6 Reasons Why Every Professional Should Write a Book
And Why You Should Do It Yesterday
Have you ever heard the expression; “she wrote the book on that”? That expression probably originated from an awestruck someone who thought someone else was pretty darn good at what they did. Many professionals underrate the benefits of writing a book; don’t be one of them.
Writing a book is a big career step. It’s the fastest and most effective way to boost your brand and secure yourself as an expert, and leave a worthy legacy. As a professional/entrepreneur who wants to take their career a giant step further, writing a book isn’t something you should maybe consider doing, it’s something you should have done yesterday.
Why?
It used to be just the degree that got you in the door; now, it’s the skill and expertise. And nothing says expert better than writing a book about what you know.
You’ve probably noticed that there are two types of professionals/entrepreneurs:
The ones that get booked or invited for Ted talks and the ones who listen to said Ted Talks. The ones who hunt down contracts and the ones who are offered said contracts.
Which one are you? Or, more accurately, which one do you want to be?
If you’ve been sitting on the fence about writing your book, it’s time to get off it. Writing a book could be the best thing to happen to your career financially and otherwise, and I’m going to give you five reasons why:
To Establish Yourself as a Brand/Industry/Thought Leader
If you are in a saturated industry, there is no better way to stand out than writing a book. Sure, you have your website where you put up weekly or monthly posts, and that is great (and essential), but a book carries credibility that a post or an article doesn’t. That’s because most people feel like anyone can write a blog post, but if you are writing a book, then you must really know your stuff.
That is more beneficial when you write a book about a section of your industry that’s overlooked. Your book won’t just be the go-to and original source for that topic; you would be seen as the authority on that topic.
Now you are probably thinking, aren’t I giving away my knowledge or giving people my secrets by writing it out in a book?
No, you are not.
Writing a book in a niche or field providing knowledge that no one else has says to anyone who reads it, I’m the expert on this. You’d essentially become a trailblazer, and what that happens, any or all of the following will happen:
- People will book you to talk about what you’ve written.
- People will hire you to help them with what you have written.
- People will buy your book, read it, get fascinated, talk about it to others who will buy your book and read it, and so on.
As a Form of Passive Income
Whether you go the traditional route or the self-publishing route, one thing is for sure, with the right amount of marketing, your book can make you a lot of money. That is even more likely if you write a book about an evergreen topic. However, regardless of that, the great thing about books is they never go out of fashion.
Even if you retire from whatever you do, you could leave off your book’s royalties. Sometimes all the marketing you need is awed readers raving about your book. The more they talk about it, the more it sells, and the more you make money without actually doing anything.
Also, self-published authors get more royalties (3 times higher) than traditionally published authors, and payment is quick (90 days instead of 6 months).
According to Amazon’s Kindle review of its 2019 sales, thousands of self-published authors earned $50,000 in royalties. So, if you decide to go the self-published route, you’d benefit from your book sales.
To Generate Leads/Clients or Sell a Product
Writing a book is seriously an underrated marketing tool. It’s the perfect form of advertising and it’s the free kind. It makes it easy for potential clients to find you.
No one searches for ads, but people will search for resources or materials that will make their lives better. For instance, say you wrote a book about dealing with imposter syndrome or the benefits of hypnotherapy for social anxiety disorder; once published, it’d be sitting there waiting for your target audience to find it.
They could do a quick google search or amazon search (amazon is the largest search engine for eCommerce), find your book, are satisfied with the reviews, and decide to buy it. They could read your book and decide that they have all they need to resolve their issue or reach out to you because they realize that they need more of your expertise.
Worst-case scenario, you make a sale; best-case scenario, you make a sale and gain a new client. Either way, it’s a win-win.
It’s also a great way to sell physical products, especially for e-commerce businesses. If you write a book about how to lose weight in 30 days, using a particular supplement or a recipe book about how to cook a specific dish with a specific ingredient, your reader will search for that product after reading your book.
To Stay Relevant
How?
People have no hesitation talking about a great (or controversial) book. The more people read your book, the more you stay in their conversations, and the longer you stay in their discussions, the more relevant you are.
When you write a book, you give a reader a glimpse (or more) into who you are, what you do, and how you do what you do.
And, once you write a book that provides value and is positioned the right way, people will talk about your book and happily refer it to people who have an issue that your book can solve. You stay relevant by providing value, and one of the best ways to do that is to write a book.
To Advance Your Career/Start a New Business
If you are into coaching, therapy, consulting, recruiting, or any profession that needs hands-on and fresh ideas, you should write your book.
Writing that phenomenal book is what gets you better coaching gigs, ted talks, or seminars. Writing your book can take you from a small-time professional to sort after consultant. Why? When people read your book, they will want a taste of your wisdom.
Side businesses (especially in consulting) have been launched simply by writing a book. People will pay to learn what they don’t know, primarily when it provides positive results. All the better if they are getting this knowledge directly from the source.
If you are looking for another reason to write your book, we can sum this article with the title of Honoree’ Corder’s bestselling book: You Must Write a Book (to): Boost your brand, Grow your business and Become the Go-to Expert.
Cover from Goodreads
To Leave a Legacy
Decades from now, you won’t be here. However, the knowledge you shared and the impact you created could be if you write a book. Nothing gives immortality like books passed down through generations, long after you are gone.
Final thoughts:
Many entrepreneurs and professionals give many excuses as to why they’ve not written that bestseller yet. Starting from I’m not a writer to I don’t have the time. Both excuses are very valid. Not everyone can write (and that’s okay) and quite frankly, it does feel like there are not enough hours in the day.
However, neither of those hurdles should deter you from writing your book. You don’t need to be a writer, and you don’t that extra 5 hours added to the day. What you need is a ghost-writer.
To get started, book a free consult!
