Could a Book About Your Company be Worth $1.7 Billion'

From an article in the Knoxville News Sentinel -- a University of Tennessee professor sent Warren Buffett the self-published autobiography of James Clayton as a gift. Less than 14 days after receiving the self-published book, Buffett contacted CEO Kevin Clayton, (James's son). After only three conversations, Buffett was expressing his interest in purchasing Clayton Homes. Another short two weeks later, the deal was in place.

James Clayton was out of town during some of the talks, and not wanting Buffett's name to be floated around the company's open-air headquarters, he suggested a code name for him: "Mr. Sunshine."

Indeed, he was.

The Ultimate Calling Card

Interested in creating a way to communicate your legacy, build value and credibility, stand out from the crowd, and increase your company's value in the market'

How do you get the word out about your company' How do you let your clients and investors know that you and your company are truly experts at what you do' Believe me when I say the correct answer has nothing to do with traditional sales and marketing techniques. The real answer' Self-publish a book showing off your firm's expertise, distribute it for free your core clients and trade associations, use it as a sales tool in all your prospecting efforts, and sell it anywhere you can--and in the process, hopefully, make your company the ones to turn to when expert information is needed about a topic in your industry.

Your book becomes the ultimate calling card for you and your sales staff. A self published book cuts through all the clutter that your clients receive from dozens of companies just like yours. Cold calls are are a imeless way of creating sales - but wouldn't they be much more effective if you could have created a lasting impression of your credibility and value in advance' Maybe you'd rather keep sending that "full-color" brochure or cheesy calendar.

Your book is far more than just a marketing expense -- but you might find it easier to budget it as part of your existing campaigns. The ultimate cost of producing your book can vary widely, but it will typically be based on the number of pages in the book, its trim size and format (for example paperback or hardcover) and how much assistance you need in publishing a book.

Most often the cost for publishing a book breaks down into two categories -- Publishing Services and Printing Services.

Publishing Services are the services involved in creating the files that go to the printer -- including the design of your interior and cover, any editing or proofreading, the actual composition of the pages, and more. Costs are almost always regardless of page count and depend heavily on the level of editorial assistance needed and the degree of "retail" marketing support you want for your book. Most self-publishing companies include some number of books in their packages.

Printing Services involve the costs you assume when printing additional copies of your book. These costs are completely based upon page count and book format (paperback, hardcover, trim size, and whether or not you have color pages -- most every book comes ......

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