4 Myths of Writing a Book
Writing a book will make me lots of money.
It will automatically make me successful.
It’s difficult to write a book.
Write it and they will come.
I need to get a publisher/agent.
These are all things I’ve heard many times over the years of being an author and a book mentor.
And they are all myths. Or are they?
Let’s start with the money myth.
Very few people make money from writing a book. Especially if they take the author rather than the authority approach.
Although I can give you examples from a few clients who have bucked this trend who have had phenomenal book sales upon launch, when you write an authority book, most people recoup their investment and build their business by sales off their book. I mean things like securing new clients, running workshops, creating online programmes and the like.
It will also cost you to write a book. It’ll cost you time when you’re not working with clients or looking for new business. It’ll cost you if you get help with your book. That’s why it’s important to consider your return on investment. As it’s well worth getting help and paying for it, so you need to see how you’re going to recoup that investment if it’s going to be worth your while.
Then there’s the difficult myth.
How easy or difficult is it to write a book? Well it is a perception and everyone is different.
Personally, I find it easy to write a book. BUT only when I’ve done all the preparation first. When I know what I’m going to say, how I’m going to say it and when I’m going to do it. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.
In my new book, Becoming An Author-ity, I don’t even talk about the writing part until around half way through the book, so to make it as easy as possible, you need to do four key things first. You need time to make it happen and ideally accountability to keep you on track, so that you both start and finish writing it.
You also need to ensure that you have something new to say, and find a unique angle or hook that will truly engage your readers.
And although I don’t suggest you rush the process, equally don’t leave it so long that you lose momentum and never ever finish writing it.
What about write it and they will come?
That’s a huge myth. One mistake that many authors make is thinking that they can write their book, put it on Amazon and sit back and enjoy the profits. That doesn’t happen unless you’re particularly well known and even then, you need to take action.
I recently attended Mary Portas’ book launch for her new book, and despite being reasonably well known and having a big publisher, she still diligently spoke at numerous events around the UK and spent hours chatting with her readers and signing books. You have to market your book, tell people about it and go out and promote it.
And if you write the wrong book or don’t have clear steps for your readers, then this certainly won’t happen.
I need to get a publisher or agent.
This is another myth I often hear.
Although it’s great to get a publishing deal in terms of kudos, it may not be the best route to take, especially if you’re writing an authority book.
The danger of getting a publishing deal is the length of time it’s likely to take before your book is produced, so someone else may get in there first. You may also find that you lose control over your intellectual property and the final content in the book, which are both essential if you want to use it as a business building tool.
It’s become easier than ever to get a book published. You only need to do an online search to find a plethora of options available to you, such as partnership or hybrid publishing and self-publishing. Although there is a cost involved in publishing your book yourself, when you do it well, it will benefit your business. But you must ensure it’s aligned to your business, get professional help to ensure it looks great, and you need to promote the hell out of it before, after and during its launch!
These are just four of the myths that I hear about writing a book and there are many more than I debunk in my new book, Becoming An Author-ity.