulations of middle age
- Downsizing your house or lifestyle
- Taking a beating on the stock market and learning from it…
With each of these areas come major lifestyle changes AND you know that hundreds of thousands of others are going through the same thing.
If you are not quite sure what a book, ebook, or membership site on the topic might look like, then start blogging – head over to InfoMarketer’sZone where we can help you with ideas on how to turn information into a business income so you can fulfill your dreams of turning your hobby for writing, blogging or publishing information into a full-time income with just a few hours each day.Â
Just as Heather took a very common life experience and began sharing her information with the world, you can do the same and find you have created your own information publishing business – like it or not!
