So I finally listened to you – I did it. I wrote a book.

And I find it super cool that I’m announcing it this month. The blog turned FIVE yesterday and I plan on celebrating all week. I am offering a birthday special for my e-book $5 for the next five days. The softcover book is available for $14.99. And each day this week, I will be sharing insights – yes, five each day – based on the last five years. Most importantly, I need your help getting the word out. Keep reading for 5 things you can do to help me promote my book.

I resisted for years. And argued with my friends, especially Stephanie, Leslie and Wendy.  But I finally heard from enough of my wonderful blog readers (and Stephanie, Leslie and Wendy got more persistent) that it was too hard to find everything on the blog and that you wanted a book. So I gave in and wrote a book because I really believe that every writer can make a good living as a content marketing writer and really want to help writers succeed.

Here is the official announcement with the marketing plug I’m supposed to give you: “The Freelance Content Marketing Writer: Find Your Perfect Clients, Make Tons of Money and Build a Business You Love” is now available on Amazon in both softcover and Kindle format. (If you’ve been reading my blog for a while – yes, I danced in my kitchen when my first print copy arrived!)

But back to my book. It’s almost everything you need to know to grow your freelance content marketing writing business (276 pages worth).The book is practical with lots of step-by-step instructions. I covered all the big questions I hear from writers who are struggling – finding a niche, brainstorming clients, creating a great writer website, writing a LinkedIn profile, sending out LOIs, networking, negotiating rates, and writing great content. Take a look at the Table of Contents and see for yourself.

The book also contains plenty of stories about all the ways I’ve screwed up over the years. It’s pretty much a road map of exactly what you need to do to make more money as a content marketing writer, except that you can skip the mistakes by using the lessons I learned after the fact.

I did a soft release last week and my book marketing expert friends said that I should mention that it’s already gotten several honors – including #1 new release in both the Home-Based Small Business and the Business Writing categories. I am very proud of this book. It got rave reviews from my test readers and several recently shared that they already landed a client based on tips in the book. I really hope you feel the same way about the book.

If you buy it and you don’t like it, please email me and I will refund you personally. I trust that no one is going to take advantage of me since the money will come out of my own pocket.

5 Ways that You Can Help Me Promote the Book
I would like to ask a favor from each of you. And yes, I’m starting on the play on the number 5 that I will carry throughout the week. I am not under any crazy illusion that I’m going to sell a gazillion and a half books – it’s a very niche book. But I decided to self-publish this book so that I would have more control over the content and could ensure that I believed in everything that was printed inside. So, I personally have a fair amount of money invested in the book. And my goal is to at least break even on the book so there is a magic number of sales I’d ultimately like to hit. And surpass.

If each of you could do the following five things, I will be very grateful:
1. Share about the book on social media. Not just today – although that would be great – but next week and the following month. Selling a book is a long-haul kind of adventure.
2. Write a review of the book, if you purchase it. This would be super-duper awesome if everyone who purchases the book would write me an honest review of the book.
3. Post about the book on online writer’s groups and Facebook groups that you belong to. There are so many different groups out there and I’m only a member of a few. So any publicity you can give me, would be great.
4. Recommend the book to writers asking about how to grow their freelance business. This would be especially awesome, because it will both help other writers and help me break even. I often see writers post questions in online groups that my book will totally answer. I will feel like a used car salesman if I respond – buy my book – so I won’t do that. But if you feel that my book would help the writer, then it would be awesome if you could share the link.
5. Write a guest post for my blog. If you buy the book and follow a tip that makes you more money, let me now. I would love you to write a guest post about what you did and how it worked. I pay a $50 honorarium for guest posts.

Who Should Buy the Book?
I know, I am supposed to say absolutely, everyone should buy my book. Buy one for you and a friend. Buy seven! And my book marketing friends and Stephanie are going to cringe at what I’m going to say next. But honestly, I think the answer to “Should I Buy Your Book?” really depends.

If you are a newer reader to this blog, then I have no hesitation recommending the book to you. If you follow the tips, then you will almost definitely make more money.

However, if you have been following my journey for years on this blog, then the answer depends on your expectations. If you are expecting a book full of brand new ideas and stories that you’ve never heard from me before, then there is a chance you might be a little disappointed. While I did add a fair amount of new content, I did update a lot of blog posts and put them into the book, so some of it will be familiar to you.

If you like my advice, but have trouble finding things on the blog, and want everything laid out in an easy to follow way – a road map of sorts – then yes, you should buy the book. Several of my test readers have been reading the blog from the beginning and commented how everything I’ve been saying for years made even more sense when it was laid out in a logical way as it is in the book.

That said, if you honestly can’t afford the book – like won’t be able to pay your light bills or feed your kids – then email me and I will buy you a book. I trust that no one will take advantage of me on this either since I will personally be paying for your book. Self-publishing means I don’t have any free copies just sitting around. If I buy you a book because of financial hardship, I’d ask you to promise to really follow the advice in the book and do the hard work – not just let the book collect dust somewhere.

Where to Buy the Book
Amazon is the place to go if you want a print copy (softcover) or a Kindle version, and anyone who buys a print copy is eligible for a discounted price on the Kindle format. The e-book is also available on iTunes, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and Playster.

This Book Wouldn’t Exist Without Each of You
I owe each of you a huge thank you. Without your encouragement – emails, comments, tweets – I wouldn’t have kept writing this blog for five years. And it wouldn’t be one of my favorite projects ever. I know that there are a lot of resources for writers and it makes me so happy that each of you chooses to spend your time reading my blog.

For the past few years, I have done a free writer coaching session for any writer that asks – usually one or two writers a week. And it has been one of the most rewarding parts of my career. If you find you have specific questions that aren’t answered in the book or blog – or need help brainstorming niches or clients (my superpower), then check out this post on how to sign up for a free 30 minute call with me. And other than the book, I don’t sell anything – so you don’t have to worry about me bugging to up sell you.

I know that every blogger says that they have the best readers in the world and all that jazz. But I really mean it. I appreciate each and every one of you. And really want you to find the success that you deserve as a freelance content marketing writer.

You can do this. I promise. 

P.S. The download for the new popup is currently not working, but rest assured I will email out the new e-book later this week to everyone already on the mailing list. The designer got it working quicker than I expected. Sorry about that  – getting all the ducks lined up for my book release has been more challenging than I expected.