( ENSPIRE Features) Beyond The Book Media Is Changing The Name of The Self-Publishing Game One Author At A Time
ENSPIRE Contributor: Charlotte Drummond
Living in a digital age, now more than ever, nearly everyone has access to a wealth of information and resources because of the internet. Its effect has influenced every kind of business structure, including the book publishing industry, which has become even easier to be a part of. Authors can promote their work, and readers to find new stories they wouldn’t find otherwise through social media. Self-publishing is also increasing in popularity for many writers because of its accessibility.
Chanel E. Martin’s observation of these changes within the book publishing industry inspired her to start Beyond the Book Media, an online publishing house that assists authors in writing, publishing, and publicizing their nonfiction books in order to successfully launch their brands on their own terms. While she studied to be a chemical engineer, Martin was drawn to helping a diverse range of individuals, organizations, and small businesses create their stories and garner an audience through her service, allowing them to gain experience in both writing and marketing.
ENSPIRE Magazine talked to Chanel E. Martin about the ins and outs of Beyond the Book Media and its benefits for individuals, organizations, and small businesses.
How did you come to pursue a degree in chemical engineering, and what did you learn from your academic career about branding for small businesses?
I pursued a degree in chemical engineering because I actually wanted to help create beauty products for men and women of color. What actually drove me to pursue it was when I attended a summer camp the summer of my sophomore year, and there I learned about it and said to myself, “I could do that!” While there, I learned that chemical engineers, which differ from chemists, are almost like the business behind the chemists and the chemistry. So, chemical engineering really helped me to put a process behind everything, and it taught me a strategy on how to reverse engineer anything. So whenever I am faced with a new problem in business, I look at it like one big complicated word problem, and I solve the unknown in my business.
How did the notable changes within the book publishing industry (especially since the start of the pandemic) inspire the start of Beyond the Book Media?
Well BTBM, fortunately for us, started slightly before the pandemic. We were founded a year prior to the pandemic in March 2019. But we really got our push when the pandemic started because I was already in the process of doing these virtual writing boot camps. I had tested out the model, and we had done it for free quite a few times within my private groups, so I wanted to create a version where authors could finish their books in anywhere between 7 to 21 days. So when the pandemic started, so many people were interested in writing books and had a lot of free time, and we really catapulted our company into being a leader in helping people write books quickly.
Describe the publishing process for Beyond the Book Media. How early in the writing process can someone reach out to your service, and how do you help the author once the book is complete?
You can come to use it even if you aren’t even sure if you want to be writing a book. We have so many amazing programs. We offer free challenges every quarter called “Map Your Book Out,” where we actually help you decide what book you should be writing. We then help you create an outline, and if you want, you can get into our Brand Author Academy which is a 7-day book writing accelerator program. I developed a 7-day writing planner that will help you accelerate your writing process as well.
After authors finish our Brand Author Academy, we offer full-service publishing for the self-published author (ROYALTY-FREE). We will professionally publish your book from cover design, promotional graphics, editing, formatting, and proofreading your book. We also use advanced keyword strategies to position the author and their book to become a bestseller on Amazon. Then, after all of those things are completed, we offer Marketing and Public Relations services.
We offer a monthly mentorship program called “Beyond The Book Influencers,” where we hold your hand and help you take your book from the manuscript to the marketplace. We teach you strategies to help you grow, make an impact, and an income.
Why do you think books are an effective medium for promoting small businesses? What do you love about books in particular?
I feel books are the best way to showcase your expertise. Literally, a book is a foundation to becoming an infopreneur, and we all know that is where the world is headed. Individuals can literally make money by sharing their expertise, knowledge, and wisdom.
Once you put it in a book, you have it in an organized format where you can now give key-note speeches, host events, conferences, courses, and coaching programs. There are so many ways in which you can take one book that you took the time to write and spin it in so many ways. Besides that, that you took the time/energy to actually WRITE and FINISH a book, you are now an expert in your niche.
I love books because they are just the gift that keeps on giving. If you write the book once, you continue to make money over and over. They are one of the lowest-cost products that one can produce. Most books are wholesale on Amazon for about $2.50 a book, and you can charge on average $15 to 20 per book, then up-sale it to your coaching programs, speaking engagements and so much more. That is what I love about books and why I believe every brand should have a book!
What does Beyond the Book Media offer outside of publishing opportunities?
As mentioned above, we also offer a variety of courses. We host courses that teach you how to turn your book into a workbook, a course that teaches you how to turn your book into a course, and we host our quarterly challenges where we help you decide what book you should be writing and/or launch your book.
We have a monthly book marketing mentorship program, we host an annual conference called “From Manuscript to Marketplace,” and so much more to come!
Why is uplifting the works of these authors and organizations important to you? What impact do you hope it has on the book publishing industry?
I feel it is really hard for any author to really make a footing in the industry because it is a low barrier to entry. That is why I always wanted to make a platform where indie authors can have their voices heard. Sometimes as a self-published indie author, you can feel that no one wants to buy your book, and no one wants to hear you, when in fact, it’s just that most authors don’t know how to position themselves in front of the right audience. So now they have the expertise, but it’s to the point where they actually have to sell, present and talk about their book.
We have so many geniuses and expert wisdom that have been captured in these books and had the opportunity to help thousands upon thousands of authors. So now we want to make sure that the books don’t just stay on the shelf. We want people to actually know about your book, and that’s why we have an initiative in saying that “It’s Your Responsibility to Sell Your Book” so that authors can feel empowered and motivated to share their gifts with the world.
In terms of impact, I just want people’s voices to be heard and stories to be told so that people’s brands have exposure.
Martin’s goal to assist writers through a stress-free publishing process is all possible through Beyond the Book Media. The service’s abundance of resources and dependable strategy help small businesses, faith-based organizations, and other individuals’ brands grow and live up to their potential. You can find more information on Beyond the Book Media on their official website here. You can also keep up with Chanel E. Martin by going to her website, Instagram, and Facebook.
Related articles: Andrew Snorton Writes Books To Innovate And Empower Others, Technology Tips for Small Business Owners, Brandee J: Empowering Women Because She Can
