Don't fall for inflated, self-serving claims about the benefits of writing a book. Being an author can boost your career, but only if....
In their book Publish & Flourish, A Consultant’s Guide (1992), authors Garry Schaeffer and Tony Alessandra make this bold claim:
Many [consultants, professional speakers, and trainers] get to a point [in their careers] in which they are established, but not to the extent that they would like. The question becomes, "How do I make the leap to the position of having nearly all the business I want?" The answer is simple: Get published.
Well, it’s not that simple. First of all, writing books won’t help you if what you really need is to improve the quality of your service or develop better client relations, for example. If you have reached those primary goals, then maybe writing a book can help increase your visibility in the marketplace, give you extra credibility, and position you as an eminent expert and foremost authority in your practice niche.
Second, writing a crummy book, or even a decent book, will not boost your career. You must write an excellent book. Writing a book that becomes highly regarded is not simple, even if you are indeed a foremost authority in your area of expertise.
Of course the claim made by Schaeffer and Alessandra is inflated and self-serving, because they are promoting their own careers -- the former is a freelance writer and the latter is some sort management consultant or motivational speaker (it's not clear in his glowing bio on the back cover of the book). Their book Publish and Flourish is self-published, by the way.
The point is, writing a book can boost your career, but only if all of the following are true.
- The book contains information or advice that readers need or desire.
- It presents that information in an innovative or seminal way, or otherwise provides information that is not available in bookstores already.
- It is narrowly focused and deep, rather than broad and superficial.
- It is authoritative, accurate, clearly written, well organized, professionally edited, and easy to use as a reference.
- It looks and feels impressive.
Schaeffer and Alessandra also make this specious claim:
A book is better than a brochure….The average brochure probably ends up in the wastebasket within ten minutes….How many people do you think would throw away a book? Very few. People generally put books on bookshelves.
No, a book is not better than a brochure if the client needs a brochure -- for example, one that describes your services, capabilities, experience, fees, etc. A book can’t do that. And maybe a book will get placed on a bookshelf instead of into the trash, but so what? Is it going to be read or referred to, or just sit on the shelf for years?
If you want your book to boost your career, you must make sure people read it. That is, it must offer valuable information and advice that readers need now and/or often.
Leverage
Can writing a book boost your career? Yes, if you write a highly regarded book. And you can leverage your highly regarded book in order to gain further renown, by
- Spinning off articles
- Using it as a handout in seminars and speaking engagements
- Getting quoted as a foremost expert in the press
- Giving it as a gift to clients, prospective clients, referral sources, and thought leaders in your field.
A book does not accomplish the same goals as a brochure, or a follow-up phone call, or an advertisement. But if your goal is to boost your career by establishing your eminence as an expert, and demonstrating your authoritativeness, a book can help you reach that goal. A highly regarded book, that is.
About the authorDavid M. Freedman is a Chicago-based financial and legal writer and publishing consultant. He is the author of two published non-fiction books, and is the editor of a forthcoming book. He is the director of Eminent Publishing Company (www.empub.com), an equity publisher.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.