YOU'RE PUBLISHED ... NOW WHAT?

Well, you did it! You published your book!

You may have a best-seller, or you may be working to get more books out to the masses. Either way, you attained a great accomplishment. So, what now?

There are many options to choose from that you may have considered but have not acted on just yet. This time of year, December through January, is a great time to think about your next moves and re-evaluate those options.

If you are not ready to write a new book, start planning your book’s birthday party! You know the day it was released!

There are several ways to do this. Some you may have already done; some you may have considered. Others may be a completely new thought but here are some options.

The first is to create a course based on your book that releases the same day as your book’s anniversary. Maybe offer a deal on the book when they purchase your course. You may be thinking that creating a course is really hard, but in all actuality, it isn’t. You have a great stating point in that you already have quite a bit of content—your book. All that you need to do is figure out how you are going to present it as a course and on which platform. Take the time to research and find the platform that works best with your topic. Not all course platforms are the same, so be diligent. Also, if you are unsure of how to create a course, some of the platforms will actually walk you through the entire process. Find one that works for you and create that course. Creating the course and promoting both the book and the course will give the book new traction and create new sales of the book and the course.

If you don’t want to go it alone, I have a colleague who does amazing work in the online course building space that I’m happy to introduce you to.  She’ll take good care of you.  Just let me know.

But maybe you’re not ready for a course, or you’re not sure how a course will look; however, you love doing interviews. No problem. Start booking your interview and conference presentations around the original release date/anniversary of your book. Sure, you can always do interviews, but really book yourself around that release date and pump up the book reminding people that it was release on that upcoming day or a day that just passed. Think of it as an anniversary to celebrate and share it in interviews, at conferences, and whenever you’re networking.  Check out this post for more on getting you and your book in the media.

Another option, especially if you have more to say on the topic or if you have something you want to say on another topic, is to write another book and become an author of multiple books! You already have the action plan in place from taking the steps to write the first book. You even already have experience with the publishing process. Start prepping now for the next big bestseller.  Try to work the process so that this new book releases about the same time as the previous book. Then market them together, especially if it is a continuation or next level type of topic.

There are lots of ways to keep the ball rolling and grow your audience. You just have to decide which option to chose or create a new option. Maybe write a new book and go to new conferences. Maybe start your own podcast. The options are endless now that you are an author. The important thing to remember is that no matter what you decided, you did something that many people only dream of. You are a published author, and you are only getting started.