As of March 2021, books are the largest Amazon product category. How many, you ask? 57.2 million. According to Statista there are approximately 44,000 writers and authors in the US.

It looks like I have hefty competition amongst available reads and those fountains of content creators.

Since I’m writing my book—Clicks, Tricks & Golden Handcuffs: A 5-point roadmap for tech executives to land big impact roles—I decided to blog about my journey if you’re tempted to do the same.

It’s not just Amazon in the proverbial book sandbox; did you know that eBay, Walmart, and Alibaba Group, as well as Apple Books, Google Play, and Kobo, all offer e-books?

Last year Kobo was a revelation to me when Kate Dixon, a fellow career coach colleague, delightfully invited me to become a beta reader of her excellent compensation negotiation book. Pay Up! is available for purchase on Amazon. If you’re an executive or, frankly, anyone who is at the final stages of your interview process with an offer in hand, this is a must-read. I only recommend books that I’ve purchased or reviewed. Heads up, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Writing a non-fiction book isn’t just about 150 pages of intriguing text; there’s a laundry list of things to take care of in the process.

• Readership targeting
• Book outlining
• Designing interior & exterior
• Editing text
• Formatting text
• Advertising avenues
• Marketing positioning
• Online categorizing
• Publishing options
• Pricing strategy

Today I’m focusing on the exterior design piece. I’ve ventured down many rabbit holes in my education of learning best practices. There are different design elements for the interior and the exterior of a non-fiction book.

Designer Roller Coaster

I take notice when fellow LinkedIn connections highlight the accomplishments of individuals in their network. Last year one of my Amazon colleagues highlighted an aspiring illustrator for print and web. Since I needed a designer for my book cover, I reached out to this illustrator. We met a couple of months ago, walking through my book design specifications which I had sent him a priori. I was delighted he had taken the time to watch my author’s debut talk. His website featured an iconic cover he designed with The New Yorker in mind. I was smitten, and we agreed on initial design options that he would reveal within 2 weeks. Time passed. Nada. I followed up, and a family crisis had intervened. Understandable delay, so I suggested he get back to me at the end of the month.

I conveyed what had transpired with my best friend, Linda. We go way back to the start of my tech career at Nortel Networks in the ’80s. I call her my original “friendor” (friend + vendor). When I was in charge of B2B marketing at Nortel, I hired her to create promotional material and trade show exhibits. We had a 2-year collaboration of successful events.

After attentively listening to my plight as friends are apt to do, Linda said, “Hey, why not have me take care of this and have Cash design your book cover?”

Sometimes the best ideas are right under your nose.

Since I had told the aspiring illustrator that he had 3 weeks to create design options, I explained to Linda I would get back to her if it didn’t work out. The end of June came and went with no communication from the illustrator. Crickets. Let’s say I was disheartened. I’m not a big fan of people missing commitments; it’s rude.

That’s why I love my best friend, always ready to have my back. Today, I sent her a statement of work, and we exchanged texts about meeting next week.

Exterior Design

When you collaborate with anyone, it’s best to spell it out with a statement of work. Here’s what I sent Linda; feel free to clone and own.

1. Project scope
   • Create a book cover for non-fiction reader: tech executive or aspiring one
     • Illustrations and layout for the front, back, and spine of the book
     • Icons for the 5 sections of the book (it’s a 5-point roadmap so illustrate the reader’s progression in the book)
   • Illustration output in 4 different file formats
     • IngramSpark specs for physical book and e-book (2 separate PDF files)
     • Amazon KDP specs for physical book and e-book (2 different PDF files)
2. Timeline
   • Illustration for front cover complete by August 15, 2021
   • Final files complete by September 15, 2021
3. Back cover components
   • International Standard Book Number (ISBN) to be purchased (4 different ones corresponding to each format type for IngramSpark and Amazon—e-book and printed books) plus 1 bar code in black and white
   • Book description

By reading Clicks, Tricks & Golden Handcuffs: A 5-point roadmap for tech execs to land big impact roles, you’ll gain insight on how to become an online click magnet for executive recruiters. Plus, the tricks for a successful job search strategy.

For those of you unfamiliar with the term “golden handcuffs,” it refers to the financial seduction corporations use to retain their highly compensated employees so they don’t exit the door to the competition.

If any of the following career path challenges sound familiar, you’ve arrived at the right spot.

■   How should I optimize my personal brand for my next role?

■   Where can I stand out from the competition?

■   What are the best practices for resumes, LinkedIn profiles, and interviews?

Clicks, Tricks & Golden Handcuffs is an anthology of over 70 LinkedIn articles written by the author based upon her optimization of over 1,350 resumés, 700 coaching sessions, and 350 LinkedIn profile makeovers. This book is a 5-point roadmap for your job search success if you’re a technology executive or aspiring one.

1. Career Path
2. C-Suite Advice
3. Personal Brand
4. Job Search Tools
5. Strategy Implementation

Are you ready to obtain your next significant role in technology? Let’s get started.

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So not only is the written word important for your book, but it’s also the eye candy that lures in your reader. I can’t wait to see what Linda and Cash dream up for my book. I’ll share it with you in August. Until next month, I’ll be editing the book and figuring out the other 6 items on my list to publish successfully.

Any ideas to share about your book? I would love to hear them.