If you sell your expertise as a consultant, adviser, trainer or coach, a business book is probably the most valuable type of content you will ever create.
Writing a book will bring you many business advantages, but, as client and author Jane Northcote recently reminded me, it’s not just about the business. The main driver for writing a book for many of us is very personal – something we’ve always wanted to do at some time in our career, because we’ve got something to say.
Here are ten good reasons – both business and personal – why writing a business book is such a good thing to do:
Business advantages
1. A book will establish you as a credible expert in your field, proving your knowledge as a thought leader in what you do.
“A well crafted book is clearly the crown jewel of credibility.” Lee Frederiksen, author of Spiraling Up
2. This will make it easier for you to open doors, sell your services, motivate referrals and charge higher fees too.
“A book is a great way of reaching and talking to hard to access senior decision makers (no one tends to turn down the chance to be interviewed to feature in a book).” Heather Townsend, author of The FT Guide to Business Networking
3. A book will drive more inbound leads and enquiries: a good book has a life of its own, getting your name out there and spreading your message while you sleep.
4. PR and speaking engagements will be easier to get: the ticket to higher profile opportunities
5. A book will bring you passive income: just how much depends on how much effort you put into marketing the book. It’s an opportunity to change your business model, to productise your business and create additional income streams too.
Personal benefits
6. You’ll finally get your unique message out there. What a relief! All those thoughts and ideas that have been swimming around in your head for years, finally given wings.
7. You will produce something tangible and long lasting. Author Jane Northcote explains this well:
“I wanted to create something tangible. As a consultant I have created many important but intangible things. I’ve set up new divisions, established leadership teams, cut costs and transformed businesses. These are great things to do – but invisible. Especially as a consultant, my part is invisible – that’s the nature of consulting. My book is visible. I can, and do, point to it. My clients have it on their shelves. It’s even in the British Library, where it will outlive me.” Jane Northcote, author of Making Change Happen
8. You’ll get respect.
“It’s mechanically very simple to assemble a book but somehow your fame, your respect goes up considerably if you have a book to your name. If you give someone a book it’s five dollars of paper and cardboard marked up triple yet somehow it has this patina of ‘Oh my gosh, that’s wonderful! You gave me a book! Thank you!’ People respect it.” Charles H Green, co-author of The Trusted Advisor
9. It will make you even better at what you do – firming up your knowledge and unique process.
10. You will get the personal satisfaction of achieving something you’ve always wanted to do in your life. Tick it off the list.
Writing a book is not an easy thing to do, as any of the authors quoted above will tell you. But it will bring both you and your business huge benefit as I hope you will see.
[Many thanks to all the authors mentioned above for their input – Charlie, Jane, Heather and Lee. I highly recommend each of their books.]
If you are thinking seriously about getting your book written this year and need a bit of help or guidance to set you on your way, do get in touch. I’d love to talk through your ideas.
Sonja
sonja@valuablecontent.co.uk, tel: 00 44 (0) 7974 398906
