When is the right time to write a book?
As much as I hate answering a question with another question, you should have a grasp on this one before you consider investing in a multifaceted, multi-year project:
What are you losing by NOT writing your book?
In my previous blog, I talked about how to ensure your book fits into your business. And while financial strategy is critical, boons have to be balanced with opportunity costs—what you miss by not doing something. The right moment to write your book is absolutely, undeniably right now. Why?
Because every moment you spend waiting for the “right time” is a moment you aren’t benefiting from your book.
Most debut authors are surprised to learn that the writing and publishing process can take anywhere from one to three years—even with ghostwriting. In our Amazon-one-click, Insta, next-day-shipping society, it can be hard to conceptualize that publishing a book isn’t purchasing a product. It’s committing to a project.
Much like children, marriage, or dying your hair pink, if you wait to start your book at the “perfect time” in your life, that perfect time is never going to come.
Sure, you can wait until you’re older, retired, and have “less on your plate.” But in your true, honest experience, has “less on your plate” ever really happened? And what benefits and opportunities are you missing while you wait for something you know is never going to happen?
And in the meantime, what could you be missing out on?
THE MONETARY BENEFITS
Of course, we want our authors to sell thousands upon thousands of books. (Who doesn’t want to rake in that sweet royalty moolah?) But while our best-selling titles net our authors thousands of dollars, these authors make much more outside of book sales using their book as a business tool.
A client who may not know anything about you may pick up your book and discover that they need what you have to offer. Presenting your message in a compelling, relatable way may be the difference between a sale and a pass.
When thinking about the future of your business and your brand, think about who you want to touch in the future. What message do they need to hear, and how are you going to get that message to them? How is that future audience going to connect with you as a person?
There are few conduits as personal, touching, and comprehensive as YOUR story told in YOUR own words.
THE OPPORTUNITIES
Like I said, book sales are nice, but we can’t discount the non-monetary benefits of being a published author. Ultimately, your book is a tool—a way to stretch your reach to readers who might not otherwise engage with you. You have what they want—i.e., a great read. But you also have so much more than that. If you’re connecting with the right audience, you’re providing solutions to their pain points through what you have to say. You touch lives with an engaging, compelling story, but you change those lives with the wisdom and experience you communicate through that story.
Book signings, podcasts, blog tours… Even having your name printed on your book in a storefront window is an opportunity to engage and connect with someone you otherwise wouldn’t have reached. How many future customers, fans, and friends are going to walk by that metaphorical (and/or literal) storefront today? And how many of them would have engaged had your message been there to engage them?
THE CATHARSIS
Of course, when you do write your book, you won’t be able to say everything there is to say. Life is always a work in progress, and there’s no waiting until the end to sum it all up.
However, there is something to be said for the catharsis of telling your story, the personal and spiritual piece of being able to actualize your experiences in an authentic, life-giving way. I’m always amazed with the ghostwriting process. Throughout the interview, drafting, and even the final review phases, my authors are constantly pulling back layers of their own experiences to grow and change.
Publishing a book is a rewarding experience. It’s also a challenge, a vulnerability, a personal triumph, and everything in-between. If you seized the growth opportunity to truly dig into your own story in a raw, authentic way, what might you find? And what strengths and truths might you be missing if you don’t?
The hard truth is, there’s never a “right time” for anything important, which means there never truly is an ideal time to write a book. We make time for the things that are important to us, the projects we need to grow our brands, broaden our horizons, and stretch our souls.
Getting your story into the world is a journey. And that journey can never begin until you take your first step.
The right time to write your book is NOW. You have a story to share—a brand to build, lives to touch—and there never has been, nor will there ever be, a better time to share that story.
Are you ready to seize your NOW? Schedule a complimentary consultation call with a publishing professional.
Photo credit: Nathan Dumlao.