How big should a book be?
It could be as little as 50 pages or even less! In fact, less is better these days as so many people as so busy that the idea of having to read through some kind of Tolstoy-esque voluminous 300-500 page opus is not likely to happen. Saying something is a “quick-read” is a big plus for most people who want to get your information fast and be able to apply it to their lives.
A Book is the Ultimate Calling Card to Leave with Prospects
Imagine on Amazon that someone is searching for anything with the term “Albuquerque” and your book has the title of “I Love ABQ: A Reference Book on all the Family Friendly Neighborhoods in Albuquerque, New Mexico” with a beautiful image of a southwestern home against a beautiful sky. And it only need sell for 99-cents up to $2.99.
Many people don’t realize that Amazon is one of the biggest search engines in the world, and everything on Amazon ranks extremely high in Google for their search terms. Amazon is one of the top 10 websites in the entire world out of over a billion websites, after Google, YouTube, Facebook and Yahoo.
How many other real estate professionals in your area are listed in Amazon as an author and real estate expert? None? Why shouldn’t you be the first?
What if “selling” your book was not the goal? What if you had no intention on making money from book sales and being the next J.K. Rowling or James Patterson? What would be the point?
A Book is the Ultimate Calling Card to Leave with Prospects
Imagine this scenario: You are making a listing presentation for a luxury home worth $1.5 million dollars. The seller will probably be interviewing many different agents before selecting their Realtor.
After your interview, you say to the seller “Mr. James, this is an important decision and I understand you’ll be speaking with many agents before making your selection. Could I ask you to do just one thing before you decide? I wrote a chapter in this book entitled ‘How to find a Realtor you can Trust.’ I’m certain it will help you make your decision for whomever you choose.” Then you will sign a copy of your book and give it to the homeowner.
What would this do to your competition? Answer: They would be blown out of the water!
Give Away Your Book and Meet More Prospects
An innovative client of ours, Dave Swaim of Toney, Alabama, published 3 different books: Wealthy Home Seller Secrets, How to Sell Hard to Sell Homes, and The North Alabama For Sale by Owner Guide. Did Dave write these to become a wealthy author? Heck no! He wrote these to become a wealthy Realtor.
Dave drives people through direct response marketing online and offline to his DaveSwaimAuthor.com website where he gives the books away for free. The person who orders the book enters their mailing address and a day later, Dave drops the book off himself. “I just happened to be in the neighborhood and thought I drop this off to you in person.”
Of course, Dave is a real nice guy and people like him right away, and he usually gets the listing.
To find out more download our book Agent Revamp for only $0.99 from Amazon