While I wrote about the curse of perfectionism, which at times is just a euphemistic word for controlling, A-type, anal-retentive behavior…I will admit there are benefits to being affilicted with such a characteristic.
Yes, I have clients who desire perfection. And while they understand that perfection isn’t attainable, they still keep plugging away, unable to help themselves as they strive toward the unattainable.
But how can they make this work for them? How can they make it work for their particular business?
The client I mentioned has a book with a topic in a field that is constantly changing. It’s daunting to put a book into print and then have the content be obsolete before you know it. But there are ways to deal with that and further show your target market that you are indeed an authority in your field and not some hack who just throws outdated information out there for a few bucks.
There are several ways you can handle outdated information in your print book:
1) Update the book regularly and then release updated, revised editions. This can be costly, however. If you are an entrepreneur who has his own book printed to sell online and at teaching and speaking events, then you probably have a garage full of books that are the outdated version. So you obviously want to sell those before you invest in updating your book and have the revised edition printed up.
2) Create workbook updates that you can bundle with the book. Workbook updates can look professional and be printed up with a saddle stitch by a printer and be packaged with the book when you sell online or at events. The workbook can specifically reference pages and topics that have changed since the original book went into print. If the workbook is a free add-on, then the buyer will feel like they are getting more bang for their buck. But it comes with an expense. Workbooks can cost $1-2 a piece. On the other hand, you can also sell them separately if they are written in a way to also be used as stand-alone material.
3) Within your print book, invite your readers to go online and send you an email to receive your newsletter. You are building a list great for promoting your future products and also keeping the lines of communication open. It doesn’t have to be labor intensive. You don’t have to send a weekly newsletter. Once a month with any updates in your field and then perhaps hyping your current speaking events or something else of note and you are getting the word out to your clientele and making sure they are getting the latest in information. Along these lines, AZMike of Niche How popped in to comment on that Curse of Perfection post and provided a very well thought out comment about this that was much appreciated and a good read!
4) Create a blog. You probably already have a website. But do you have a regularly updated site? And better yet, do you have a blog? A blog is a great way to connect personally with your readership. It invites discussion and may just spark ideas for future products. If you already have a website but don’t wish to incorporate a blog into it, then think about buying a separate domain name for the blog that ties to your original site. For example: www.mybusinessnameblog.com. So if I wanted to have a blog for my writing company, Beyond the Pen, but didn’t want to integrate a blog onto the existing site (www.BeyondThePen.com), then I would purchase the domain name www.BeyondThePenBlog.com. Simple enough and you can just add a link on your existing site to your new blog. And you can mention in your book how your readers can find regular updates to changing information on your blog.
Just by doing any one of these things it makes heading into print a little less scary, right? But not only that, you’re adding value to your product. Your offering useful information to your readership. and hopefully, you’re encouraging them to come back to you time and again and thinking of you as an authority and as an important resource.