Who will read the business book you’re writing?

There are two reasons an entrepreneur should write a book.

Ÿ Share information and experience with others in the small business community — an admirable, giveback approach. I like it.

Ÿ Use the book as a marketing tool that differentiates the author (maybe you) from others in the same business. I like this reason better.

The key is to get people to read the book. There’s no point in spending the effort and, in many instances, dollars to publish a book if no one knows.

“I booked 15 new speaking gigs the day my book came out,” says Brian Basilico. The gigs are an important part of Basilico’s business plan: A social media expert and director of direction at B2b Interactive Marketing Inc., Aurora, getting in front of audiences of prospects is important.

“I have a lot of experience with social media,” Basilico says, “and I wanted to put something out there business owners venturing into social media can use. But I want to make some money, too.”

The plan is working. What the book has done, Basilico says, is turn often unpaid speaking engagements into paid presentations, thanks to book sales at the event.

Fifteen bookings the day (July 1) his book, “It’s Not about You, It’s about Bacon: Relationship Marketing in a Social Media World,” was published? “Social networking,” Basilico explains. A practitioner of what he preaches, Basilico used social media to hype the book’s progress from concept to first-day sales — and beyond.

Ron Wajer and co-author Mark Akerley took a decidedly slower approach to their book, “Food for Thought: Lessons at Lunchtime for Business Owners.”

Both run consulting businesses. Wajer is managing partner at Business Engineering, a Northbrook consultancy that works primarily in manufacturing and distribution; Akerley is president of Sigma Resource Group Inc., a LaGrange problem solving and coaching business.

“Mark and I have lunch together pretty regularly,” Wajer says. “We talk about how we can make our businesses better.”

The book sprang from those lunches — and is intended to spark similar lunchtime discussions among buyers. “We think we have ideas to share with people,” Wajer says. “The book documents what we’ve done (to be successful) — and gives us an opportunity to give something back to the consulting profession.”

The only thing missing from the Wajer-Akerley collaboration has been a plan to get the book to readers. “We had no idea how to distribute the book.”

That’s changing. The two planned to meet last week to discuss promotional opportunities.

Other things you should know:

Ÿ Both books were produced using Amazon’s CreateSpace publishing program.

Ÿ Akerley and Wajer each wrote eight chapters for their book. Akerley did the CreateSpace cover and related software work while Wajer was unearthing the quotations that fit each chapter. Total cost was about $1,000.

Ÿ Basilico spent $3,500 on eight outsiders brought on to enhance his book: Five people who critiqued the first version; an editor; a graphics specialist and an indexer.

Ÿ Jim Kendall welcomes comments at JKendall@121MarketingResources.com © 2013 121 Marketing Resources, Inc.