Writing a business book is the ultimate authority builder!

A lot of people think they have a ‘book in them’. A lot of people have expertise that is worth sharing in a book. Very few of these people actually write a book and publish it (or get it published).

So it stands to reason that, if you’re one of these few, who takes the time to write a book, and goes to the effort of getting it published, then you’ll stand out from the billions who haven’t.

And if the book’s any good, even if you don’t sell millions of copies, you’ll be seen as an authority in your field. This can help build your expert profile and help build your business.

It’s a competitive world out there

I’m a marketer. There are thousands upon thousands of marketers out there. Some work within companies. Some work in agencies. Some consult. Some coach. Some run their own businesses. All are marketers.

On a percentage basis, very few of them have published a book about marketing.

The ones that have, stand out from all of the others by virtue of the fact that they have enough knowledge (and the will) to put their thoughts into a book, and are willing to share their expertise with the world at large.

It can seem like a risky proposition: for everyone person who is supportive of what you’ve written, it can feel like there are a dozen more who want to tear you down. But the fact is, the naysayers don’t matter, and the people who know less about your subject matter than you do (i.e. most people who aren’t in your field) will see you as an expert. With authority. Someone who offers more than others operating in the same space.

Your book will help you stand out. It will attract a wider range of people to you. People who can become your clients and customers and referral partners.

A business book should have a clear purpose

If you are writing a business book for the purpose of growing, or even changing, your business, then it needs to be written with that clear purpose in mind.

If you want to attract more clients to your existing products and services, then the book could educate them about the need for these products and services and show them why you’re the right person for them.

If you want to build a different business, then your book can help you facilitate that.

If you want to raise your profile by being controversial, so you attract media commentary and speaking gigs, then your book can help you position yourself accordingly.

Before you start writing your book, first work out what you want it to help you achieve, then write to that purpose.

If you’re unclear on how to do that, there are a range of online resources available to help, or you can engage a book coach to help guide you through the entire book journey.

You can build a business around a business book

As I mentioned before, I’m a marketer, and my business is providing marketing services and marketing consulting to businesses of various shapes and sizes. Which is great. It’s fine. It’s what I do. It’s what I’m good at. And I really like doing it.

So naturally enough, when I thought about writing a book, it was a book about marketing. Perhaps a book to help business owners navigate the necessary marketing tools available to them and how to get the most of out of them. That’s helpful. The book would show I know what I’m doing and help people on their journey. So I started writing that. It felt a bit like a university assignment, but it seemed the sensible thing to do.

When I (some may say inevitably) got bored with that, I let my mind drift a bit over other options. When I closed my eyes and let myself dream. Let myself think about what else I could be doing. Let myself think about what I loved to do most in my day-to-day business and thought about how I could get more of that. A new book was born.

It turns out that the part of my business that really rocked my world, was helping women move out of a corporate role (or an existing business) and build a business that delivered the flexibility and purpose they wanted with the income they needed.

In an age of gender inequality and a corporate world that required women to sacrifice other areas of their life for their careers, I see business ownership as a great way of claiming back their power and getting a life they deserve, with whatever ‘happy’ looks like to them built in.

Along with the new book, was a desire to share this knowledge as far and wide as possible, so that saw me develop workshops online and around the country and look for speaking engagements that helped spread the possibilities further.

So with the new book, came the new business model. And I pivoted accordingly.

I’m still a marketer. I still run and grow my original business. But I’ve added this business to it as well. And that’s awesome! For me. Your vision will be yours.

Should you write a business book?

Writing a book isn’t easy. It takes time. It takes thought. Some people are not natural or comfortable writers, so it could actually be their vision of hell. But if you have expertise to share, and a willingness to share it. If you have a business you want to build, or you want to become a go-to expert in your field, then writing and publishing a business book may be the way to go.

What writing options do you have to write a book?

And there are lot of ways of getting it done. You could get yourself locked in a room until you finish your first draft. You could choose to write a chapter a week. You could engage a ghost writer. You could write it with someone else. You could use AI to help you (but please don’t get AI to write the whole thing because that won’t be your expertise and not ‘your’ book). The options are many!

In my case, I engaged a book coach to keep me on track and help me navigate through the intricate world of self-publishing. I knew I needed someone to keep me focussed and on track (as well as being a fabulous sounding board when I hit a wall or needed a sanity check) and I wanted to self-publish, so that worked for me.

If you want to discuss options, authors are a fairly caring and sharing bunch, so you can reach out and ask them how they did it. There are writer chat groups, author discussion boards, writers’ associations, all of which you can use to learn more about your options.

So, are you ready to stand out from the crowd?

If you’re ready to build your authority and think a business book could be a good way of helping you do this, then get to it!

As someone on that journey, I can honestly say it’s quite a ride. For me, it’s been well worth it. Personally and professionally satisfying. And fun.

If you’re not sure. Talk to people. Find out if it’s for you. Find out if it’s not for you. Put it in the mix and see what comes out. It could be just the new business adventure you’ve been looking for.