As an entrepreneur, validating an idea isn’t a new concept to you. You’ve gone through the validating process when you’ve launched courses, products, services, and the like. The concept is the same when it comes to a book: Ask the people who are your ideal clients (and thus likely your ideal readers) for feedback.

All book marketing is not created equal — nor should it be, particularly when it comes to nonfiction books written to serve your business. (Note I’m talking specifically about business and personal development books in this post, not creative nonfiction and memoirs. There is more overlap with fiction in those genres.) I’ve had clients tell me they tried a book marketing technique they read about but did not have success with it, and often the reason is that the tip was a general marketing technique, versus something targeted to business owners writing a book to serve their business. Let’s look at three key differences.

When you finish writing and revising your book manuscript, it moves from writing into production. For you, that means copy editing and typesetting. It could also include cover design, though that can be done while you’re writing. (That will depend, in part, on whether your cover designer and typesetter are the same person.) It also means getting serious about your launch and marketing plan.