Why Entrepreneurs Should Become Authors

After helping countless people write and release their first books, I’ve seen the massive impact that becoming an author has on someone’s life.

Even completing such a massive goal is a huge boost to your self-esteem. Writing a book is a common bucket list item, but one which only a small minority of people completes. Simply being among them puts you in rare company.

Aside from the satisfaction of crossing it off your list, releasing a book also has a lot of tangible benefits. This is especially true for authors who release books related to their business.

You shouldn’t underestimate what it takes to write and release a book. It’s no small task. You should carefully consider if it’s worth it before taking the plunge.

However, be sure to factor into your deliberations the many ways that becoming an author can boost your business.

Here are some of the many benefits I’ve seen business authors experience time and time again.

Increases Your Authority and Opens Doors

Remember back in the day when simply having a website was enough to help you stand out from the crowd? While not every business has a good website, most businesses at least have one in some shape or form these days. Most competitors that your potential customers are considering also have a good online reputation. 

So, what can you do to stand out from the rest?

I firmly believe that writing a book is one of the best ways to differentiate yourself from your competition. 

Allowing a potential client to find you via a book gives you the following advantages:

• Rare – In almost every instance, your competitors are unlikely to have released books. Simply doing so instantly makes you stand out from the rest. This positive differentiation is worth its weight in gold.
• Authoritative – Potential clients want to do business with true experts in their field. If you have a well-reviewed book, it instantly shows you have the depth of knowledge in your field to release a book that people are willing to pay for.
• Social proof – When a future customer sees that you have written a book people have paid for and left favorable reviews for, it instantly taps into the powerful concept of social proof, as seen in the book Influence.
• Familiarity – Simply being a known quantity to potential clients is huge. Gifting books with your name and perhaps even photo on them is a relatively cheap way to get exposure and familiarity with the right people.

Aside from how your book can make a future client favorably inclined towards you and your business, it can also open valuable doors for you, such as:

• Speaking gigs – It’s a lot easier to land potentially lucrative speaking gigs as a published author than if you’re not. These events can in turn lead to further book sales and more business.
• Media appearances – If you’re interested in promoting yourself and your business on conventional media such as TV and radio, landing appearances becomes a far easier task if you’re an author.
• Online reputation – Before anyone does business with you, they will inevitably Google your name to see what comes up. Having an author page show up on Google is a huge legitimacy booster for you and your services.

Don’t underestimate the many ways that releasing a book can boost your personal and business success. 

In a world where it’s increasingly hard to stand out in the right way, becoming an author allows you to do exactly that.

Pre-Sells Clients on Your Services 

If someone has read your book, they are already warmed up towards what you do and the way you do it.

Let’s consider an example. Imagine you buy and read one of the blockbuster self-help books from someone like Tony Robbins, such as Awaken The Giant Within. In reading this book, you’ve already become familiar with the type of objectives a coach like Tony Robbins has, the way they carry out their work, and even the tone and personality they use. If you decided to purchase coaching services from Tony Robbins after reading the book, there’s very little chance you’d be negatively surprised by what you received. You would have a reasonable expectation.

Similarly, by releasing a book, you warm up potential clients to your style and the way you do things.

This is a massive efficiency booster for your business. You avoid the situation where a client decides they don’t gel with you after one or two initial meetings. After all, they’ve already spent hours with you by proxy by reading your book!

The key to this is to make sure your book isn’t a thinly-disguised sales pitch. It should offer massive amounts of tangible value to anyone who reads it. Pre-selling potential clients on what you have to offer is just a wonderful side effect of a book that authentically and truthfully communicates who you are and what you have to offer. 

Boosts Your Revenue and Leads

While sales from your book might be a nice little side revenue stream for your business, they probably won’t be enough to make your quit your day job. However, that’s not to say that your book can’t directly lead to a big increase in revenue for your core business. There are several different ways that this can come about.

Some authors directly upsell readers to some other offer, like an online course for example. If someone’s already purchased your book, they are more likely to want to buy from you than a cold prospect would be.

Other authors use their books as just a step in a larger funnel to generate leads for their business. Signing readers up to a mailing list is an effective way to do this. With eBooks, you can even drive traffic directly from a link in the book!

You might want to include a contact page at the back of your book so that readers know exactly how to get in touch with you, and the type of services you can provide to them. If it’s appropriate for your industry and positioning, you might even want to include an exclusive discount for readers.

Ultimately, you might want to think of your business book as a business card, only better! 

Give them out generously to the right people. If you get a copy of your book into the right hands, it might just lead to something huge for your business.