Maybe you have considered writing a book at one time or another. Based on my own and many others’ experiences, being a published author can open many doors. A book(s) can bring you more clients, who having read yours, decide you know what you are talking about and they want to hire you to solve their problem.
Books and their spin-off products (I will explore spin-offs in another post) can generate income for years. A book I wrote and self-published in 1995 continues to earn income for me every month. My friend, Bernard Kamaroff, CPA, first self-published Small Time Operator back in the 1970s. The book has sold more than 700,000 copies and been through 14 editions.
There are lots of examples of successful self-publishing ventures. And there have been plenty of failures. Launching and sustaining marketing tasks takes commitment. If we aren’t committed to the project, the book won’t have much of a future.
What fuels us to commit is getting in touch with our why. By that I mean, why write a book in the first place? Here are some examples why you might write:
- To connect with more people. You might not think it now, but readers, the media and other influencers want to connect to you as a published author.
- To help people or make a difference. Your experiences can help others, especially if what you learned arose from great hardship and adversity.
- To attract more clients. If you are a coach, health practitioner or professional, authoring books sets you above the herd.
- To use as a basic text for teaching classes and workshops. Selling your books at the back of the room at your classes and presentations is the most profitable venue for authors.
- To make money. We could all use more income and books can earn income for many years.
- To launch a series. Hey, you already got the big picture and you’ve got 3 more titles waiting to publish. Congrats!
Whatever your own reason to write a book is, your reason is the right one. It’s critical to identify your why rather than imitate the why of a role model or celebrity.
Connect that motivation to your most important core values. Taking action from your values will align your intended goal with what’s most important to you. Not only will you get more done, you will see more opportunities. You’ll be far less likely to let your book dream fade away.