Writing a book: Getting the fun out of it

Apr 20, 2015 | Writing A Book

Harry Connick, Jr. described playing with Branford Marsalis this way:

“It’s incredibly rewarding, emotionally fulfilling, and fun. But it’s not easy.”

That’s what writing a business book should be. In fact, if you’re one of those folks who wants to write a book in six weeks (or four or eight or over a weekend) you can stop reading right here. This is only for people who want to put in the work to write a great book.

Writing a book should be incredibly rewarding

Writing a great business book should give your business and career a boost. Your book can help you win new clients and increase your fees. It can provide the credential that makes people want to do business with you. Those are extrinsic rewards.

Writing a book should be emotionally fulfilling

There are intrinsic rewards, too. You should be proud of becoming an author. You should gain a sense of mastery from learning more about your topic than most people will ever know.

Writing a book should be fun

Enjoy the destination, but enjoy the journey too. Enjoy the learning and the struggles to get the words just right. If writing a book is a chore, you should hire one of those ghostwriters who will write the book for you, with minimum effort and involvement on your part.

Writing a great business book is not easy

There are lots of quick and easy ways to do a book. But great books take work. They take time and care and attention to detail. Great work is always hard. Great work is always worth it.