‘You should write a book’ is a statement that many of our clients share with us in our first conversation.
They go on to explain that they’ve been thinking about it for a while but aren’t sure if a book is the right/best way to share their knowledge and insights and whether it’s worth the effort. After all, most of our clients are still working in and on their businesses, are time poor and not sure what writing a book involves.
If you have expertise, insights and knowledge to share, I’d suggest that writing and self publishing a book is a great way for you to share this with hundreds or thousands of people, rather than one-to-one. Below I list 5 ways writing and self publishing a book can leverage your knowledge and build recognition as a thought leader.
1. Leadership influence
If you’re looking to develop recognition as a leader or expand your leadership influence you need to show your peer group, networks, bosses or industry leaders, your expertise, knowledge and insights. Working hard and hoping you will get noticed, isn’t going to work.
Being able to articulate your knowledge in a succinct, coherent, interesting and engaging way will get you noticed by those who matter and increase the influence you can have in your role, company and industry in Australia and maybe the world.
2. Establish yourself as a thought leader
Thought leader is a description that I believe is overused and misused. I subscribe to the following definition: an individual or firm recognised as an authority in a specific field, a person who specialises in a given area and whom others in that industry turn to for guidance. A thought leader leads others in the thinking around a given topic.
Not everyone who writes and self publishes a business book is a thought leader, nor wants to be. And that’s OK.
However, if you want to establish yourself as a thought leader you need to have specialist knowledge in your field AND have developed new thinking, a new approach, different perspective within your specialist area and demonstrated this over time.
A book is probably, the best way to demonstrate your knowledge, insights and perspectives. Not only does a book ‘package up’ your knowledge, but it gives you a tool through which you can present and engage with others about it – that’s where real thought leadership has power – in sharing.
3. Speaking opportunities
There’s so many people on the speakers circuit, so many motivational speakers and/or inspirational speakers. And you might have noticed that many of the best motivational and inspirational speakers have a unique story to tell, thoughtful and considered insights and lessons learned that they can share, are brilliant presenters and, probably have a book.
And there’s a reason for the book. Capturing their story in a book has helped them craft their story so that it’s meaningful and relevant to their audiences. It gives them ‘street cred’, expands the reach of their message way beyond those they present to, another revenue stream (from individual and bulk book sales) and helps them secure new speaking opportunities.
4. Business exposure
For many business owners, consultants, professionals and board directors their business book is a vital part of creating awareness of their business and generating new business. For professionals a book is seen as a super-charged business card; for consultants it delivers instant credibility; for business owners it becomes a valuable business development tool that can set them and their business apart from competitors.
With a business book in hand (literally and figuratively) you have the ability to capture the attention of your potential clients, your industry networks, the media and global business networks.
A well constructed and executed book marketing plan can deliver 12-18 months of exposure to the key target audiences you want to reach. We have clients who are still using their books as part of their marketing and engagement after 4 years. That’s the power of a well-written, quality book.
Many of our clients have built new consulting businesses using their book as the initial platform for this. Others have secured radio, television and print media coverage as direct result of their book, while others have built their speaking profile.
5. Building your own community
Writing and self publishing a business book is a great way to build a community around you that’s engaged and active.
Your book and the content you can re-purpose from it (into blogs, posts, articles, presentations, podcasts or newsletters) underpins engagement with your community and, if you want, help you change the world for the better.
Your book focuses attention on your purpose and goals, captures your key messages and can act as a catalyst for action. Some non fiction books that come to mind for me are:
On Liberty by John Stuart Mill
The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels
In the Shadow of Man, Jane Goodall
The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir
A Brief History of Time, Stephen Hawking
The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People by Steven R Covey
Man’s Search for Meaning. Victor E Frankl
Thinking Fast, and Thinking Slow, Daniel Kaheman
Emotional Intelligence, Daniel Goleman
And here’s just one interesting list from The Guardian.