As Redbrush celebrates its anniversary, we thought it best to start again at the beginning. One important part of being a writer is to put yourself in the mind of your reader. Knowing what your audience wants to hear and needs to know is a vital part of successful writing.
For business writers, we like to recommend that you imagine the top 20 questions that your reader would ask about the subject. When you remind yourself that the reader doesn’t know what they don’t know, outlining the material you want to share becomes easier.
“I don’t know what I don’t know about publishing.”
We remind ourselves every day that each of you arriving at our site or door has some basic questions that need answers:
- What are my publishing options?
- What’s the smartest way to publish my own book?
- How difficult is it to be my own publisher?
- How many ISBNs do I need? (What’s an “ISBN”?)
- What’s the single most important element in my book’s success?
We anticipate these questions, just as you anticipate questions about your book’s subject and message. Redbrush answers these questions in several different ways, just as you should.
“People take in information in different ways.”
Your audiences—like ours—learn in different ways. You may choose to share your information through printed materials, various online resources, audio files for audiophiles, or direct conversations with individuals or audiences. Follow our lead. Redbrush has done exactly this, too.
Some of your audience still internalizes information best by reading. Redbrush published its own how-to guide, The Compass, in printed, eBook, and audiobook editions to share indie-publishing basics and intermediate information with anyone with a book project. For those needing smaller chunks of information we offer our Roundabout Blog and social media content. Authors are able to get a chunk of helpful information or inspiration every few days to keep nudging them closer to a point of contact or call to action. Redbrush’s staff is on the phone and ready to talk to you. Have questions about what level of editing might be best for you? Curious about how to devise a captivating book cover? Need to know which of the three printing platforms might be best for your needs? Give us a call.
“Where do I start with my project?”
Start at the very beginning. Everyone with a book project or a twinkle in the eye that might become a book project should be able to answer the following questions:
- What do I want say? What’s your message or what do you want to share with readers?
- Who do I want to tell? Clearly identifying your audiences makes it easier to reach them.
- What do I want to accomplish? What is the desired impact you want your book to make. Defining the destination you want to reach will help you get where you want to go.
- What am I afraid of? Knowing what holds you back helps you prepare for doubts and respond to delays.
You can find our posts about all of the questions mentioned above in our Roundabout Blog and in our educational resources. Check out our easy-to-follow road map of publishing steps.
“I can do this.”
Yes, you can. Redbrush offers two paths for aspiring authors to professionally publish their own book. Whether you need a navigator to guide every step of your publishing journey or a first officer to take the wheel and do the heavy lifting--even ghostwriting your content into a compelling, professional book--help is available.
Give us a call. Drop us an email. Let’s get you published in 2016.
Redbrush helps business people, thought leaders, entrepreneurs, and speakers elevate their content and leverage their expertise into professional, published books.
