Brainstorming for success: with the help of good coaches, an author propels a business book to mainstream best-seller status

Black Issues Book Review, May-June, 2005 by Lynnette Khalfani

Before my latest book Zero Debt: The Ultimate Guide to Financial Freedom (Advantage World Press, October 2004) landed on a single bookshelf, I sent an email to my two biggest supporters: my media coach, Deborah Darrell (who also happens to be my sister), and my agent and consultant, Earl Cox.

The e-mail was entitled "The Making of a New York Times Best-seller" and in it, I laid out about 50 things I thought we needed to do to propel a stir-published business book by an African American author to best-seller status on the most prestigious, mainstream list.

Deborah and Earl labor tirelessly with me to promote Zero Debt. Think: Sunday afternoon brainstorming sessions and 2 A.M. online marketing campaigns, and you'll have a sliver of an idea regarding the tremendous effort, time and mental energy we devote to our work.

Thankfully, we're all now enjoying the fruits of our labor. As of January 2005, Zero Debt ranked No. 9 on The New York Times bestseller list of business paperback books--the second month in a row the book made the Times list; the book also reached No. 8 on Business Week's best-seller list; and in March 2005, it reached No, 3 on Essence's best-seller list. We had 60,000 copies of Zero Debt in print and were in our third print-run since the book's original publication date of October 1, 2004.

Promotion, Promotion, Promotion

Best of all, we have tremendous fun. We're constantly learning and we're making great money in the process. How do we do it?

Our first approach was to be seen everywhere: online, in print, on radio and television, including the Dr. Phil, Jane Pauley and Tavis Smiley shows. Second, we're not afraid to use quirky or offbeat tactics to sell books. We never let the notion that "it's never been done that way" stop us from trying an unconventional method. We've successfully done direct-to-consumer mailings, donated books to church usher boards and book clubs and targeted readers in venues ranging from hair salons to airports to prisons.

Selective advertising, including in magazines such as Black Issues Book Review, has helped reach niche markets. I also use my Web site (http://www.themoneycoach.net) as a sales tool.

For the month of December, my distributor, Midpoint Trade Books, also kicked into high gear, shipping $200,000 worth of my books to a variety of accounts, including the industry's leading wholesalers Ingram, and Baker & Taylor.

This year, promotions in Barnes & Noble, Music Land and Books-a-Million bookstores have boosted sales significantly: Writing and publishing my books have also led to many requests for speaking engagements, workshops and seminars. In addition, two production companies have approached me to host different TV shows--something that would allow me to use my background in television.

Just this month, I looked back at that motivating e-mail I sent Deborah and Earl. I was shocked to see that we had actually only executed about one-third of the ideas I had. Sure, we had done a ton of other things I hadn't considered. We still have so many other activities and ideas to try. Which reminds me: I have to get back to promoting. If there's one thing I've learned, it's that you can't rest on your laurels in the book business.

Lynnette Khalfani wrote Zero Debt: The Ultimate Guide to Financial Freedom (Advantage World Press, October 2004, $14.95, ISBN 1-932-45075-0) after she paid off $100,000 in credit-card debt in less than three years.