THREE GOOD REASONS TO WRITE A BOOK—BY KAREN INCE

There are many reasons why entrepreneurs, leaders, businesspeople want to write a book about what they do. For example, they may want to share their knowledge and insights with a wider audience; they know that being an author lends them authority; having a book with their name on the cover feels good and looks good.

— BY KAREN INCE

There are many reasons why entrepreneurs, leaders, businesspeople want to write a book about what they do. For example, they may want to share their knowledge and insights with a wider audience; they know that being an author lends them authority; having a book with their name on the cover feels good and looks good. Imagine being a speaker at a conference and being able to say to the organisers that you will give away ten copies of your book or give a copy to everyone in the audience. How lovely would it be to go to a professional or networking event and say to someone you’ve just met – “Here, let me give you a copy of my book. Who shall I sign it to?” Would that make you feel good? Would it enhance your professional image? The reality is that very few people make a lot of money directly through book sales. It’s not impossible and there are ways to increase the likelihood of that happening. But in business a book can do so much for you, that you can afford to give it away in return for the increased visibility, goodwill and credibility that it will create for you. Of course, this is assuming that your book is good. And why wouldn’t it be? After all, you’re not going to produce something that reflects poorly on you, are you? But many people, sadly, do exactly that.

And this leads us to the biggest WHY of writing a book about what you do. It’s all in the process.

Creating a quality product requires planning, research and effort. That might sound like a big commitment but read on and find out how that will pay dividends.

PLANNING

A good book doesn’t just happen. It is planned. And the first step in that process is to decide what the book is going to be about—not in a general sense, but very specifically. Let’s say your area of expertise is underwater basket-weaving. Are you going to write a book about the history and development of the craft, aimed at afficionados, who will then see you as the goto expert to understand the background to the whats and whys involved in the practice?

Or are you going to write a book aimed at complete novices, detailing how to get started on this fascinating craft, the tools and equipment needed, beginner mistakes to avoid and so on. This positions you as a teacher, and sets you up wonderfully for running courses. Or do you want to fill your book with creative but complex new designs, with step-bystep instructions for people who are already experienced? This positions you as both potentially a teacher, but also as a master crafter who can be asked to do bespoke work on commission.

You need to think about what you want to be known for, who your target audience is. And that ties in with your ideal client. Some of you may be thinking, why not combine it all into one book? Well, you could. But the complete novice doesn’t want difficult designs and may not be interested in the history. The theorist may not be interested in the practice at all. Whoever picks up your book may only find one-third or less to be of interest. That’s not a scenario that will give you the recommendations you’re looking for.

It would be better to produce three smaller, more focussed books over a period of time. But right now, you need to write your first book. So, out of all the possibilities, what is it that you want to be known for? Which bit of your work makes your heart sing?

The first benefit of writing a book is that it gives you an opportunity to take a fresh look at what you do, how you do it, and who you really want your clients to be.

RESEARCH

You know your stuff. You’re good at what you do. You’re going to write about what you do all day long, right? So why do you need to do research? There are a few different kinds of research you will definitely benefit from. One is to see what other books are out there, dealing with your subject. How well are they selling? Why is the best-seller doing so well? Why is the littleknown volume at the bottom of the charts languishing in obscurity? There is no single reason—it’s a combination of different factors. But you need to be thinking about those factors now, because it will help you target your book more precisely.

The second kind of research is to ask your clients, and more importantly potential clients, what they want to know. Imagine reaching out to your network with a message that you are researching for your book, and you’d love to be put in touch with people who have a particular problem. You stress, this is a quick question, or five quick questions, or whatever. No sell. Pure research. And you speak to those people. You ask your five quick questions. You thank them for their time. And THEN, you tell them that if they would like to know more about what you do, and how that can help them, you’d be happy to schedule a noobligation chat AT ANOTHER TIME. No pressure. You haven’t put anyone off, but you’ve potentially gained another client or several, and you haven’t even written your book yet. PLUS, you know you’re answering the real questions real people have about your area of expertise. Win-win. The second benefit of writing a book is that it provides an opportunity to gain valuable insight into your market and reach potential new clients along the way.

EFFORT

The final ingredient is effort. Generally, in this life, anything that is worth doing is worth doing well. But as busy people, its also useful to find ways to either reduce workload or increase rewards, or preferably both. While you’re busy writing your book, you’re creating content. Content that can be re-purposed and re-used. Website and social media content, webinars, courses, podcast or video scripts, media interviews. Of course, it will need to be tweaked for each purpose, but if you write with this in mind, you’ll get double benefit back for your effort. The more effort you put into it, the more benefit you get out. Writing a book will challenge you to think about your work in a new way. You will formulate a new structure to your knowledge in the process of imparting it to others. Teaching a skill to others has always been a good way to help learn it, and reach deeper understanding for ourselves. The third benefit of writing a book is a refreshed, in-depth look at the expertise you take for granted.

For these reasons alone, writing a book is an endeavour that will bring its own reward. However, there are other benefits to be gained too. And you don’t have to go it alone. You can get support from a writing coach, or a group. You can go on a retreat. You can even employ a ghostwriter to do a lot of it for you.

If you’ve been thinking this is something you’d like to do, then go for it. I wish you all the best if you choose to embark on this journey.

About KAREN INCE

Karen is an experienced writer and author coach. She writes content for businesses and fiction for fun. She first learnt editing and proofreading in the early 1990s and has since honed her skills with additional training and a lot of varied experience alongside a successful career in business. She is a published playwright, and author of both fiction and non-fiction. As a qualified life-coach she brings her combined experience of business, writing, and editing to support aspiring authors through the process of writing and publishing their book. She lives and works in the beautiful cathedral city of Canterbury (UK) where she is active in several local community groups, including two writers’ circles, one of which she founded. When not working she spends time relaxing with family or friends or encouraging vegetables to grow in her back garden. To find out more, check out www.mrswrite.co.uk for writing and coaching services and www.brangaine.co.uk for editing services. Find her on twitter @MrsWrite2; @kazimee; @brangaine1. Contact mrswrite@mrswrite.co.uk