There are lots of reasons to write a book. You can write a book to boost your reputation and fees. You can write a book to have something to sit at the center of your marketing and service offerings. You can write a book to check something off your bucket list. Yet, there is one reason that doesn’t get mentioned often. You can write a book to go on a great learning journey.
Of course, you can crank out a couple of drafts and send them to an editor without adding a pinch to what you already know. But why miss the opportunity to enrich your understanding and your life?
Learn by deepening your understanding.
Rod Santomassimo was already an expert in commercial real estate brokerage before he wrote his first book. That book, Brokers Who DOMINATE, enhanced his reputation and helped raise awareness of his coaching firm. It’s one of the top-selling commercial real estate brokerage books of all time.
Doing the research for the book deepened Rod’s understanding of what top-performing brokers do. That new knowledge was incorporated into all his coaching programs.
Learn by filling in the gaps.
Stephen Lynch was already an expert on business strategy. He didn’t need a book to become one. But writing Business Execution for Results uncovered areas where he needed more research. Filling In those gaps broadened and deepened his knowledge base.
Learn by discovering resources.
It is so hard to keep up these days. We face a tsunami of information and we have to dive into the wave, find the good bits, and get out again without drowning. Writing a book gives you the opportunity to do what everyone wishes they would do regularly, step back and review your field. You can catch up on new information and studies and collect new examples you can use in your writing and other work.
Learn by connecting with other experts.
Some authors like to write as if they’re the only expert in their field. I’ve been lucky that my clients have embraced the idea of connecting with and giving credit to other experts. That makes my life as a book coach easier, and it makes their books better. Not only that, but often the connection that gets made when you’re writing a book turns into a friendship that lasts for years.
Learn by developing new ways to say things.
Many of my clients have been speaking and writing about their topic for years before they start on a book. They’ve got comfortable and mostly effective ways to present their ideas. They’ve got a good collection of stories and examples and a few surefire catchphrases.
Writing a book can shake that up a bit for the better. As you gather new material and work hard to find just the right phrase, your research and connections inspire new ways to say things.
Look, there are lots of great reasons to write a book. But one of the best and most rewarding is that writing a book can be an unparalleled learning journey. Take that journey and you will write a better book. Take that journey and writing the book will be a more satisfying experience.
Takeaways
Learn by deepening your understanding.
Learn by filling in the gaps.
Learn by discovering resources.
Learn by making connections with other experts.
Learn by developing new ways to say things.