Nicki D. Harper, PhD, Senior Writer and Production Coordinator at Book Lab. Contact Nicki at [email protected].
Will writing a book help you grow your business? Almost always, the answer is yes. But how do you know when it’s time to write that book?
At the heart of every book is the story of an idea. We memorize facts, but we learn from stories. From fairy tales that taught children not to wander into the forest alone to case studies of marketing techniques—we learn from stories. Stories guide us and inspire us; good stories stay with us forever and change the way we think and act. Think of the power of stories like To Kill a Mockingbird or The Grapes of Wrath or The Fountainhead.The story of your idea might tell of a single journey; it may branch off into unexpected directions; it may consist of several “overnight trips.” You’ll know the story behind your idea, because it’s what you talk about whenever you can bend a listening ear. And if friends, family and colleagues groan when you start to tell it, you need to expand your audience. It’s time to put the story of your idea into a book.
Telling your story in a book can help your business in many ways. Being a published author makes you better known as an expert in your field. Folks who read your book may buy your product or service. But those aren’t the best reasons for writing a book. Write your book because you can’t not write it. Because you can’t stop telling the story behind your idea.
One author told me he had been a consultant to businesses large and small for many years. He knew his idea worked—he had case studies to prove it. He felt driven to write about it, to tell his story to anyone who could benefit from it. Finding time was a problem, though, and the months were passing. Finally he left home and business, exiled himself to a hotel room—and didn’t come back until the first draft of his book was written. That’s pretty drastic! But do you ever wish you could put everything else on hold and write down your story? When you want to tell it to the world badly enough, you will find a way—probably not to a hotel room—but your way to a book nonetheless.
Maybe you’re not a very good storyteller; maybe you are better at getting ideas than at writing about them. Never mind. You can find experts to help you at any step along the way—as long as you really care about the story of your idea.
I once discussed ghostwriting a book with a couple who had led fascinating lives, and whose idea was absolutely terrific. The trouble was, they wanted me to research the topic and then write the book. Now, some research is a normal part of the ghostwriting process. But all they planned to do was check over the book after it was written. Well, that would be my book, not theirs. And the more we talked, or rather, the more appointments to talk they missed, the more sure I was that they really didn’t care much about the idea. They cared about having their name in print. And that was all. I told them I could not work with people who didn’t care about their book at least as much as I did. I could not write the story of their idea if they were unwilling to tell it—even to me.
If you care, passionately, about the story of your idea, you can find your way to create a book about it. And when is it time to do that? That’s easy—start today. The time has come.
