• Twitter
  • LinkedIn
(503) 212-0687 | hello@cascadeinsights.com
Cascade Insights
  • Market Research Services
    • Understand Your Customers
      • Key Buying Criteria Research
      • Win-Loss Analysis
      • Buyer’s Journey Mapping
      • Market Segmentation Research
      • Buyer Persona Research
    • Define Your Brand
      • Brand Research
      • Market Opportunity Research
      • New Product Launch Research
      • Message Testing Research
    • Expand Your Market
      • Channel Market Research
      • Go-To-Market Research
      • Competitive Landscape Analysis
  • Marketing Services
    • B2B Marketing Strategy
    • B2B Messaging
    • B2B Content Marketing
    • B2B Sales Enablement
  • Our Blogs
    • B2B Market Research Blog
    • B2B Marketing Blog
  • Resources
    • B2B Revealed Podcast
    • B2B Studies & Resources
  • About Us
    • Our Story
    • Our Clients
    • Client Testimonials
    • Careers
    • Ethics Policy
    • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us
  • Search
  • Menu Menu
Ready to Book It? Probably Not

Ready to Book It? Probably Not

June 6, 2018/in B2B New Product Launch Research, Blog Posts /by Trevor Gilbert
Share this entry
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on LinkedIn
  • Share by Mail

Mistaking a fancy title for thought leadership is a common mistake in the book publishing business. After all, a fancy title does not a good author make.

Apple PodcastsSubscribe to B2B Revealed on Google PlaySubscribe to B2B Revealed on StitcherSubscribe to B2B Revealed on Soundcloud

Writing books on professional topics can be a great marketing strategy or a wasted exercise in ego inflation. Before writing a book, make sure you have something worth saying that people will want to listen to.

In the latest episode of B2B Revealed, Sean Campbell interviewed Caleb Breakey, CEO of Speak It To Book. They discussed the best way to transform your business views into a story worthy of publication.

Building Your Business With a Book

For business leaders and aspiring thought leaders, books need to serve a purpose. It’s highly unlikely that you’ll be able to turn your experience as a B2B sales leader or consultant into a career as a full-time author. Since that’s not a viable path, why write a book?

As Breakey told it, the book should be one piece of a larger funnel. Start by publishing a book for free. It’s much easier to do so these days with the proliferation of eBooks and services like Kindle Unlimited. Next, you need a plan for how you’ll connect with your readers.

“The book is just the start,” said Breakey. “Now, what’s the next step with you? Is it a video series…Are you doing speaking engagements? Do you want to host a retreat for this particular niche?”

The goal isn’t to be a full-time, best-selling author. Instead, the goal is to use the book as a door opener: to conversations with customers, partners, and people interested in your industry.

This planning should happen before any writing — or ghost-writing — begins on the book itself. Once you have the plan for how the book will be used, then it’s safe to begin your investment in writing a book.

“Writing Is So Easy a 10-Year Old Could Do It”

Once they’ve got a plan, many authors foolishly assume they’ll jump into the writing process and wrap it up in a month or two. For example, let’s say a VP of something at a Fortune 100 company for the last five years leaves her role to start a consultancy. To promote the business, she decides to write a book about her experiences in her past role. The book never makes it passed the outline.

Believing a book will come naturally is a common misguided assumption, according to Breakey. In his time helping people turn their book ideas into reality, Breakey has seen far too many Chapter One drafts sitting in a desk drawer, collecting dust.

Writing is harder than it looks, folks. Breakey shared this joke: “There’s a saying that goes around in the writing industry about a writer and a doctor who go out on the golf course. And the doctor says to his writer friend, ‘You wouldn’t believe it, I’m so excited, I’m taking off the summer from my practice to become a writer.’ The writer turns back and says, ‘That’s crazy, because I’m actually taking off this summer to go into brain surgery with you as well.’”

The moral of the story? That writing a book is going to take time, especially for people who are long on industry experience and short on crafting stories.

Imagine Your Audience Standing There — Bored

These words of caution aren’t meant to discourage all would-be authors. Writing is about communicating important ideas, not seeing if you can hit an arbitrary page count. Instead, focus on the value you’re bringing to readers.

To do this, Breakey recommends putting yourself in the shoes of the audience. “Is it giving you value in the first five pages? Check. Great, keep reading. Is the author giving you value in the next 10 pages? Great, check. Keep reading.”

Publish something that delivers value on every page so that you can keep the attention of your audience. If that means your “book” is just a 45-page PDF, that’s fine.

After all, it’s better to leave your audience wanting more than to bore them so badly they don’t want any more from you, ever.

The B2B Revealed Podcast is brought to you by Cascade Insights, a market research firm specializing in B2B technology. Need more B2B expertise in your life? There are many ways to follow us.

Get in touch

  • Cascade Insights will never share your information with third parties. View our privacy policy.
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
  • Bio
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Latest Posts
Trevor Gilbert

Trevor Gilbert

Podcast Producer
Trevor Gilbert

@trevoragilbert

Trevor Gilbert
Trevor Gilbert

Latest posts by Trevor Gilbert (see all)

  • Voice-Centric Marketing - March 8, 2019
  • The Rebel’s Role - February 20, 2019
  • Podcasts and the Trouble with Conversion Optimization - February 19, 2019
  • Bio
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Latest Posts
Sean Campbell

Sean Campbell

CEO
Sean Campbell is the CEO of Cascade Insights, a competitive intelligence and market research firm for B2B technology companies. A 20-year technology veteran, Sean oversees the health of the firm, drives the company’s thought leadership efforts and maintains relationships with key clients.
Sean Campbell

@sean_campbell

Sean Campbell
Sean Campbell

Latest posts by Sean Campbell (see all)

  • 5 Risks of Conducting Your Own B2B Buyer Persona Research - April 8, 2021
  • Mistakes B2B Marketers Make Without Buyer Personas - March 19, 2021
  • B2B Sales Enablement Strategy: Shorter Proposals Win - November 25, 2020
Tags: B2B, B2B market research, B2B marketing, B2B Revealed, B2B Revealed Podcast, books, Caleb Breakey, ghostwriting, marketing, podcast, publishing, Sean Campbell, Speak It To Book, thought leadership, writing
Share this entry
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on LinkedIn
  • Share by Mail
You might also like
In Defense of Women in Tech In Defense of Women In Tech
Thumb-Stopper Creative | B2B Creative Thumb-Stopper Creative
Data's Cold Embrace Data’s Cold Embrace
Stall Points and Market Assumptions Are Your Market Assumptions Still True?
B2B Sales Strategy B2B Sales Strategy: Plan Before the Rain
The Answer Is Still No | Key Account Management The Answer is Still No
Your Favorite B2B Posts of 2017
B2B Market Segmentation Research Customer Insights: You Need More Than Market Segmentation Data

GET IN TOUCH

hello@cascadeinsights.com

(503) 898-0004

WHAT WE DO

Market Research Services
Marketing Services
Subscribeto RSS Feed

Blog Categories

  • B2B Buyer Persona Research
  • B2B Channel Market Research
  • B2B Churn Analysis
  • B2B Competitive Landscape Analysis
  • B2B Customer Experience Research
  • B2B Customer Journey Mapping
  • B2B Go-To-Market Research
  • B2B Market Opportunity Research
  • B2B Market Research Blog
  • B2B Market Segmentation Research
  • B2B Marketing Blog
    • Uncategorized
  • B2B Messaging
  • B2B New Product Launch Research
  • B2B Thought Leadership
  • B2B Usability Testing
  • Brand Research
  • Concept Testing
  • Content Marketing
  • Data-Driven Marketing Research
  • Jobs-To-Be-Done
  • Key Buying Criteria
  • Marketing Enablement
  • Marketing Strategy
  • Message Testing Research
  • Product/Service Research
  • Sales Enablement Marketing
  • Sales Enablement Research
  • Win/Loss Analysis

Written by

Trevor Gilbert
Sean Campbell

Recent Posts

  • Podcasts and the Trouble with Conversion Optimization
  • Marketing Madness: Chasing Viral Dreams
  • Creative Teams Need a Reliable Protector
  • Boardroom Diplomacy: Marketing Needs Allies
  • Hire Better: Know Your Team’s Core Values

Connect With Us

503.212.0687

hello@cascadeinsights.com

  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

B2B Market Research

  • — Competitive Landscape Analysis
  • — Product / Service Launches
  • — Market Opportunity Research
  • — Channel / Market Research
  • — Message Testing Research
  • — Customer Journey Mapping
  • — Market Segmentation Research
  • — Key Buying Criteria Research
  • — Win / Loss Analysis
  • — Brand Research
  • — Go-to-Market Research
  • — Buyer Persona Research

B2B Marketing Services

  • — B2B Marketing Strategy
  • — B2B Messaging Services
  • — B2B Content Marketing
  • — B2B Sales Enablement

About Us

  • — Our Story
  • — Our Clients
  • — Client Testimonials
  • — Careers
  • — Ethics Policy
  • — Privacy Policy

Blogs

  • — B2B Market Research Blog
  • — B2B Marketing Blog
  • — Cascade Insights Blog

B2B Revealed Podcast


B2B is a complex and challenging field, but most of all, it is fascinating. Join Sean Campbell, CEO of Cascade Insights, as he shares over 20 years of experience in the B2B market.

Hire Better: Know Your Team’s Core Values Hire Better: Know Your Team's Core Values Marketing Madness: Chasing Viral Dreams Marketing Madness: Chasing Viral Dreams
Scroll to top