As today is launch day for my new book ‘How to launch a creative business in 12 weeks’, I thought I would give you a behind the scenes account of how I decided to write it, the purpose behind it, and give you some tips how you might like to write your own book for your own niche.

Why and What

I decided to write the book for a number of reasons:

1. I have worked with coaching, branding and photography clients lately, all who were either creating a new business or relaunching an existing one. The same questions kept on coming up time and again, how do I structure the business, when and how should I decide it’s look and feel, what website platforms should I use, how should I market it, what photography do I need, what logo should I get… and so on. The sheer overwhelm people feel when they have decided to start charging for their creative outlets often prevents them from taking the leap altogether. I decided I really wanted to help people at least get the basics in place with an easy to follow formula that addresses all the key milestone a new business should encounter. To cut through the overwhelm and make it accessible and straightforward.

2. To let people try out my advice and knowledge basis without having to invest the larger sums my full services require. New businesses often have small budgets, and whilst employing me as a coach, photographer or branding expert is a quicker route to success, it is obviously a decision that needs careful thought. This book seeks to reassure those of you on the fence about engaging me on a deeper level to help support your business, and give you a proper idea of what I am like to work with and the benefits of having someone on your side that has been through it all before and can help you avoid the pitfalls.

3. I love helping other entrepreneurs - it’s a simple reason but the best of them all. I genuinely adore supporting people who I connect with creatively. Working together and seeing you succeed is honestly one of my greatest passions and why I love my work as much as I do.

   
   

HOW

So how did I decide what to write my book about? Well as I mentioned above it has been a core part of why my existing clients have come to me over the last few years. Writing a book based on your common experiences and struggles is a great starting point. Look at your FAQs - if people are always asking something, why not give them a full in depth answer in the form of a book?

Once I decided what my book was going to be about I then needed to structure the content. I created the main chapter titles and the subheadings within that. I then just grabbed a notebook and pen and started scribbling down all my ideas (yes I’m old school, I couldn’t do it straight to screen!). Once I had fleshed out the core messages I started typing it up, expanding where necessary and creating key take ways and checklists for each chapter.

Then I needed to decide how to present it. I’m an avid user of Canva so hopped onto Creative Market and started looking for templates that fit with my style and the sort of length I wanted. I then customised the template with my brand colours and fonts and made sure ti all looked neat and tidy, and most importantly well laid out and easy to read.

The next stage was to do a mini photoshoot for images not only for the book itself, but also for promoting the book once it was finished. A huge thank you goes out to my daughter for being a hand model for me once again, as well as Loanda Flowers for supplying me with the most beautiful stems from the cutting patch.

Next I needed some reviewers to test the book for me and ensure that it was everything I hoped it would be - I asked on social media for some people to apply and using Survey Monkey created a questionnaire that allowed me to select those who I felt would be the ideal clients in the real world once the book launched and were so best suited to reviewing the book for me. Once the book draft had been sent out I created another survey to gather feedback on the book itself (from everything to the imagery, cover, title and content as well as for any mistakes). I then fed the results of the survey into revising the content and correcting the errors. It was a fabulous way to ensure the book was the very best it could be, and I’m extremely grateful to everyone that helped with their useful critique. They of course received a free copy of the final book by way of a thank you.

THE FUTURE

I’m absolutely thrilled to launch the book today and hope it will help many people take the leap into creative entrepreneurialism - you can get your copy now! And do let me know what you think about it, I will no doubt revise and update each year.