I published my first bit of writing when I was seven. We lived in a small town then, and the local newspaper had a story-writing contest for the elementary school. I won the prize for the second grade, and the paper published my story.
After I got out of the Marines, I sold a few stories and a couple of general articles before stumbling on my true writing love. I sold a couple of business articles to make ends meet, and they caught the eye of an editor for an industrial publishing house. He engaged me to write four short “how to” books. I wrote the first one in 1972, and I was hooked.
Since then, almost all of my writing has been related to business. I’ve written direct response copy, marketing materials, and web copy. I’ve written business blog posts. I wrote books, too. For many years, I wrote those books all by myself.
In the mid-1990s, people were just becoming aware of the internet. I was an early adopter. I wrote a “special report” for speakers, trainers, and consultants to help them understand and seize the new medium’s potential.
I wrote a few articles about the net and business. I also gave some speeches, including one to the National Speakers Association where I was a member. Another member, Jeff Senne, called me to ask for the name of a book he could recommend to his clients.
I couldn’t come up with a good recommendation. There were lots of books about the internet at the time. Most of them were technical books. Hardly any addressed business, and the ones that did concentrated on “Gee whiz” examples or made wildly unrealistic projections. I couldn’t come up with the name of a single book that gave practical advice about how businesses could use the internet.
Jeff and I decided to write the book we wanted to recommend. The result was Cyberpower for Business. Inc. magazine called it “a book every CEO should own.”
The book was a great success and a real career boost for me. I was in demand as a keynote speaker, trainer, and consultant. The work and the money were great, even though a lot of travel was involved.
But there was something more important that came out of the project. I learned how much fun writing a book with someone else was. That turned out to be important after 9/11 when travel became more difficult.
I decided to try ghostwriting. I knew I would like the writing, and I thought I would enjoy working with people who were experts in their field. I was right on both counts. Then, I made another important discovery.
Many people are ready and willing to write a book but don’t want to work with a ghostwriter. They know they need help understanding the book writing process, fitting the project into their already busy lives, and making publishing decisions in areas where they have no expertise.
People kept asking me to coach them through the book-writing process. I’m not really bright sometimes, and I resisted, but when I finally said “yes,” I found something else I love.
I love helping people write great business books that make a difference for the reader and the author. Sometimes, I’m the writing partner whose fingers are on the keys. More often, I’m the business book writing coach, shepherd, and spirit guide to the book writing process.
If you’re thinking about writing a business book, let’s chat about the processes, options, the costs in money and time, and anything else you want to discuss. Use the form at the end of this link to start the process.
