Creating a book?

[Andy Black]

I had a chat with @Readerly. We’re shelving the project for a couple of reasons:

1) He’s focusing on his business, and finishing off his own fiction book.

2) I’d rather create courses, and engage the market quicker with content I can chop and change as I test how it helps people.

By publishing content on a site or YouTube I can run ads for keywords that I think my content can help people with. I can send people to a page with content that can help them, and provide a content upgrade (lead magnet) so I get their contact details if they want more. I can set one of these up daily once I figure out the software, and the speed and immediacy appeals.

Also, if I see a book for $40 I instantly think it’s expensive. If I see a course for $40 I instantly think it’s cheap.

What I’ve noticed recently, even in the forum, is how much more comfortable people are buying courses online. A case in point is masterclass dot com that has a lot of people signing up from the forum. That’s $200/year, and seems a no-brainier to those that signup.

I’m not saying don’t write fiction of course. @Readerly has loved writing for decades and has an itch he can’t scratch.

For me, writing a book isn’t an itch I can’t scratch. Creating content daily is.

 

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[BellaPippin]

Noooo I just discovered this and I was ready to ask for the pre-order! Ever heard of "plant a tree, have a son, write a book"? Write a book! No video course replaces the experience of reading a nice book. I was also gonna say format it like those that have a nice one pager quote neatly design every now and then And that I'll make you a nice illustration for the cover if you want <3

 

[Andy Black]

Noooo I just discovered this and I was ready to ask for the pre-order! Ever heard of "plant a tree, have a son, write a book"? Write a book! No video course replaces the experience of reading a nice book. I was also gonna say format it like those that have a nice one pager quote neatly design every now and then And that I'll make you a nice illustration for the cover if you want <3

Ah, thanks @BellaPippin.

I think I’ll be in a better position to get a book created later. For now I’ll focus on getting posts polished, categorised and published on a website, or to email sequences.

This idea of “creating a book” is too daunting to me. That’s not how I work, and it’s not my philosophy for getting things done either. Instead, I’ll keep chipping away daily and figure out how to get paid and profitable sooner.

 

[IlseVdG]

Hi Andy
Just wanted to let you know: the courses on writing in Masterclass are superb. It's not to convince you to write A BOOK , but if you would anytime suscribe to masterclass, I would recommend you to take a peak to these courses. It's so fun, inspiring! To me, it's useful for writing in general. But then of course, I'm a newbe

 

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[Consolation]

Favourite quotes/one-liners.
(I'll attribute them later on. Some are mine, most aren't.)

People refer you if you turn up on time, have manners, do what you say you’re going to do (or let people know if things slip), and you’re competent. (Dan Sullivan)

Your market is a demonstrated cashflow, not a demographic.

You can go slower than you think.

Spend your money on diesel and coffee.

You're selling the wrong product.

Never worry about numbers. Help one person at a time and always start with the person nearest to you.

Who already has your customers?

You can complete a project by dropping it.

Show, Don't Tell.

The person who'll run with the ball is the person who catches it.

People listen to experts, they follow leaders.

Tell me what you've done and I'll tell you who you are.

Landing pages don't convert. People do.

You don't learn until you launch.

You can't steer a parked car.

Money can't be in two places at once.

Help the people in motion.

Money is proof you helped your fellow man.

You can't invoice for input.

I am enough. Because I say I am.

Good things happen when you move at pace.

Sales is a screening process.

Find out asap if the person in front of you sees the value in what you do, or just the cost.

The most important formula in business is R+R=Profit.

Time management is a myth. It’s all about prioritisation.

A project managers job is to pass a test.

It’s the job of the business owner to ask good questions, and get someone else to answer them.

Your lack of planning is not my emergency.

You have to eliminate to focus.

Pick a direction. Get started. Keep going.

You can get money from customers or investors, but not both.

You can get money from customers or investors, but not both

Hell yeah, or no.

If it’s not a hit, switch.

If you can make it free then you can vaporize your competitors’ business model.

What will you do to make a sale this week?

You don’t need a website, you need sales.

They’re not clicks, they’re visitors.

If you’re calling it traffic then you still don’t get it.

There are no f*cking secrets.

If it’s not a B2B play then it’s a B2C play.

The biggest lie is that it’s not that simple. It is that simple.

What if you already know enough?

You don’t need to be on any lists brother, it’s already within you.

Who can you help?

Business is simple. Add value. Get paid.

If money was no object, what work would you be doing? What’s stopping you?

Don’t automate too soon. Welcome the high friction, it sharpens your sword.

Engage the market in hand-to-hand combat.

Talk To People FFS.

Move faster dammit.

I am speeed.

If you’re providing a marketing service then your clients don’t pay you, their customers do.

Your infrastructure needs People, Processes, and Technology, in that order.

Learn the skill. Sell the skill. Scale the skill.

Yes, but.

Overthinking is the art of solving problems you don’t already have.

Hurdles are stepping stones in disguise.

If you’re not encountering new problems then you’re stuck.

There are a million different ways how. Don’t ask how. Focus on what needs done and why.

Ask better questions.

Ask a silly question, get a silly answer.

If you’ve nothing nice to say, say nothing.

20% will pay 4 times as much.

80/20 squared is 64/4. Which 4% of your customers accounts for 64% of your profits?

I’m doing it anyway.

Stop asking for permission. Just f*cking do it already.

I’ll show you how. I’ll work with you. I’ll do it for you. I’m doing it anyway. I’ve already done it, so you want it or not?

Sales happen when the right people get to the right offer at the right time.

What’s better than low hanging fruit?

Are they searching with a cup of coffee in their hand, or their phone and credit card?

Feed the starving crowd.

Darken the page.

Figure it out.

If your still talking about the same thing a month later, then you’re a wantrapreneur.

Find out if it’s got legs, or needs a bullet.

The internet is just one big lead generation machine.

Consider product-founder fit.

Your About You page should be about them.

Everyone’s tuned to WiiFM.

Are you an action-taker or course-taker?

Wisdom is earned.

Stop trying to impress an invisible board of MBAs.

You can have anything you want in life if you help others get what they want.

You have to give to receive.

If you complete the transaction then it won’t come back to you in other ways.

Give thanks.

Talk to everyone.

Enjoy the journey.

You can’t break tackles at marathon pace.

Are they street-smart?

Be wary when someone tells you how great you are and how much they look forward to working with you. You’re being set up.

How you do anything is how you do anything.

They aren’t a customer till they have a custom of buying from you.

If you want to move fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go in a team.

If your only growth strategy is to increase prices then you’re a consultant, not an entrepreneur.

The fun is in the squiggly bits on the map.

A stream with no rocks is a stream with no song.

It’s all part of the rich tapestry of life.

Keep moving.

Woohoo it’s Monday! It’s like New Years Day every week.

Woohoo, one in a row!

Don’t make them think.

Go on the B of Bang.

If your comfortable you’re not moving fast enough.

Procrastination stops you starting. Perfectionism stops you finishing. Both are fear of shipping.

Ship.

Stop looking where you’re going. Look where you want to go.

Keep doing the right thing and the results will follow.

Nothing’s so f*cked up you can’t f*ck it up more.

It’s not really repeatable until someone else can do it.

Stop building stuff.

Business is about building relationships.

Dump it. Delegate it. Defer it. Do it.

It’s not about what *you* want.

Be wary of people who say “you need to”.

Want to be known as The XYZ Guy? Help people with XYZ.

Stop asking people to PM you FFS.

Be so good they can’t ignore you.

Catch them when they’re good.

Praise in public. Criticise in private.

It’s my fault.

Stop following the herd if you want to see less arseholes and smell less BS.

The lad who washed your windows didn’t need an MBA, a business plan, or a website.

If no-one’s paying you then you don’t have a business, you have a hobby.

The person who speaks first loses.

The single most important skill an entrepreneur can have is to control the silence.

State your price then STFU.

It’s the extra twist that makes all the difference.

Sometimes a problem shared is two people with the same problem.

Who’s got my money?

In a two sided marketplace, start by getting the people who want to give their money away.

Fulfill demand that’s already there before generating more demand.

If everyone’s selling shovels then who’s left to dig for gold?

Not everyone who can do can teach. Teaching is a skill itself.

When you give a few books away it leaves space for new books to come in.

“I don’t have time” is a polite way of saying it’s not as important as what I’m doing right now.

Be curious, not furious.

Be the type of person people want to buy from.

Whenever I searched the forum and I found your name, I will always say:

"Meh, Andy's posts/threads is oversimplified and one liner all the time".

Time passed and my knowledge increased, I realized your 'oversimplified' and 'one liner' are the most valuable thing ever.

THANK YOU SO MUCH!

 

[Andy Black]

Whenever I searched the forum and I found your name, I will always say:

"Meh, Andy's posts/threads is oversimplified and one liner all the time".

Time passed and my knowledge increased, I realized your 'oversimplified' and 'one liner' are the most valuable thing ever.

THANK YOU SO MUCH!

Interesting. I had no idea people might think my posts were oversimplified.

I consider simplified a compliment. Thanks for your comment!