lystn

Vikrant Shaurya’s journey to the self-publishing world started in an unlikely place: engineering college.  In India, engineering is seen as a respectable profession that can set people up to have a comfortable life. Because his parents wanted him to pursue that field, he enrolled in engineering college. But Shaurya quickly realized that engineering wasn’t for him. One day, he read a book called Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki. This book gave him the courage to drop out of school and pursue a different path. It was the first moment that he felt the power of books. Today, his career revolves around his passion for books and helping others struggling with writing a bestseller. But he discovered this path simply by trying to find ways to make money that involved zero initial investment. That’s when he stumbled upon self-publishing.  Vikrant self-published several books under pen-names which propelled both his finances and his interest in the self-publishing world. From there, he transitioned to helping others share their stories with the world and grow their businesses through coaching. When he realized that he was not only helping people publish books, but also helping readers whose lives may one day change because of these stories, he truly felt like he had found his life’s calling. How Books Can Grow a Business Books, especially writing a bestseller, can transform a personal brand. For example, suppose you are looking to hire a sales expert to help you design a website that will maximize your lead conversion rate. You have a list of ten possible people you could hire. Of those, two are published authors, and of those, one is a bestselling author. In this scenario, you would almost certainly choose the bestselling author to help you with this project. The fact that they wrote a book shows they have expertise in this area, and because it is a bestseller shows that others believe this person is credible. If you are looking to build this instant reputation, writing a book is the way to go. Having a book written sets you apart from others with similar services in the market or industry you’re in. It’s the best way to establish your authority and distinguish yourself from the rest of your competition. While self-publishing may seem daunting, Shaurya has created a platform to make it easier for new and upcoming authors to bring their stories to the world. BestsellingBook.com Writing a bestseller is a big project. The book itself is one thing, but promoting it is quite another. Many people try for years to publish a book, but all the moving parts overwhelm them and they end up not starting at all. Shaurya’s company BestsellingBook.com helps people through this journey, which is defined in three steps. Step 1 - Produce This step is all about creating the manuscript. It involves finding the target readers, researching other books on the market, and discovering what it is that will make your book stand out. This is a process. Many people try to sit down and shell out thousands of words right away - it’s never that simple. Instead, Shaurya encourages people to create a more delineated timeline for themselves to keep them on track and prevent them from losing sight of the end result.  First, people need to lock in the outline, and then work through the story chapter by chapter. Then, there’s the editing, proofreading, and rewriting process, which can take just as much time. Step 2 - Publish After the content of the book is done, there are other tasks that are required for publishing. Creating a cover and interior design for the paperback, kindle copy, and hard copy, as well as the book description, all are taken care of in this step. Ensuring that the book looks good can make it easier to promote later. Step 3 - Profit This is the stage that stumps a lot of people. How do you take a well-written book written by an industry expert, and get it in the hands of interested readers? Marketing, getting good reviews, and making it accessible for purchase all factor into this step. You can also get marketers to help you with this through the services Shaurya’s company offers. How to Write a Bestseller in 90 Days Shaurya’s site has a free checklist that amateur writers and self-publishers can download to guide them through the three pillars of publishing. Seeing all of the steps laid out can simplify the process.  It also comes with a blueprint that goes more in depth for each step in terms of exactly what needs to be done. This is a great option for anyone who doesn’t have the money to engage in consulting services but would still like some guidance to bring their knowledge to market through self-publishing. The Impact of Books For every book that Shaurya’s company helps publish, countless readers’ lives are transformed by those stories. Whether it be a doctor who invented a natural insulin alternative and taught readers about the real impact of insulin on their bodies, or a woman whose daughter suffered a terrible accident and inspired readers to keep fighting their battles. Books have an incredible power to connect people to each other and spread knowledge and positivity.  Tips on How to Write a Bestseller Write a really good book. This seems obvious, but it is the most important step in the entire self-publishing journey. It may be possible to take a mediocre book to the top of the bestseller list, but it will be a lot harder. Package it well. Even though people say not to judge a book by its cover, the truth is everyone does to some degree. A good quality cover and design will make a book seem a lot more authoritative and potential readers more inclined to choose it. Use expertise when you can. As a first-time writer or self-publisher, don’t expect that you’ll know what to do at every turn. Reach out to publishing and marketing experts when necessary. BestsellingBook.com is a great place to start.   For more interviews like this, subscribe to The Jeff Bullas Show on Apple, Spotify, Stitcher, and anywhere else you get your podcasts.