007 4 reasons why you should write a book (and 2 you shouldn’t)
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[00:00:00] As I've talked with people about writing, I've discovered so many people who want to write a book. In fact, one survey I saw said that 80 percent of people would like to write a book, but only 1 percent actually ever do.
I've also seen that sometimes people don't have a solid foundation for why they're writing a book. And as I said in a [00:00:15] previous episode, if you don't know your why for writing a book, the chances of completing it are pretty much zero, you will be derailed. So I want to talk in this episode about four compelling reasons And as a bonus at the end, I'm going to give you two reasons why you should not write [00:00:30] one.
The last one actually contradicts a really popular myth about writing a book. Let's discuss.
[00:00:45]
Welcome to the Raw Leader. My name is Simon Holley and my aim is to help you get your message out by helping you speak, write, coach or lead with less stress, more clarity and greater impact. Thanks for joining me. And today we're talking about four compelling reasons to write a book. [00:01:00] But before we get into that, have you seen my guide to dismantling imposter syndrome?
It's a guide I put together after having so many conversations over the years with speakers and authors, leaders of all shapes and sizes who are blocked by this thing called imposter syndrome. This internal block that holds so many of us back. [00:01:15] You can get it for free at therawlleader. com forward slash imposter.
I hope that it helps you. So what are the four reasons, the four compelling reasons to write a book? You might be surprised by the first one. The reality is that other people will be changed by your book. But the one who will [00:01:30] go through the greatest change is actually you. There's something about writing, putting stuff down in black and white, that does something in you.
The first reason to write a book is to grow. Writing a book does so many things in you. It trains you to think. It sharpens your thought processes. [00:01:45] It makes you research your thinking.
Your thinking in general, but also the subject that you're talking about will be so much sharper and so much more helpful to other people if you write a book.
It also faces you up to your inner demons, your insecurities. They will come up [00:02:00] as you write the book and you'll have to face them. Imposter syndrome will be in your face. People pleasing will be in your face. It'll all be there and you'll grow as you overcome them, especially if you've got a coach to help you and more on that later.
The third thing is [00:02:15] your confidence. Your confidence in who you are and who you've been made to be will also grow. So the first reason to write a book, actually, is not for other people. It's for you. It's for you to grow. The second reason is this. People would not know who Malcolm Gladwell, for example, is [00:02:30] if it weren't for his book about the tipping point.
People wouldn't know who George Orwell was apart from his book 1984. You could list any number of people from non fiction to fiction . They are known because they wrote a book. Those books took someone relatively unknown and made them a household [00:02:45] name. So the second reason to write a book is to establish authority and credibility.
I'm not saying that if you write a book you'll become a household name, nor probably should you want to be. But writing a book establishes you as an authority in your subject area, especially if it's a good [00:03:00] book. You may not have a qualification, but the fact that you've written a book gives you huge credibility, and so it should.
You are one of the 1 percent who actually had the time and determination to get down to writing and publishing a book. Writing a book shows the world that [00:03:15] expertise that's inside you in a way that even qualifications don't, because through your book people can get to know you.
They can see how you think, how you process, how you help other people. So the second reason to write a book is you establish authority and [00:03:30] credibility when you write a book. And it's such a key reason. The third great reason to write a book, well, one of the big myths that stopped people writing a book is the market is so saturated.
There's loads of books on whatever subject you want to write a book on. And other people have told you, oh, there's loads of books on [00:03:45] on that. Here's the truth, though. No one has written a book on that subject like you will. You've got a unique take on that subject that no one else will. You've got a story that will impact some people in a different way to the way that other people impact those [00:04:00] people.
So the third reason to write a book is to share your unique take and to impact others. I talk about this in my episode on four things you must know before writing a book. I think it's episode two. I think the number one reason to write a nonfiction book is to help other people. [00:04:15] That should be part, a key part of your driving why.
When you get that you realize that You can help people that others can't help. I was talking with one of the authors I'm coaching right now, how she was concerned about feedback from a particular [00:04:30] person. In fact, she was concerned about feedback, how a book will be received overall. But when we drilled into it, it was one particular person that she was concerned about.
And I said to her, do you think that person is going to be helped by you? And she said, probably not. I said, I agree. I don't [00:04:45] think that person can be helped by you. I'm not sure who can help them, so forget about them. Focus on the people that you can help. And you know, it's not just people alive today.
Writing a book leaves a legacy for generations to come. Some of the books that have impacted me the most have been [00:05:00] written by people who are long dead. When you write a book, you are leaving behind a tangible legacy for future generations. The last reason is also interesting. Some people want to write a book because it's going to make them rich.
That's [00:05:15] a myth that some people live with. If I write this book, it'll make me rich. I think that is unlikely to happen, and I don't think it's a great reason to write a book. Writing a book is not a get rich quick scheme. But equally, some people don't write a book because they don't think there's any money in it at all.[00:05:30]
And that also isn't true. So the fourth reason to write a book is if you do it right, it does create a passive income stream. I have to say though, you have to know what you're doing. And the revenue is not just from the book itself. Writing the book is the [00:05:45] foundation, but a lot of the income won't come from the book itself, but from things around the book and opportunities that emerge Transcribed Because you've written a book, things like study guides or audio books or coaching services, or even speaking engagements can all open up if you position your book correctly and [00:06:00] market it well.
You've got to be smart in how you market your book. If you're going to get it to sell and open those other doors for you. ~Now, you might not be interested in making money from your book at all, and that's fine. But if you are interested in creating a passive income from a book, then~ I've got a new coaching course launching soon that's going to help new authors write their first book.
So if you want to get on the wait list for that, head to therawleader. com slash first book, and I'll [00:06:15] send you the details when it launches. So that is four reasons to write a book. And the two reasons not to well, we covered them, didn't they? One is it's not a get rich quick scheme. Don't write a book for that reason.
Very unlikely to happen might happen, but very unlikely. And the second is don't write a book to be liked [00:06:30] by people. Not everyone is going to like your book or like you because of your book. Writing a book is not going to help you win a popularity contest. Don't write it for that reason. But write it for the four reasons I've given you.
I hope it was helpful. Don't forget to check out the new coaching course, the raw leader. com [00:06:45] forward slash first book and get my guide from for dismantling imposter syndrome. You can get that at the raw leader. com forward slash imposter. Also, if you're watching on YouTube, I'd love to get to 100 subscribers.
So please help me out if you can. So I can help more people to get their message out. [00:07:00] Thanks so much for listening. See you in a future episode. [00:07:15]
