There are many people running successful businesses who have expertise that might help other people, but does that mean they should all write books?
There are 600,00 traditionally published, English language, books annually (*2024 stats) – plus another half a million of self-published books. Not all self-published books are good books, some are not well written (and/or not edited), but there is a constant demand for books – both fiction and non-fiction.
With that in mind, is there a need for another book on any subject?
I think that the answer is ‘yes’, providing you have some value to add. And, usually, that value is you, your opinion, your take on the subject and the wisdom you’ve gathered on your area of specialism over the years.
There is a danger of replicating the content of an existing book – especially with non-fiction – but, if you’ve done your research, you’ll have an idea of what is already out there and know what you have to add, or a new angle on the subject.
Also, look on Amazon and you’ll see that people rarely buy just one book on a subject, they buy several. Each author has their own spin and viewpoint and the reader assimilates the various information and develops their own take on the subject.
Buy what’s in it for me?
Getting a contract with a mainstream publisher for a first time author is as rare as hen’s teeth, so it’s likely that your first book will either be published through an independent publisher, or self-published. That means you’ll need to fund the cost of publication – and all that goes with it. So is it worth it?
Most people who publish business books or self-development books are not going to get rich on the proceeds, and the success of the book is down to how much marketing you do.
However, being the author of a book gives you a powerful ‘business card’. It will open doors to opportunities, like being invited to speak, being higher profile at local and industry events, giving you added value to offer potential customers/clients whether as an additional sale or included in a package.
It also means that you can increase your fees – people expect authors to be more expensive to hire, because they’re authorities.
The only person who can decide if you have a book ready to emerge is you, but don’t let anyone tell you that you couldn’t write a book. If you have the message, you don’t have to be a great writer (you just need a good editor) – and be ready to do the marketing for your book to gain momentum.
