The Power of Using Books As Brochures

When the well known author Robert Kiyosaki (“Rich Dad. Poor Dad”) asked an audience to identify what he was holding in his hand the audience replied, “a book”, “your book”, “a copy of your latest Rich Dad book” but none of the answers seemed to satisfy him.

As the audience continued to scream out variations of their previous answers, Kiyosaki finally put the anxious crowd out of their wondering by simply responding, “it’s my brochure.”

What an interesting concept, a book as a brochure. Most often we think of brochures as brightly colored glossy pieces of paper full of a companies details and maybe a well masked sales pitch. But to think of a book as a brochure, that might be a bit of a stretch.

Or maybe not.

Think of it from Rich Dad’s perspective, a copy of his hugely popular series of books cost an average of $12 to $15 each, while access to one of his live events starts at $150 and upwards of $1500 for his live weekend real estate, success and wealth building workshops.

Following that logic, wouldn’t it benefit him to use the book as a brochure to let readers know about his other products, services and seminars? Of course it would. For just under $20 he can deliver information, insight and advice on a something that you (and a large portion of the population) have proven you want…the secret to being wealthy.

Understanding that few people will actually be able to change their financial state by solely reading a book, Kiyosaki offers a way for would be “Rich Dads” (and Moms) to continue learning and increasing their chances of making their dreams reality by exposing them to live events where he and a team of advisors bring the principles of the books to life.

Sure, Kiyosaki could have told the world about his wealth building techniques through a glossy full color brochure (and he has) but a decidedly more effective way to get people to read your message and leave them wanting more is through a book.

Now are you starting to see how a book can be a brochure? It’s a virtual open door to more profit, exposure and credibility as an author, speaker and coach. Using your book as a brochure is a great spin on an already useful and highly perceived item. It’s profitable and practical.

Here’s another way to think of it. Your book costs approximately $1 to $3 per copy to print (assuming you’re using the POD method), you sell the book for $12 to $15 each, yielding a profit of approximately $9 to $12 per copy. That in itself is pretty impressive.

Now consider the cost of printing a brochure, ad, flyer or other promotional piece to tell potential customers about your book. The printing costs are almost the same, but unlike a book, a brochure cannot be sold for a profit, instead it’s given away with the hope that the reader will be compelled enough to purchase your book.

OK, so which scenario works better for you?

#1. Write a book, print it very inexpensively, fill it with lots of information that is useful and can help people reach their goals and sell it for 5 to 7 times what it cost you to produce.

#2. Create a brochure to promote your product, business or service. Spend up to $3 per piece producing high quality marketing materials and then give it away with the hopes of selling something much more expensive than the cost required to promote it.

The idea of using your book as a brochure or promotional piece might at first thought cause you to scoff at the notion. But before you do, carefully consider the impact to your business of giving away 20, 50, even 100 copies of your book to a group, association or company that targets your core audience. How much more compelled would you be as the receiver of the book to take the time to flip through its pages and see what it has to say, versus potentially tossing aside an all too familiar brochure.

Furthermore, as long as you are sure to keep your readers needs first by writing the most helpful book possible by serving their need for information, insight and instruction above all else; it will be obvious to them that any mention of additional products, services or seminars is nothing more than a sincere attempt to support them in reaching their dreams.

It’s quite possible that if you give your book away as a brochure the potential return will be greater than selling your book one copy at a time.

Sanyika Calloway Boyce is a four time author and the creator of the Self Publishing Workshop. She helps aspiring authors, coaches, speakers, consultants and entrepreneurs write, publish and promote their books easily, quickly and affordably. Sanyika helps you get more exposure, build your credibility, and generate more income from your self published book! Contact: sanyika@selfpublishingworkshop.com

Looking for a way to become a best selling author, sell more books, gain more exposure and generate more revenue as a published author? If that’s you, then visit: www.bestsellermentoring.com/SelfPublishing for more information on an exciting new mentoring program that will show you how!

Last 5 posts by Sanyika Boyce

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• The Quick and Easy Formula for Finding More Readers for Your Book - Part 1 - July 5th, 2006
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• Seven Ways To Sabotage Your Self Publishing Success - March 4th, 2006