By BookBaby author The Book Professor
Most people probably don’t think “author” when they imagine an entrepreneur, but the experiences of entrepreneurs have prepared you to be an author, and your story can make excellent nonfiction reading.
A story of entrepreneurial success has everything nonfiction readers crave: a protagonist pursuing a goal, obstacles to struggle against, lessons learned, and inspiration to pass on. We’ve seen countless businessmen and women write books that help others and garner rave reviews.
In case you need it, here are five reasons why you, Mr. or Mrs. Entrepreneur, should write a book.
1. You’ve got the skills
The skills that make a good author are the same skills that made you a successful entrepreneur.
It takes hard work and determination to start a business. You likely had to persevere through obstacles, guided by a dream and powered by faith in your own abilities. The writing process is much the same. It takes time to write and edit an entire manuscript, and you may find the process challenging. You’ll have to trust your vision for your book and work hard to get there.
Starting a business also takes creativity. You have to position yourself in the market, tell the story of your brand, and innovate in response to setbacks. Writing a book is an inherently creative endeavor as well, even if the industry you write about is a cut-and-dry subject matter.
If you survived starting a business, you’re primed and ready to finish a manuscript.
2. You can help others
Someone out there needs your story to help them along their own path.
What helped you in your journey? What was holding you back that you had to let go of? What do you wish you’d known? What steps helped you reach difficult goals? Share these things with readers and help other aspiring entrepreneurs.
Book Professor® author Dr. Peter Wishnie wrote The Podiatry Practice Business Solution for just this reason. As a long-time podiatrist who managed his own practice, he knew that healthcare professionals like himself had little guidance on the business side of their work. At the start of his career, he’d wished for a resource to teach him how to treat his private practice like a small business. So, Wishnie wrote the book he wished he’d had as a young doctor.
And your readers don’t just want to hear the nuts-and-bolts of how you started or grew your business. They also want to hear about those qualities that helped you find success — persistence, hard work, determination. Help them cultivate a mindset for progress and gently let go of attitudes that hold them back. No one can teach them better than a fellow entrepreneur!
3. Grow your following
A book isn’t just a book. It’s a doorway to all kinds of marketing opportunities.
When you share expertise about your industry or business, you might get invited to speaking events or conferences where you can talk about your work and sell copies of your book. You may be invited to write a guest blog post or appear on a podcast, where you can request a link to your book and your business website. Book publication can also provide material for your social media outreach or blog. Use your book to raise your profile at industry meetups, your local chamber of commerce, or other groups that have a connection to your topic. Request online reviews of the book from colleagues and ask them to share on their social media channels.
Even if you’re not ready to start your own podcast, you can brainstorm plenty of opportunities to market your work through your book.
4. Establish authority
Readers approach books assuming that the author is an expert on the subject matter, so writing your own book can help establish you as an authority in your field. A book promotes your breadth of knowledge and showcases your career success. It offers readers a window into how you approach work and tackle problems. Most importantly, it helps readers associate your name with your industry.
Businessman-turned-author Steven Denny, for example, established his business acumen by writing a book series about the logistics of selling a business. It’s a niche topic, and Steven is the expert. Even the title, You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know: A Step-by-Step Guide For Getting the Most From the Sale of Your Business, implies a high level of understanding on the part of the author and a willingness to guide the reader through the subject.
Remember, readers come to you for answers. They want you to know more than they do. Show them what you know and raise your profile within your industry.
5. Now is the perfect time
More than ever, we live in a gig economy. People have decided that they no longer want to work at building someone else’s dream — they want to live their own.
This new wave of entrepreneurs is hungry for guidance from those who’ve gone before them. They’re curious about how you reached your goals and want insight from your journey. Take advantage of this moment and tell your story.
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This BookBaby blog article 5 Ways Being An Entrepreneur Has Primed You To Be An Author appeared first on and was stolen from BookBaby Blog .