The benefit

we are the things of my ekon. ami jani tmi r ki so bolbe na. so tmi onk valo. tmk r ekbar bole dei j tmi thak. As promised in yes today we're going to talk about why you might want to write a book.

Now, before we begin, let's talk about what kind of book we're talking about here.

For now, and for the remainder of this series, when I say “book”, I'm referring to a specific type of book. I'm referring to what's colloquially called a “calling card book”.

A calling card book is the book you write, on the topic of your expertise, that establishes you as an authority and an expert.

While it does many other cool things, it's DESIGNED to prove you're a pro.

Yes, it also gets a foot in the door for speaking gigs. Yes, you'll also get new clients and buyers. Yes, you'll finally have something to link to for the rest of your life. Yes, you'll have something to talk about when your crazy bat of an aunt asks you what you're up to these days.

Those are all true.

But its primary function is the establishment of expertise.

Depending on your industry, this can take on many different forms.

Sometimes, it's a pure knowledge book. You take a bunch of stuff you know, put it in a logical order, and slap a cover on that baby. That's the usual method.

But if you're in a different kind of industry, you can do it other ways. If you run a cooking blog, a cookbook would be the logical choice here.

If you run a knitting podcast (?!), it could be a pattern book. But it could also be what's called “narrative nonfiction”. (Like a memoir or story on the topic of Knitting And Stuff.)

It could even be resource or encyclopedia style. (Luca Turin's Perfumes: The A-Z Guide is just a few lines of his HIGHLY biased opinion on a bunch of different perfumes, and it's a master work.)

So there's a ton of ways you can write a calling card book, and no matter what your style, preference, or ability, there's a way we can make a calling card book work for your situation.

BUT!

The one thing that is consistent is that the topic of your book is related, however loosely, to your area of expertise.

As I said yesterday, for everyone who knows they want to write a book, there are half a dozen more who are unsure if it's right for them. (Or right for them at this time. Or the best use of their time right now.)

Some people are in the position professionally that their lack of book-with-a-capital-B has become embarrassingly conspicuous. For those people, yes, now would be a good time. You guys can just go back to your coffee. I'll see yo in class. It starts on the 5th

But for others, it's not so clear cut.

There have been a ton of changes in the way your potential customers and clients consume content, and the book industry has been turned on its head. Is a book still a thing? Will it have value for me as a business owner? Will it be worth the effort?

So, if you might be in that camp, here are some things to consider.

First, to clear up some misconceptions and establish expectations, I'll tell you straight up what a book is NOT going to give you. Then we'll move to the fun stuff of what it WILL give you.