Just like most things that are a labor of love, it takes a village. A book is no different. Of course, you can get support from folks like editors, publishers, designers, coaches, and ghostwriters. There’s also the obvious tribe of your family and friends. But I’m talking about a different sector of your village of support: experts and anecdotes.
Just as you can have others support you throughout the process, you can have others support you with the content. It actually adds a nice variety to your book. What do I mean by this?
While the concept, premise, and the bulk of the content of your book will be originated by you and focus on your own experiences, you can supplement your stories and knowledge with those of others. It helps support the points you’re trying to make by showing proof from others, and it adds a little variety for the reader.
(Of course, when doing this, it’s of the utmost importance to give credit where credit is due and to go about this properly and within reason)
There are a variety of ways that you can get this support in your book to varying degrees, so let’s talk about it.
Research
The easiest way to add support from others is by doing research. You can look up statistical studies, case studies, or whatever other type of information might help support your content. You can then cite your research from where you found this information to give appropriate credit where credit is due.
This is a great use of support because it is easily accessible in the age of the internet and helps show proof of instances or statistics that back up your own expertise. This helps to add credibility to any arguments that you are making throughout your book.
This is a way to access highly regarded sources of information for your book without having to directly interact with them, such as the Federal Reserve Bank data, Harvard Business Review, etc.
Case Studies
Case studies are a great way to get more stories into the mix of your book without having to use all of your own direct experiences. Case studies can be formal case studies that you research, or they can be more anecdotal in nature from connections you have or industry experts you’d love to hear from.
Any case study is powerful, but it is particularly powerful if you can share case studies from your sphere of influence. For example, if you’re a coach or consultant, tell a success story about a client. If you’re a business, tell a success story about the strategy you’re speaking about and how that played out.
Case studies are also super flexible. If your book has more of a technical tone to it, your case studies can easily align with a technical tone. If your book has more of an emotional, informal tone, then the case studies can easily be told more like a regular, engaging story.
Of course, case studies that are researched should be cited, but it’s also important to give credit where credit is due when talking about anecdotal case studies. On the flip side, if you need to anonymize any part of the case study, make sure to be aware of that as well. This might be necessary when talking about clients or sensitive data points.
Expert Insights
The most time and energy-intensive but potentially one of the most impactful ways to support your points in your book is to receive expert insights. You can ask others in your field to weigh in on the topic of your book.
These may be connections and acquaintances you are familiar with. But you can also reach out to aspirational connections and see if they are willing to weigh in on your book. If they are a big supporter of what you are advocating for, they may be willing to chime in.
This provides social proof as to what you are advocating for, and it shows the social proof directly from experts, not from more distant layers or research. The added bonus is that it allows you to interact and collaborate in new and exciting ways with other experts in your field, which has the potential to open up new opportunities.
If you’re interested in adding a ghostwriter or coach as a member of your book-writing tribe, let’s chat! Book a free strategy session using the button below.
Disclaimer: This blog should not be construed as providing, or intending to provide professional financial, legal, psychological, or other professional advice. It is simply meant to share my experiences with those who may find them relatable and helpful.