I’ve been a proponent of experts writing books to build their business for years. There’s a lot of power and opportunity for someone who takes the time to put their experience and knowledge into a book.
Yet, not everyone is meant to write a book. As a matter of fact, some people should scrap the idea entirely.
Keep in mind, this post is not for those who write simply for the sake of writing with no intention of the book every gaining traction. The traction that gets the book in the hands of readers. For those authors, have fun, write and stop reading this post.
However, for those experts who say they are writing for the purpose of impacting others, building their business with their books and making a difference to their readers, read on.
In the years I’ve been an author, and now a mentor to authors who want to use their books to generate business, there are two areas I’ve seen people struggle.
One, in the overall writing of the book. Two, in the marketing of the book.

Why you may be well served NOT to write a book

If you struggle to sit down and write your book, thus causing yourself a lot of stress, you have a few choices. One, develop a routine for writing. That’s right. Develop routines. Two, give up on the idea of writing a book in order to minimize the stress in your life.
I’m always amused by wanna-be authors who say, “I have to be inspired.” Fact is, those of us who have any number of books under our belt, were not always inspired to write. Yet, once we started writing, we found the inspiration.
The type of people who romance the idea of being published authors, but are not willing to put in the time or effort to do the “boring” stuff, will never get far in their writing. They are the ones who only want to talk about what they are doing rather than doing things like write when no one is looking.
It’s the same with just about anything you say you want to do. I think of my efforts with running races of any distance. When I recently trained for a half marathon, there were plenty of days I wasn’t inspired to train, but I did so anyway.
Days when it was 28 degrees. Or days when it was pouring rain. Or days when we would have company who gathered together in the morning to drink coffee and talk. Any of these would have been excuse enough not to get out and train.
The fact is, I wasn’t always inspired, but I was smart enough to know that if I didn’t give it 100% during the training, the actual half marathon would be harder than it was already going to be.
It’s the same with writing a book. It takes effort. It takes writing even when we are not inspired. It takes getting through our own mental blocks.

Not Knowing Your Big Why

For me, I know that my words make a difference to my readers. Granted, not everyone is impacted by what I write, but there are those who are. Impact, transformation and inspiration for my readers is my big WHY!
It’s the same with what you write. There will be those who crave your words, wisdom and insight and others who don’t.
To not do everything possible to get your words from your head and heart onto paper is doing a disservice to those who need (and want) to read what you write.
If your books are about depression and you have information that could help someone with their depression, giving them insights into how to create a better quality of life for themselves and their family, why are you not doing all you can to help them by finishing your book?
Maybe you’re an animal behaviorist specialist whose insights can literally save a dog from being taken to the pound by teaching simple strategies for a dog to adjust to a new home environment.
Perhaps you’re a relationship expert who knows how couples can have deep, loving relationships through the information you have.
Bottom-line is this; you owe it to your readers to do all you can to get your books written… even when you are not feeling the inspiration in the moment to write. Start writing and the inspiration will surface.

The Boogie Monster – Marketing

The next type of person who may not want to write a book is the author who is not willing to do all they can to market their books.  The way some authors avoid marketing, you would think it is the Boogie Monster we feared as children. You know the one, the Boogie Monster under the bed that left us immobilized, blanket pulled as high as we could get it, wondering when the monster would emerge from under the bed, until we drifted off to sleep.
Then there came a day we realized there was no monster, but rather, it was a figment of our imagination. It’s the same with the Boogie Monster of marketing.
This does not mean you are the one to do the actual marketing tasks. It means you fully understand that a book that is not marketed is one that will not reach its full potential.
With all that is available today for marketing a book, such as blog tours, Thunderclap, Crowd Funding, podcast interviews and social media, there’s no reason an author can’t get some great traction for their books.
Again, you may not be the one who does the actual work, but the work must be done.
Your decision to either do the marketing yourself, or hire someone to do it, is based on two things; money and time. If you have more money than time, outsource. If you have more time than money, do the work yourself. Either way, get it done.

It all Takes Work

The hard truth is, getting a book written, marketed and in the hands of readers, takes works. It’s not always easy. It may be simple (there is plenty of information available on how to do it) but it’s not necessarily easy.
It takes time, commitment and focus. If you’re not willing to do what you need to do, if you’re always waiting to be inspired, if it’s more fun to think about being a published author than putting in the effort, then maybe writing a book is NOT for you.
For everyone else, keep your focus on your big WHY! Why are you writing your book? Who will benefit? How many lives will you change because of your insights, words and wisdom.
Want to know how to reach more of your potential readers? I have two excellent resources to help.
Hit #1 On Amazon FREE Report – Click here
Insider Secrets to Hit #1 webinar – Click here
Both will show you, step-by-step, what to do to get lots of traction for your book(s).
Be sure to join our Facebook Group… Power Up for Profits. This is a community of authors, entrepreneurs, coaches and consultants who all are making a difference. Click the image below.