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You’re an expert. You know what you’re doing. You’ve copious notes and handouts. You’ve years of experience, and now it’s time to demonstrate your credibility. Authoring a book in your area of expertise is a valid claim to authority. Consultants and service professionals market their businesses by referrals, networking, and speaking engagements. The words author and authority have the same root. Effective writing is aimed at a specific readership. Who are you writing for? The purpose of business writing is to inform, instruct, or persuade. The question the writer must answer is: what does this readership need to know now? Your readers probably don’t have a lot of time, so make your information clear and easy to access. Business writing can be serious without being somber. Is there an opportunity to make your book lively and fun? Popular business books adopt a relaxed, informative, and conversational style. Readers become engaged by the stories you tell. Real-world examples show your ideas in action. Business books are getting shorter. And that means your writing needs to be to the point. This is called writing tight. Short text isn’t intimidating. Less is more. However, in order to create a tightly written book, the first drafts will be longer and include much material that will later be discarded. This process usually helps authors discover new and better ways of understanding their subject matter.
Writing your book is a significant achievement requiring hard work and time. For many it's an impossible dream. For you, a successful author, the competitive edge is the payoff.
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