YOU HAVE A COURSE ... NOW MAKE IT A BOOK!

If you have been online for a while, maybe your course has stalled with new enrollments, and you want to give it a new and improved, updated look. Now is the time to not only update the course but to also use the course content to write a book based on the course. Yes, you read that correctly. You have the content. It’s time to use it for maximum impact.

But so many online teachers forget (or don’t even think about the fact) they have the ability to sell the content in book form. And for every month you don’t think about it and take action, you essentially lose money.

Update the course, and at the same time, modify each unit of the course so it can be used as a chapter in a book. And here’s the cool part: when you re-release your course, you can offer a discount code in the course to purchase the book. Once the book is published, you can offer a discount code in the back of the book for the course. Did you see that? The thing is you will have so people whose first inclination is to read a book before they will purchase a course and yet others who will purchase a course before they will consider purchasing a book. When you offer both, you cast a wider net. Have the re-release date of the course and the release date of the book on the same day. That way, you can promote both in your marketing efforts and get more bang for your advertising buck.

So, that seems pretty easy, right? But why would someone who just released a course immediately change it just because they want to write a book?

The truth is you don’t have to.

Just take the content from the course and reformat it, updating language and making it more cohesive for readers, then turn it into a book. You can add a quick snippet at the end of the course to tell the students about the book once it is released, but it is not that important yet. Focus mainly on getting the book published, then you can add info about the book to the course description. 

If you ever go in and change the content of the course, you’ll want to update the book too, but when just starting out, it is not that big of an issue. Just put the information for the course in the back of the book.

The important factor in either scenario is the marketing aspect. When you have more than one platform for your information, you will reach more people in your specific audience. We touched on this earlier … let’s explore it more.

For example, some people want to read the book, highlight passages, and take notes in margins. That is how they learn.

However, some people like to hear lectures and see visuals of a course. They may take notes on paper or a different device, but they want and need the auditory and visuals to learn.

Then, you will have the people who want to hear and see everything in the course but who also want to read the book when they are away from the computer or to enhance their understanding more. They enjoy and want the best of both worlds and will pay for both.

The fact is that having an online class is only a part of making money from your expertise. Having the book to go along with the course can help add revenue to your monthly baseline and let you reach more people in your audience.

Now, how do you turn the course content into a book?

There are many ways to do this, but here is a quick look at how to do this.

1.    Move the content to a transcribed file. You likely have notes you worked from or maybe a transcript that you provide on the teaching platform. This is the basis of your book, so get it into a Word or Google Doc format.

2.    Change each unit from “unit” to “chapter.”

3.    Add any tables or graphs in the chapters—just pull them from the course.

4.    Now read each chapter and rework it from a speaking presentation to a reading presentation.

a.    Remember that you have visuals and emotion in your voice when giving an oral presentation. You do not have this in written words.

b.    Remove all jokes/sarcasm and such. Be very detailed without being obnoxiously detailed. Find a happy medium.

5.    Have people you trust to tell you the truth about gaps in the information or have the content go through a developmental editing process.

a.    The developmental edit will help you find the areas that need more detail. (Don’t underestimate the value and importance of editing. If you need developmental editing, reach out to BMcTALKS Press. We can get you squared away.)

b.    Remember, you know this content better than a lot of your readers, so you may assume they know something they don’t. The developmental edit helps you find these areas and fix them so you get excellent reviews.

6.    Revise and have the manuscript edited professionally and then professionally proofread. (Again, if you work with BMcTALKS Press, we take care of editing and proofreading for you.)

7.    Now you are ready to either query agents or self-publish, or work with a publishing company to get your book out on the market.

Never query an agent with a draft manuscript. You won’t get far. Always provide them a copy of the manuscript that you would self-publish with pride. This is how you get an agent, but more about that in another blog.

Now, set up your writing schedule. Give yourself time every week to work on this until you are done, and the manuscript is ready. Then open the new revenue outlet so you can start working on the next class and book combo.

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Content credit: C. Storm

Image credit: Lacie Slezak