booksLet’s say you’re one of the many authors on Amazon who encapsulated their business philosophy into a book. You have a powerful business asset there, but perhaps you’re not done. Why not write a second book? If you’re wondering if doing so is possible, the answer is…absolutely!

Sequels aren’t just for sci-fi trilogies or slasher films! An author who wrote an insightful, meaty business book can also write a second book.

Why Write a Second Book

The best reason to write a second book is to serve your readers. By creating another asset, you parlay the information in your business book into another usable format for an already established audience. If they loved your first book, they’ll love your second one!

Writing a second book allows your readers to engage more fully with the methods, philosophies, and advice you give them. And for you, the author, there are many good reasons to keep the magic going!

  • A second book provides another revenue stream. You will have two books for sale instead of one, which can lead to bundling or campaigns to incentivize the purchase of both.
  • A second book can put your philosophy in motion. Your first book described your position. Write a second book and your readers will be more likely to take your philosophies off the page and apply them to their lives.
  • You’ll help more people. Often, people walk away from a book impressed but in need of a way to put theory into practice. Write a second book to help them do it in the best possible way!

Types of Second Books

Workbooks

Authors of business books often land on creating a workbook as they consider writing a second book. And it’s a good choice. Workbooks provide a fun way to engage your audience with your material meaningfully. Workbooks typically ask readers to reflect on material, apply concepts, practice theory, or create solutions. They help readers develop a personal relationship with the material in the first book.

In general, there are three types of workbooks to know if you want to write a second book.

The Companion Workbook

A companion workbook allows authors to expand upon their ideas and readers to engage more fully with the information presented in the first book.

A companion workbook is meant to be used with the first book and may repeat some of the information therein. For example, the book Intuitive Eating described a healthy eating method. The authors followed it up with a workbook called The Intuitive Eating Workbook. The workbook emphasizes the principles explained in the first book but gives the reader the chance to reflect, list, and set goals to be an “intuitive eater”.

The Applied Workbook

Another way for a business author to write a second book is to create an applied workbook, or one that applies the theory in the first book to another industry or area of exploration. I recently helped a business author write a second book to follow up on The SEAM Framework: Achieving Organizational Transformation in 4 Steps. The author applied her SEAM Framework to another area of her expertise—career development. Thus, the second book she wrote was Thrive in the AI and Digital Age: The SEAM 4-Step Career Guide & Workbook. It applied the framework she had explored in her first book in a new way with a new audience.

The Classroom Workbook

Authors can also turn the content of their books into an academic class or potential workshop. If you set such a goal when you write your first book, writing a classroom workbook will be a logical next step and your best option to write a second book. The organization of the workbook would depend on the class syllabus and help students put what they are learning into practice.

What to Include in a Workbook

The main goal of a workbook is to help readers engage with and find a deeper personal understanding of the material within the first book.

If you want to write a second book and make it a workbook, consider a larger size for publication to differentiate it from the original book, but keep elements of the branding on the cover so the books look “related.” Beyond that, there are many different elements you can consider for inclusion in your workbook. Here are just a few of the many ideas you may want to consider.

Deeper Explanation of Concepts

Although not the primary purpose of a workbook, it can be helpful for the reader to delve deeper into some of the concepts explained in the original book. This can be done in different ways, like examples, case studies, or infographics.

Resources

A resource is anything that can help the reader learn more. It can be a list of other books, relevant links, etc.

Learning Tools

Your workbook should be filled with learning tools. People learn in different ways, so it’s nice to include a variety of ways in which readers can reflect and learn about themselves. You are limited only by your creativity, but everything in the workbook should invite the reader to interact with the page by making notes, challenging their knowledge, rating themselves, analyzing information, or creating goals. Here are just a few creative ways to organize content that will challenge and enlighten the readers of your workbook:

  • Worksheets (Q&A, mapping, fill in the blank, creating charts, calculations, etc.)
  • Quizzes or assessments (measure knowledge or reveal discoveries)
  • Comparison exercises
  • Self-ratings
  • Lists
  • Charts to fill in
  • Goal or intention-setting
  • Artistic expression (e.g., Coloring in visual elements like pie charts, bar graphs, etc., to represent mastery)

Series Books

If a workbook is not interesting to you and your book is based on a unique idea, you could write a second book that solidifies your idea into a series. For example, let’s say you wrote a book for children who are afraid to swim called “I Know I Can Swim!” You could create a series based on other children’s fears with book titles like “I Know I Can Climb!” or “I Know I Can Bike!”

Similarly, if you add more to your book’s subject, you could write another book that continues where the first one left off. For example, if you wrote the book 10 People Who Changed the World, you could follow it up with “10 More People Who Changed the World,” or add an adjective to continue the series, i.e., “10 South American People Who Changed the World,” to hit different audiences.

Anthology Books

If you follow up your first book with an anthology, it will serve as an evangelist for your first book.

In an anthology, multiple authors contribute to the overall publication. They each contribute a work that has something in common with the theme of the overall book, such as a common experience, problem-solving, approach, genre, etc. For example, if your first book offered a business philosophy or methodology, your follow-up anthology can be a collection of stories and experiences from readers who applied your theories. Creating an anthology book as a follow-up is a clever way to promote your perspective and inspire others to do the same.

Low-Content Books

Low-content books have little to no content but offer value to the consumer. Some examples include journals, planners, coloring books, notebooks, puzzle books, or books of inspiring quotes. Depending on the topic of your business book, a branded, low-content book may make sense for you to produce.

Children’s Books

Can you turn the main points of your book into a children’s book? Savannah Guthrie did that with her recent devotional, Mostly What God Does: Reflections on Seeking and Finding His Love Everywhere. Her original book was written for adults with reflections on faith and her relationship with God. Then, she took the basic tenets of the book and produced a beautifully illustrated, hardcover children’s version entitled Mostly What God Does is Love You. The author now has a second book in a different category and is reaching a second audience.

Another option is to produce a low-content book for children based on your first book. For example, the author Dr. Robert Renteria wrote of his struggle to escape the harsh life of the barrio and join corporate America in From the Barrio to the Board Room.  He went on to produce a graphic novel book for youth based on his life story called Mi Barrio and a coloring and activity book aimed at pre-K students called Little Barrio.

As a ghostwriter and editor, I enjoy helping authors develop their first and second book. If you are an author looking to write a second book, I’d love to help. Contact me for a consultation at karen@bigideaswriting.com