This month's guest is Georgie Hope, an SEO expert who has published a series of books on SEO and is also working with other business book authors to help publish their work. Today we're talking about self-publishing in the business genre, including the ups and downs and her tips for people considering giving it a try.
Georgie is passionate about helping the world and finding ways to donate to charities; it's a big part of her business. She's now fostering cats and looking at ways to help fund and spread awareness of rescue organisations. You can find out how to help via her website below.
Visit the Large Hope website, or check out her books.
How and why did you decide to start making SEO books?
Every year or so a business owner would come to me 3-6 months after their website had been redone without the developer properly migrating their SEO. This meant the business lost all its search engine traffic. Therefore they had to put off staff and were sometimes close to bankruptcy. So, they came to me to recover their SEO.
I did not want this to happen to anyone anymore. I wrote a book on SEO migration; a checklist of all the steps. As a book, compared to a course, anyone could afford it - even web developers in India.
Why did you make the decision to self-publish?
I knew it would need to be an ebook so it could be updated when needed. There wouldn't be a paper copy available full stop. I thought the best way to publish an ebook on Amazon would be to self-publish.
What has been the most difficult aspect of self-publishing?
The actual publishing of the book was super easy using Amazon. The hardest part has been the marketing of the book.
What have you found the most rewarding in self-publishing?
Being able to get the book out there within my time frame.
Do you have advice for small business owners who also want to write books?
Think about what type of book you are going to write and how much marketing it will need. I have met a lot of business owners who want to write books, and they fall into two camps:
1. They are writing to get credibility and it does not even matter if people read the book. They want to say they have written a book on a topic, which helps them get clients for the service they provide.
2. They want people to read the book and use it to learn something. They may or may not care about the book giving them credibility for a service they provide.
Which routes did you take for marketing your books?
1. SEO in Amazon
2. My website
3. Social media
4. Podcasts
Please tell us about your work with foster cats!
In Feb 2022 I started fostering kittens and cats. It came about after the floods here in QLD. I wanted to help in some way.
I saw a post for dogs that were in NSW pounds and would be put down because of overcrowding due to the floods. So I signed up to be a foster carer. Instead, they sent me 3 kittens and since then I have not looked back.
At any point in time I can have 2-10 cats or kittens. I am the temporary home between the pound and their forever home. My job is to give them as much love as possible and help them adjust to people and other cats. The rescue organisations pay for all the vet work, and they get some donated dry food. I pay for the wet food, litter, and petrol to transport to vets and to pick them up from the pound transports.
Some of them arrive and want pats and cuddles straight away and others can hide under the bed or in cupboards for days before they feel safe enough to come for pats. It is the most rewarding thing I have ever done.
Anything else you'd like to talk about regarding writing/publishing?
The things I learned after writing seven books are:
1. Writing took a lot more time than I ever imagined it would.
2. Publishing was far easier than I thought it would be.
3. Marketing was much harder than I thought it would be, and having Poppy to help has been amazing, as I just did not have the time or knowledge to do the things she has done.
I really enjoyed the experience and, for me, if the books even save one business from going bankrupt or putting off staff - it was worth it.
Find out more about Georgie Hope here.