Do you find yourself asking, “Should I write a book?”
You’re in good company.
Millions aspire to write a book each year. 81% of Americans to be exact!
But few actually do it. And out of the few that do, most of them get fewer than 200 sales.
Sound grim?
Well, the good news is I’m not here to talk you out of writing a book.
On the contrary. There are several great reasons to write a book—many of which are hard to realize until after you’ve already written your book.
I know firsthand. My book Publish. Promote. Profit. has helped me build a multi-seven-figure business and establish myself as a thought leader in my industry.
But things might not have turned out that way if I let the difficulty of writing a good book stop me from ever doing it.
So if you’re considering writing a book, I’m about to show you the 6 main reasons to write and the crazy (often overlooked) benefits of being an author. These will help you persevere and become one of the few who actually write a good book.
6 Great Reasons to Write a Book (Despite the Difficulty)
1. You have a powerful story to tell
You, no doubt, have some sort of story burning inside you. It could be nuggets of wisdom you learned over the years from successes or failures or even a counterintuitive approach that has helped you break through and achieve incredible results.
Regardless of the specifics, you have something that can benefit others. And even if it’s a small number of people, this is a powerful reason for writing a book.
It’s your “why”, as Simon Sinek would say, behind taking the time to accomplish such a herculean task.
Of course, you don’t necessarily have to actually write the book–you can hire a good ghostwriter, but it’s a monumental task either way.
2. You want to grow your business
Books are incredibly powerful business tools.
They help you:
- Provide an affordable way for your target audience to get incredible value
- Build trust with potential prospects much faster
- Become viewed as a thought leader
- And so much more
I don’t recommend writing a book just for money from book sales because there are much better ways to use your book to grow your business…
Rather, I recommend using your book in a number of ways such as a free plus shipping book funnel that gives prospects a way to get to know you and your expertise.
I’ve used this over the years to generate millions of dollars in revenue from high-ticket products and programs (and have done the same for my clients).
3. You want to leave a legacy
Writing a book is one way to leave a legacy that will live on long after you’re gone.
It’s not only something your kids and grandkids can read and benefit from, it’s something that can continue impacting lives for decades (or even centuries).
There are many books I love that are still widely read today that were written almost 100 years ago.
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie (1936)
Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill (1937)
…and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
You have the opportunity to leave a lasting impact on the world with a great book.
4. You want a passive income stream
This is one of the most popular reasons people today want to write books.
And it’s very realistic to create a substantial passive income stream from book sales.
As I’ve already mentioned, in 99% of cases book sales won’t create a substantial business, but that doesn’t mean you can’t generate a few thousand dollars per month as an author.
There are several authors who self-publish books on Amazon and have impressive passive income streams.
Just don’t expect to hit the lottery and create tens of thousands of dollars per month just from book sales.
It’s possible but very uncommon.
5. You’ve been putting it off
The best time to write a book was 5 years ago.
The next best time is today.
Most people who want to write a book never do. If you find yourself in this boat, a powerful reason to finally write your book is to make sure it actually gets done.
6. The journey will teach you more than you can imagine
Even if you write a book and don’t see many sales or massive business impact, you are going to learn a ton. The knowledge itself can be worth the long and difficult road.
You’ll learn about:
- The book writing and publishing process (whether you do it yourself or hire someone)
- Marketing and how to get your message in front of the right people
- Yourself, more than anything else
It’s an incredibly rewarding experience to see a book come to life. And writing itself is a great exercise for the brain. It helps you reflect, forms arguments, and works your creative muscles.
And you never know what could happen in the future if you continue marketing your book and even writing more.
3 Often Overlooked Benefits of Writing a Book
1. It builds your brand (more than you think)
Just the presence of a book immediately increases your credibility.
And if the book is actually good and gets traction, it can act as your most powerful marketing tool.
This creates a scenario where leads are pouring into your website ready to purchase from you. You don’t have to convince them to work with you because they’ve read your book and already trust you.
Building this kind of trust is very difficult, but a great book makes it significantly easier.
2. It quickly creates new opportunities
Similarly to how a book builds your brand, it also opens up opportunities you could never imagine.
People will start coming to you for speaking gigs, podcast interviews, and even consulting projects that further grow your business. We call this becoming the Hunted, not the Hunter!
It’s not impossible to get these otherwise, but it’s very difficult to create a marketing engine that sends them to you on autopilot.
A great book does this when marketed well.
3. You can change peoples’ lives
We’ve already touched on this but it’s worth stating again.
Your book can change someone’s life.
It can lead to them taking action and making positive changes that create more opportunities (and an overall better life) just by reading your book.
And this feeds into building your legacy, helping others, and even further building your business.
It’s easy to gloss over just how much your book could impact people.
Don’t fall into that temptation!
Use this benefit to help you persevere through writing and finishing your book.
Is Writing a Book Worth It?
If you have a powerful story, something unique to say, and have done your market research, the answer is a RESOUNDING yes.
Writing a book can help you in all the ways we’ve already discussed and many more that you won’t even know until you’ve finished and marketed your book.
That doesn’t make this whole process easier, though.
Writing, publishing, and marketing a great book is very difficult.
That’s why I’m offering my book Publish. Promote. Profit for free (plus shipping) here.
It gives you a roadmap for this whole journey so you can avoid the same mistakes so many authors make.
