I have two book projects going on right now. The first one out the door will be a book on Turning Social Media Into Business Media. The title is still undecided. And in early 2015 I will release a 2nd Edition of REMEMBERSHIP - New Thinking for Tomorrow's Membership Organization, which may get an updated subtitle. I try to work on one or both every single day.

People ask me about publishing all the time and are usually surprised when I tell them I've been researching the marketing strategies of publishing since 2002, which is about the time that self-publishing turned a corner from the desktop and copy machine version of the 90's.

If you've been working in a single industry or field for 10 years or more, chances are pretty good that you're an expert at something. The inter-web allows you to publish your expertise in a variety of ways. Given too many choices, though, you choose none. Here's a list of too many ways to distribute your expertise.

Write a book and turn it into:

1. Paperback
2. Kindle & Others eReader services
3. eBook (pdf)
4. Audio book
5. Illustrated children's book
6. Poster (a 1-page book) <-- my favorite idea
7. Slides
8. Blog
9. Articles

Interview experts and create:

1. Video interview series
2. CD Audio interview series
3. Podcast
4. Paper Transcripts
5. Digital Transcripts

Create a training program and make:

1. Mini E-course
2. Workbook
3. Preloaded Digital Media Player (with your videos on it)
4. Preloaded MP3 Player (with your audio files on it)
5. Flash Drive with your training materials on it
6. Live Workshops
7. Keynote
8. Webinar
9. Teleseminar
10. Weekly email
11. Printed Newsletter
12. Certification curriculum

I come across speakers and authors who haven't a clue where to go with this list -- if they are aware of their options at all. My advice is to just pick one to start.

I've coached several folks through writing their first book. If you get writers block, or are having trouble getting started, try this:

1. Write the problem your book will solve. This is your working title of the book.
2. Write 10 questions, each leading to the next, which lead a reader to your solution.
3. Record your answer each question with your computer or a digital voice recorder. Follow tangents. Exhaust your ideas on each question.
4. Send your digital audio files to be transcribed. Don't do it yourself. (You can get to this point by Sunday night if you start Saturday morning.)
5. Start editing and organizing when you receive your transcription. Fill in gaps, explain your logic and describe your emotional connections to the subject matter.
6. Have your draft proof-read by at least two professionals, then send it to an editor or two or three. Give them a red pen and let them go to work. They aren't marking up your work. They are consuming it and helping you turn it into a product more easily consumed by others.
7. Re-work your draft according to feedback from editors and others. Have it proof-read again.
8. Send out this pre-release draft to a short list - ten to forty - of people you trust to give you honest feedback (relatives not allowed), along with an online survey to fill out once they follow thru. Give them a deadline of a couple of weeks. If they are going to help you, they will do it right away. These can be other authors, industry insiders, consultants and mentors. If you don't have ten, better get networking or find a writers group that supports your type of publication.

// Kyle Sexton is a marketing strategist and international speaker. His innovations have been featured in The Wall Street Journal, and his book REMEMBERSHIP: New Thinking for Tomorrow's Membership Organization is fueling transformations in membership organizations throughout North America.  He can be reached at 888.899.8374 or get his free resources at KyleSexton.com.