10 Reasons to Write a Book

With 12 million (and counting) books on Amazon right now, you might be wondering why anyone would even think it’s a good idea to write a book. Seriously, do we need more?

The short answer to that is, yes, we do need more. Every day there is something new learned by someone, new jokes, new analogies, new stories, and new insights. And the best way to share those, we think, is in a book.

But if you’re still on the fence about whether you should write one, we’ve thought we’d bring you a list of reasons why you should, Actually two lists. We like organization around here, and one of the things we teach about when coaching authors is the need to keep like ideas together. So to practice what we preach, here are 5 business reasons to write a book and 5 personal reasons to do so.

Despite being “word” people, we feel confident that that’s 10 reasons altogether.

5 Business Reasons to Write a Book

While making millions (or even thousands) directly from book sales is out of the realm of possibility for most authors, there are other ways you can monetize your knowledge or experience through a book. Here are some of our favorites:

1. A book is the best business card, ever. Seriously, think about it. How many business cards do you toss aside once the important data is in your cell phone? Now, imagine a consultant, doctor, lawyer, clown teacher, or grand poobah handing you a book full of information you’re interested in. Even if you don’t hire them that instant, you now have a constant reminder of them on your desk, peering over your shoulder from the shelf behind you during Zoom calls, or intimately close to you on the stack of books next to your bed.
2. A book is a marketing and promo piece. As an extension of the business card concept, your book announces and proves to the world that you are, indeed, an expert on a particular topic. Putting what you know into book form is something you can use to open doors for you as you pitch yourself to be a podcast guest, speak on stage, or be present in other media.
3. A book is a lead generator. Whether you want to expand your public speaking engagements, increase sales, attract more coaching clients, or get attendees for your new course, your book proves your credibility and can be used as part of your funnel to attract those new (and repeat) clients.
4. A book secures customer loyalty. Doctors write books to provide more information for their patients than they can give during their 15-minute in-office visits. Attorneys write books explaining how their clients can better position themselves during divorces, company absorptions, when filing for intellectual property rights, etc. Commercial real estate professionals write books to explain ways to maximize investment outcomes for their clients after they close on a new property. On and on and on. Educating clients in ways they didn’t know they needed to be educated will make them want to stay clients for life—and tell their friends and family about you. My doctor wrote a book on dealing with hot flashes. Trust me, she knows what she’s talking about!
5. This one may be a little rare, but it’s a great reason to write a book nonetheless: it can be a resume builder with superpowers. At least one client we’ve worked with used her book to solidify her credibility when job hunting, and she secured a c-suite position.

If any of the above sound like good ideas to you, maybe this will make the thought of writing a book even more charming: often business professionals (after discussing with their accountants) discover the costs related to writing and publishing their books qualify as business expenses they can write off.

5 Personal Reasons to Write a Book

Business shmisness! Sure, we all want to do what we can to secure a nice livelihood, but here’s a secret: the best reasons to write a book are always personal. Nothing compares to the satisfaction of unleashing your creativity, telling your truth, or using your book as an avenue of self-exploration. As such, here are our top 5—scratch that—here are 5 truly great reasons to write a book:

1. Because your book allows your legacy to live on. In an age when AI seems to be usurping all creative outlets, someone with real-life experience becomes ever more important. What you’ve experienced in your life has meaning. You can share that message in an inspiring, uplifting, or entertaining book. Have you ever read a life-changing book? What if your story left such a positive impact on just one other person? How freaking cool would that be?
2. Because you like extreme sports—and because you don’t. Unleashing your creativity can be a wild ride! So many of us grew up trained to be practical and to focus on figuring out how to feed and clothe ourselves as adults, which often meant putting our creativity aside. As adults, we learned to safely let it out for things like sponge painting clouds on the ceiling of our newborn’s nursery or paint-n-sip girls’ nights out with our friends or building McMansions out of LEGOs next to our kids dutifully following instructions for the airplane kit they just got. While those are all fun experiences, they barely scratch the creative itch. While it can be hard to allow ourselves to go all out—possibly even scary because, really, who knows what will land on the page?—there is nothing like the thrill of learning to express our creativity to the fullest extent. Not even volcano boarding compares. (Not that we’ve tried volcano boarding…)
3. Because writing a book is a healing process. Yes, the advice to “write what you know” has merit, but writing for what you want or need to know has power. Sometimes it takes writing a memoir to understand exactly how you overcame adversity. At other times, writing to explore your understanding of a religion or philosophy is what’s necessary to see the world through hopeful or optimistic eyes. And at still other times, writing expands your perception, which allows for releasing the grip of the past and even for forgiving. We can, and do, grow stronger and healthier as our word counts grow larger.
4. Because writing creates community. Have you ever realized you were not alone after reading someone else’s story? You can have the same impact on someone else with your story. You never know who or how many others will be moved when they discover they are not alone because you were brave enough to share your story, your wisdom, your insights, your messages of hope and inspiration.
5. Because it’s fun, and you want to write a book. This is actually the best reason of all to write a book. We don’t question why people play golf. We don’t frown on anyone perusing the yarn aisle in Walmart to knit yet another scarf. We don’t judge anyone for occasionally binge-watching something on TV. And we can appreciate when our friends find unique hobbies that bring them joy. So why not extend that unconditional acceptance to your desire to write a book? Writing a book is just as legitimate a reason to have a little fun as anything else.

So if you’re ready…ask us how to get started! Connect with us today to see how a writing coach, ghostwriter, or developmental editor can help you get started making your book idea a reality.

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