7 Compelling Reasons to Get Your Name on a
Book Cover
BY MICHELLE MCGEE-JONES
Have you ever considered writing a book? If so, maybe you’ve already
established firmly in mind your exact purpose for becoming an author. Your
reasons may match one or more of those below. Or perhaps you could add yours
to the list. Nevertheless, with some 65,000 books being published in the
United States yearly, there is overwhelming attraction to joining the ranks
of authors.
Reason 1: Renown - Did you know that Martha Stewart (Entertaining),
Harvey McKay (Swim With the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive), and Tom
Peters (In Search of Excellence), were virtually unknown until they became
authors? It’s no wonder. Authoring a book heightens your credibility,
elevates your prestige and dubs you an expert. It could open the door to
television, radio, and newspaper interviews. (You will, however, have to get
out there and stimulate media attention.) Having a book with your name on it
may also attract public speaking engagements and other business
opportunities. It affords you a chance to bask in the spotlight!
Reason 2: Wealth - Certainly not every book brings its author riches, but
some do. In his book, Damn! Why Didn’t I Write That?, Marc McCutcheon lists
71 titles that sold 1 million or more copies, some many more, not to mention
the multitude of books that sold tens and hundreds of thousands of copies.
Yours could be added to the list. Of course it’s going to take a hot topic,
an attention-grabbing title, a well-written book and some strategic
marketing, but the effort is going to be worth it.
Reason 3: Legacy - Depending on how good your book is, it may be read by
generations to come. Your descendants, whom you may never see, may come to
know you by your work. Family photographs are fine. They show the person. A
book, however, shows what’s inside the person: their knowledge, findings,
experiences, and beliefs. Let your book be their heritage – and a legacy for
readers everywhere.
Reason 4: Heroism - As a result of having read a book, people have saved
their marriages, improved their health, fixed their finances, boosted their
self-esteem, beautified their homes, gotten their souls redeemed, lost
weight, roared with laughter, become better lovers, developed their computer
skills. Books have improved businesses, inspired dreams, polished parenting
abilities, brought history to life, and incited million dollar ideas. The
list goes on and on. Your book is undoubtedly going to make a contribution
too and it’s no telling the impact it is going to have.
Reason 5: Personal Fulfillment - God put each of us here on earth for a
purpose. That is, we each have unique gifts and abilities for which we
cannot truly feel complete until we have used them. In setting out to have a
book written, you have almost certainly developed a passion about whatever
it is that you want to communicate. Good. Your passions reveal something
about what your talents are. But until you actually get those words out, you
may continually have that nudging. You are a unique being with something
that only you can say. Have a book written and you will be well on the way
to fulfilling your life purpose.
Reason 6: Adventure - Even if you, as a collaborator, are only casually
involved in producing your book, the experience is an exploration into
uncharted territory. It’s quite likely that you and your ghost may come
across amazing facts about your chosen topic that you were previously
unaware of. You may unexpectedly meet people who could be valuable to your
research or to the sales of your book. Even in the process of marketing a
book, your tour may lead to exotic places. Being an author could very well
be — in a nutshell — fun.
Reason 7: Economic Boost - Because a horde of people will be involved in
the writing, publishing, sales and distribution of your book, you can take
pride in the fact that your book is contributing to the wealth of the
nation. That’s especially significant in times of mass layoffs, rising
taxes, and poverty. I applaud you!
There you have it — seven surefire reasons to become an author, a worthy
investment in your business, your career, your life and the lives of your
readers.
Copyright © 2004 Michelle McGee-Jones
Michelle McGee-Jones is a freelance
business writer, marketing consultant and workshop conductor. She is the
author of
The Art of Hiring Someone to Write Your Book: A Step by Step Guide to
Successfully Collaborating.
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