I love this comment, and I get it a lot, several times a week in fact. There are 5 common blocks to writing and publishing your business book.
The interesting thing about it is that for most people writing and publishing their business book is one of those agenda items that keeps getting rolled over to some point in the near or distant future and simply doesn’t happen. So I thought I’d explore why most business people think about writing a book but never get around to it.
The five top blocks to writing and publishing your business book.
1. Don’t have the time
We’re all busy so finding time to allocate to writing and publishing a book seems impossible. Juggling running a business, being the face of your business, juggling family, friends and health leave little space for a book.
Jaqui’s response: The reality is if a book is something you want to do, you’ll make it a priority and you’ll find the time. If you can allocate 3-4 hours a week in two sessions you can create the time.
2. Don’t know where to start
Most seasoned business people have so much knowledge to share working out what to share in a book is a challenge.
Jaqui’s response: This is one of the reasons the first two steps in The Book Adviser program don’t involve writing at all. They’re all about working out your target audience and their challenges and then matching this with the specific knowledge you have that solves those challenges. This process helps you work out what knowledge and insights to share.
3. Not clear about my purpose
Jaqui’s response: Business people write books for different reasons. Understanding what your purpose is up front is mission critical for your book project as it will inform what you write about, who you are writing for, what success looks like for your book and the impact you want to make. I’ve shared some thoughts about this in a recent post.
4. Not confident about my writing skills
Let’s face it, most business people have not written a longer form piece of writing for years or decades. Report writing, even thought leadership pieces, LinkedIn articles or industry articles are short form compared to a book manuscript that is typically 20,000-30,000 words.
Jaqui’s response: Confidence in your ability to write a book comes from working out your purpose, target audience and content outline BEFORE you start writing. That way you break down the book into manageable segments (chapters).
And, the only way to gain confidence is to start writing. The more you write (and read) the better you’ll get, and most manuscripts go through several – and I mean several – drafts.
5. Fear of peer group/industry criticism
Deep down most of us fear rejection and/or criticism so we avoid putting ourselves out there. Writing a book about your area of knowledge and insights takes courage because you’re sharing it with the world.
Jaqui’s response: The reality is everyone won’t agree with what you’ve written, and that’s a good thing. Your book is about starting a discussion, not ending it. You want people to read and engage with you, talk about your book, your ideas and perspectives . . . this is how you effect change and make an impact.
If you’re ready to tackle one or more of these 5 blocks to writing and publishing your business book why not take action today and contact me rather than leaving it on your agenda for one day.
I can help you turn one day into a specific day in 2020.
Jaqui Lane