If we look at it, there are several successful entrepreneurs and businesspeople that have gone through the process of writing a book and getting it out there while they are running a company.
If you are running a company yourself, you might naturally ask yourself what kind of questions you need answered before you get started on writing a book for yourself as well.
Those questions, however, depend on your situation.
Start by Asking Why You are Writing a Book
The truth is there is no right or wrong answer to a question such as this. Writing a book can be a noble goal, and an even crucial one for some, as it leads to introspection, self-realization and self-actualization.
What matters regarding the ‘why’ of why you are writing a book, is, therefore, the experience you are hoping to take from it.
For someone with a successful business or one who runs a company, it does not necessarily have to be about the company, nor does it need to be about anything else other than the company. It is all up to you
You can think of writing a book as a way to reflect on your life, your success, and to hope that it brings some semblance of purpose and direction to others.
For some, or even for most, the value of writing a book is not in how much they get to sell it, but rather, even what others take from it.
Writing A Book Can be Personal
Yes, you will most likely publish and sell the book to others, but it can still be all about you.
There is value in writing something about your personal experiences, about your personal growth, about how your accomplishments made you into a more humble and better person.
Introspection can often lead to wisdom, and plenty of people write about themselves.
Running a Company is Not Easy
Things do start to change when you are running a business or are in a place where others rely on you for their work. In such a scenario, your time is extremely valuable, and writing a book can suddenly become a far more daunting task.
For most of the people that are running a company, writing a book is less about personal growth, and more about the benefits they receive after the book itself is published.
In such a scenario, however, writing a book has more to do with writing about you than writing about yourself. That means you won’t necessarily have to put the words on the text, but rather, summarize who you are and what you have done. Think of the way you run your business, your company, your people, and put it in pointers.
After that, pay someone to write that book for you.
Each process; both writing a book and getting someone else to do it for you, has its own merits and demerits.
They each come with their challenges as well, but in the context of writing a book while you are running a company, the latter is always one that should be preferred.
Writing a Book On Your Own
The first thing you need when you write a book is not the ability to craft intricate sentences, imbue your text with allegory and metaphors, or even to have excellent command of the language.
Instead, the first thing you need is time.
Without time, none of those things matter, because you simply don’t have the time to do them.
The first step in writing a book yourself is to find the time to do so, and to do it with determination and consistency.
icon-angle-right Start Your First Draft – Even If You Hate It
The truth about writing a book is that the first draft should always be considered as something that should be discarded in its entirety.
That is not because it is of sub-standard quality, but because this is a way of reaffirming yourself into being able to write everything about your book in the first place.
Most founders and business owners give up on this step because they give the excuse of not having time, but truthfully, they simply don’t know where to start or which direction to take.
Almost every author goes through this process, and the beginning is always the hardest part.
Start your first draft and finish it. It is better than the alternative of not writing anything at all.
icon-angle-right It Is Crucial to Have a Clear Goal in Mind for Writing a Book
You don’t need to know every word that will go in your work, but rather, the core direction or theme you want to put in it.
Sometimes you can find that theme with the process of discovery, which is why first and even tenth drafts exist.
Other times, simply knowing the direction you will take informs the rest of what you do with deadly efficacy, one that can even leave you astounded as to how you managed writing a book on your own!
icon-angle-right Think of Why Someone Should Read Your Book
This is essentially your book’s Unique Value Proposition (UVP). You need to be able to succinctly answer why someone should read your book in the first place.
This is your book’s positioning, or market position. Is it a motivational book, an informative book, or something else?
These questions are not just important to consider, but also to be able to answer before you get into the nitty-gritty of writing a book and starting to finalize drafts and chapters.
icon-angle-right Put Your Target Audience Into Perspective
Think of who you will sell this book to.
Someone with unique recipes will sell cookbooks to moms, cooks, and chefs.
A business-focused motivational book will sell more for young entrepreneurs or people looking for motivation to start a business or a company themselves.
Maybe your journey helped them realize something they did not know before.
Understand your target audience before you start writing a book in earnest. It is okay to make drafts, but don’t finalize them without asking these questions.
icon-angle-right Clear a Plan or Schedule to Write Your Book
If you are running a company, you will be very familiar with this method already.
Chart in daily, weekly, or monthly numbers. How many words will you write? How many pages?
Do you want to plan out more on a task-based basis, such as finishing a chapter in a month? Do you want some finer control, such as writing 20 pages in a week?
It is important to start small, and stick to it. Even 10 minutes every day is better than only writing a book when you find the time for it.
icon-angle-right Set Deadlines For Writing a Book
Some people might not realize this, but giving yourself a deadline is far better than thinking that it should be completed when it is completed.
Sure, this deadline does not have to be about just getting a book out there, but rather, to give yourself artificial constraints so that you are forced to get creative.
It is the same philosophy as locking yourself in a room to come up with something great. That restriction can force you to think differently or progress in a way that can bring out your creative spirit and mind.
Without a deadline, you can be writing and improving upon your book for years on end. It is not a bad thing per se, but it can be for someone running a company.
icon-angle-right If All Else Fails, Hire a Ghostwriter
As someone running a company, your time is money in every sense of the word. You absolutely have to be available and ready for the people in your organization, and cannot devote yourself with the discipline needed to write a book on your own—which is not always the case, but is more often than not.
That is why writing a book should be made easy. This is not someone else writing a book about themselves, but rather, someone using the information you provide and ensuring that your themes, ideas, and general direction come across.
That is why it is so important to have a UVP and a theme in mind. It helps with your book being completed whether you write it or someone else does.
Conclusion
Running a business takes time and effort, but writing a book can be a league of its own if you try to tackle both at once.
Regardless, we have prepared for you a guide of sorts to help you write your own book whether you go through the entire process yourself, or hire someone else to do it for you. Writing a book is not easy, nor is it quick, but the simple ability to be able to do it is a great thing to have.
However, if you still have some questions in mind feel free to share them in the comments section. We would love to see your comments & get a better idea about your proceedings.
About the Author!
Alex Turner is a book writer & editor working avidly at a book writing company U.S. Ghostwriting. He excel in every genre and wish to share his expertise specifically in non-fiction genres. He has ghostwritten for various clients and they seemed to be super satisfied with his work.