Book Publishing Options for Fitness Pros

Numerous fitness pros have contacted me in the last month alone about how to get a health/fitness book published.

If you're wondering the same thing, check out the excerpt below (modified for this blog) from an article I wrote for the American Council on Exercise (ACE).


There's a joke among book authors: At least one person at any party will tell you they, too, want to be a published author ... if only they had the time to do it.

Writers laugh at this notion because creating a book and successfully bringing it to market requires far more than finding time to sit in front of a computer.

For one thing, publishers will want to know if you have a platform. Read on to find out why platform is such a buzzword in today's publishing industry.

Platform: What It Is, and Why You Need It

According to experts, health and fitness book authors need platform. Platform means you are already recognizable and people are familiar with what you do.

You don’t have to be famous. But you do need your own circle of influence and a proven track record for being able to promote yourself.

For example: Can you boast a strong client following? Have you created a fitness program or brand that’s receiving rave reviews? Do you get large-scale publicity? Have your articles been published, or do you appear regularly on TV? Are you a presenter? A notable fitness expert? All these attributions amount to platform.

“A common misconception is that anyone can get a book published if they have a great idea,” says Laura Nolan, an agent at The Creative Culture, a literary agency in New York City that represents a number of top fitness experts. In reality, she says, “publishers are looking for fitness experts who have established platforms, have been in the media, or have an established following.”

Plus, publishers are busy pursuing book ideas on their own, says Mike Bates, M.B.A, owner of Refine Fitness Studio in Windsor, Ontario, and the former managing director at Human Kinetics Canada, a publishing company that specializes in titles related to physical activity.

If your idea is viable as a non-fiction book, a publisher has probably already thought of it. “This is not to say that unique ideas never come from outside of the publisher, but they are more rare than you might think,” Bates says.

Therefore, prospective authors with a good idea and a built-in audience have the most leverage. (Incidentally, you could also coauthor a book or have someone ghostwrite it for you if you have the necessary platform but not the time, interest or skill to write a book.)

What if you’re not interested in traditional publishing companies or bookstores. Let’s say you plan to self-publish a hardcopy book or ebook then sell it yourself. Is platform still an issue?

Think of it this way: You must be established as an expert in a particular niche to sell books. Your platform might stem from a large and dedicated client base or people who avidly read your blog (yes, blogs do contribute to platform!).

Beyond that, being self-published may eventually boost your platform enough to impress traditional publishers. “Self-published fitness authors will attract the attention of a publisher if they sell enough copies of their [self-published] book,” says Nolan.

Weighing Your Options for Publishing a Fitness Book

Once you’ve got the platform to succeed at writing and marketing a non-fiction health/fitness book, it’s time to weigh your options for how you’ll get your message to the public. Here are three common avenues:

1) pursue a deal with a traditional publishing house,
2) become an independent or self-published author, or
3) create an ebook.

For the full article, please refer to "So, You Want to Be a Book Author: Book Publishing Options for Fitness Pros" by Amanda Vogel, August/September 2008 issue of ACE Certified News, pages 9-11.

Resources for building your platform as a health and fitness expert.

Body Image and Fitness

Check this out - it really puts "fitness" and body image in perspective.

At first glance, you might not think this item has much to do with fitness writing and publicity. But it does.

Why not use the concept behind this New York Times piece as a jumping off point to garner media attention in your community? Start a discussion about what a fit body looks like.

Are you a trainer who believes that the average person can't be "fit" and "fat"?

Or do you support the viewpoint that fit bodies come in all shapes and sizes?

The Olympics are big news right now. Take advantage of this news hook to promote your own services and/or to inspire more people to get active.

And feel free to post your comments on fitness and body image here, too. I wrote my Master's thesis in human kinetics on body image and the role of the fitness instructor. So I'm curious about your take on body image in the fitness industry.

Marketing Fitness with Social Media

I have to admit something … I don’t “get” Twitter.

Twitter (if you’re wondering) is a social networking and micro-blogging site. You write mini-updates about your life, week, day, whatever.

You can update every hour or sooner if you want. Each update has to be 140 characters or less, so Twitter forces you to write concisely. In that way, it helps you improve your writing skills.

Apart from that, though, what's the point?

Do people really care that I visited Multnomah Falls near Portland, OR, or that I chatted with Jim Labadie on the phone (these were two of my recent mini-updates, or “tweets” as they’re called in Twitter-speak).

My friend Biray Alsac first told me about Twitter, and so I joined the site as research for my workshop “Beyond a Website: Virtual Tools for Attracting Real-World Clients” (I’ll be presenting it next at the BCRPA conference in October 08).

Biray is on top of how to use Internet technologies in the fitness industry. And since I trust her opinion and expertise, I’m sticking with Twitter for now. I still have a lot to learn.

In the meantime, I wanted to find out how other fitness pros fare with Twitter, so I turned to personal trainer Scott Tousignant of UnstoppableFatLoss.com.

Scott’s got his finger on the pulse of how to market fitness using social media (like Twitter, blogging, Facebook). Here’s what he told me:

Amanda Vogel (AV): Has Twitter helped you market your business?

Scott Tousignant (ST): Twitter has been one of my favorite and most effective ways to market my business. The connections that I have made through Twitter have been absolutely priceless.

The biggest advantage of Twitter is being able to connect with some big players in the internet marketing industry immediately. There have been colleagues who I've been trying to connect with through email for a very long time and I have not received a response from. The second I send them a message on Twitter, they respond. I have their attention, and we build a relationship pretty quickly.

Another benefit of Twitter is the search function. I can type in a key word like “workout” and see everyone that has made a “tweet” about working out. If the person looks like someone who I would like to connect with, I offer them a quick tip or congratulations on embarking on the fitness journey.

AV: Who follows your updates on Twitter (is it clients or colleagues)?

ST: It's about a 50/50 split. Ideally, you should create two Twitter accounts. One where you give fitness tips and try to connect with clients, and another Twitter account where you try to connect with colleagues.

AV: What about your Twitter-cise social network at Ning.com, which shows people how to do brief exercises. Does your Twitter-cise network require a lot of upkeep? Has it been a good marketing venture?

ST: Twitter-cise has been a fun little project for me. It's really not much upkeep. It all depends on how much effort you want to put into it and what your other priorities are.

When my wife Angie and I started the community we would shoot four one-minute videos in one day and upload one at a time over the next four days. Total video shooting, editing, and uploading took about 30 minutes for four videos.

Other than that it really isn't much work and has definitely been worth the effort.

AV: Of all the social media marketing tools you use, which is the most useful to you? Why?

ST: My blog is the most useful social media tool and is the hub of my business. When I engage in communication on Twitter, I send people to my blog. When I post a video on YouTube, I send viewers to my blog. When I post something on Facebook, I link to my blog.

The reason my blog has been the most useful is because it provides the best platform to engage with my audience through a variety of media streams like video, audio, and articles.

Also, blog posts can be submitted to all the other social marketing sites and get bookmarked and indexed. You can place your blog rss feeds in your Facebook profile and other social marketing profiles, as well.

Writing Articles for Publication Can Be Scary

In April, I invited you to share your tips for teaching fitness on TV because I was preparing to lead a workout for a local TV show and needed your expert advice. Thanks to everyone who emailed me personally or wrote their tips here on my blog.

We taped my TV appearance a few weeks ago. I won’t lie - I was nervous! Was my performance perfect? Uh, no! The point is, I did it - even though being on TV scared me.

Here’s something else that has rattled my nerves: writing articles.

Maybe it’s the same for you?

I still remember the day I got my first article assignment for a small, community magazine. I was terrified. I wanted to do a good job. I didn’t want to disappoint my editor or look like an idiot.

I had lots to learn back then. With practice, my confidence and skills steadily improved. But when I scored my first big break with a major fitness magazine – Shape - I got nervous all over again! (Secret about me: I still feel nervous over a big assignment with a new magazine.)

Despite my fears, I’ve become successful. Not because I’m the world’s greatest fitness writer. It’s because I was (and am) eager to learn. And I’ve learned from a lot of very skilled editors and writers. Plus, I’ve always been persistent. I take action.

There’s another reason for my success though: I figured out the right “formula” for writing health/fitness articles.

Yes, there’s actually a system – a series of tricks and strategies – you can use to make writing any article a whole lot quicker, easier and less nerve-wracking. I use this system with every article I write. And I explain it all in my newest product, Anatomy of an Article.

Why Facebook?

I first joined Facebook to joke around with a few friends from high school. Then I started receiving numerous “friend” requests from customers and clients.

I decided to take my own advice from an article I co-authored with Biray Alsac about using online tools to add value to your fitness business. (See IDEA Fitness Journal, February 2008, pages 54-61.)

And so, if you’re on Facebook, I invite you to join the Active Voice Group (find it by searching “Active Voice Writing Service” under Groups).

Currently on Active Voice’s Facebook discussion board:

- What a former editor at Shape says about which media pitches won her over, and which ones she ignored.

- What Joe Stankowski, a regular contributor and training advisor to Men’s Fitness magazine, says will put you in the right ballpark for getting your name in Men’s Fitness.

- An example of how I used my Facebook group to recycle recent publicity in a Vancouver city magazine.

- The difference between a byline and a bio in an article.

- What it means when a publisher wants “all rights” to your articles – and why you should care (it makes a difference to your bottom line).

Recycle Your Publicity, Please!

In addition to being a fitness writer, I've created products to help fitness pros:

1) Get publicity

2) Recycle media promotion

So ... this post goes to show I follow my own advice - with good success!

The image here is one of three publicity hits I received in the last month (this doesn't include my published articles).

In addition to this blog post, I've already recycled this particular publicity hit on Facebook (in my group called "Active Voice Writing Service") and also in a flyer for a cycling workshop I presented on motivating students with music.

Read the "Sweat to Your iPod" story by Jon Azpiri in The Georgia Straight.

Find out 30 more ways to recycle your media promotion.

Media Relations & Your Digital Camera

Picture This ...

I've just been asked to lead a 30-minute workout for a fitness show on a local TV channel. (I've never been on TV before ... if you've done fitness DVDs or been on TV, I'd love to hear your best on-camera tips! Feel free to post them in the comments section here.)

Anyway, as I said, I don't have on-camera experience, so I asked the host of the show if I could come to the studio to watch her tape a workout. I wanted to get an idea of how the show was formatted and what the set looked like (I like to be super-prepared).

Turns out, my friend and fitness colleague Geoff Bagshaw was taping his guest appearance on the show when I arrived.

When the show ended, Geoff did something really smart.

He pulled out his digital camera and got a few shots of himself on set with the cast of the show. What a perfect way to recycle publicity!

Geoff's approach reminded me of something I spoke about in my recent presentation at FitComXpo (the FitComXpo event is over, but you can still gain access to recordings and slides of all the sessions - scroll a few posts down to see what I thought of the event).

My tip: Your digital camera is a powerful tool for helping you build relationships with the media and score more media promotion for yourself. Here are 3 ways:


1. Ensures Accuracy If you write a workout article or you're the featured expert in one, offer to snap digital photos of the exercises you recommend for readers. Editors will get a clearer idea of what you have in mind, which helps them edit the piece and ensure accuracy. There, you've just made the editor's job easier.

2. Helps Create Visuals See the illustration at the top of this post? That's me! I supplied my editor with digital photos of the exercises described in one of my workout articles, and she forwarded the photos to an illustrator (sometimes magazines use drawings instead of professionally shot photos because it's simpler and less expensive.)

3. Doubles Your Media Promotion If your photos are good enough, small magazines or newspapers without a budget for elaborate photo shoots might publish them, which instantly doubles the media promotion you receive.

More about how to make the most of your free media promotion.

Illustration reprinted with permission from illustrator Kagan McLeod.