Whether you’ve ever written a book or not, on some level you know you should write (another) one. Books allow you to be more expansive than other information products and will therefore foster a deeper connection with your reader than you can achieve elsewhere. Below, I list 5 reasons you need to write a book; in the comments, I’d love to hear what other reasons you can think of.
Writing a book:
- Allows you to position yourself as an expert
This reason for writing a book is at the top of the list for one simple reason: it works. In your book, you’ll show that you really know your stuff. While your book won’t solve all of your readers’ problems, by the time they finish it, they’ll trust you to help them.This way of gaining your readers’ trust, letting them get to know you, and (hopefully) making them like you works alongside all of your other content marketing materials. But unlike the other formats you use (webinars, Facebook Lives, blog posts, ….), this one gives you the space to develop your topic without the pressure of making a sale or gaining a subscriberIf you’re thinking, but ‘I want to write a book that tells my story, not one that solves a problem’, keep reading. In telling your story, you’ll help your readers relate to you and your experiences. Along the way you’ll show them that if you can do it (whatever ‘it’ is for your book), they can too. That’s a powerful lesson. - Advertises your services without being salesy
In a book there are no links to click or products to buy. The book’s only job is to provide information to the reader. In this sense, it is like a webinar, but crucially, there is no hint that you could do so much more for your audience if they invested in your paid offer because the book is a complete whole.Nevertheless, your book will only show your audience some of what you can do. Once they’ve read it and are ready for more, they will seek you out. You will have proven that you can improve their lives in some small way, so they will ask you what else you can do for them. - Allows space for you to teach something that’s too complicated for a blog post
Of course, you could do a series of posts, but books are better for complicated content. When people read blog posts, they want the information to be presented in a condensed, easy to consume format. When they read books, they want all the details that the same readers would find boring in a blog post.
A book also makes it easier for readers to go back to previous chapters if they have questions and to take notes. Furthermore, having the information all in one place helps your reader see your topic as a whole. No one will accidentally stumble upon chapter three and not realise the other chapters are there, too. Whereas with a post in a series on your blog, that might happen (or, more likely, they’ll get distracted and not remember to go looking for the other posts).In short, a book makes it easy for your audience to engage with complex material. - Gives you a way to repurpose material from a course
If you’ve created a course, you’ve already done a lot of the work that goes into writing a book. You will have researched your topic, validated the topic, and arranged the lessons in a logical order. To turn this into a book, you simply need to write down what you taught and expand it a little with examples.Alternatively, you could write your book first, and then turn that into a course. You’d have a ready audience for your course! - Brings in income
Finally, to state the obvious, when you sell your book, you make money. How many other advertising methods do that? All in one little package, you give your audience the opportunity to get to know, trust, and like you.
If you’re thinking of writing a book, but you’re struggling to get started, you might be interested in my course: Solid Beginnings. In this four-module course, you will focus your ideas, outline your book, develop a consistent writing routine, and find time in your busy schedule to write.
Whether or not you’re ready to sign up for a course, I’d love to share the free resources in my Library with you; you can sign up for that here.