Writing a book can help leaders distill, refine and share their unique ideas, establishing themselves as true thought leaders and visionaries. Some of the world’s most successful business leaders have written and published books that share insights into their careers and wisdom based on lessons learned while they’re still at the helm of their companies.
Below, members of Forbes Coaches Council share advice on how to become an author while still running a business. If you are a full-time business leader who aspires to write your own book, read on for helpful guidance and useful tips.
Members pictured from left to right.
Photos courtesy of the individual members.1. Start Small
Here’s some advice from someone who is in the thick of writing a book while running a company and has found a way to balance both: Start small. Writing one article, then another and then another is much more doable than sitting down, looking at a blank screen and trying to start writing a book. Then, take a look back at what you have written, and you will see themes emerge. Who knows? You may end up like me and realize that you have more than one topic (book) emerging. - Kristy Busija, Next Conversation Coaching, LLC
2. Identify Your Objective
Following the crowd? What objective are you planning to meet by writing a book? If you don't have a definite answer to the question, you should consider waiting. You want the readers to be as excited about reading the book as you are about writing it. - Mika Hunter, Female Defender
3. Find A Great Editor
Behind every great writer is an even better editor—don’t forget that. As you find someone to edit your work, make sure you can collaborate well with them to get your voice and tone correct on the page. You can write it or have someone else ghostwrite the work, but if you choose to write it yourself, set word-count goals every day or week to make the project more manageable. - Jon Dwoskin, The Jon Dwoskin Experience
4. Hire A Ghostwriter
Having already written a book myself, I would recommend hiring a ghostwriter. I absolutely love to write, but it’s incredibly time-consuming. If the purpose of writing a book is to share your story and your wisdom, let someone else do the heavy lifting. Leading the company should be your priority, and writing a book can quickly become a full-time job. I aptly referred to my book as my fifth child. - Beth Fitzgerald, Fitzgerald Coaching and Consulting
5. Understand Your ‘Why’
First, understand your “why.” Why are you writing a book? What impact do you want to have with your book? How would it feel to have people read your book? Second, I would recommend putting together an outline for your book to outline your core message and thesis. Finally, prioritize your schedule and hire a ghostwriter and/or editor to make your book its best. - Susan Hobson, Elite High Performance Inc.
Forbes Coaches Council is an invitation-only community for leading business and career coaches. Do I qualify?
6. Create An Outline
Think in terms of frameworks. Every successful business leader has a conscious or non-conscious framework or process that they have utilized that has helped them to build their business and thrive. Looking back on the specific steps you took to build your business, what are the five to ten “big rock” steps you took leading to your current success? Voila. This is the outline for your book. - Abe Brown, Certified Flourishing Coaching
7. Delegate Story Capture To Someone Else
The best advice for business leaders is to hire a ghostwriter. A ghostwriter can help you capture your ideas and story, and then turn them into a polished manuscript. While it may be tempting to try to do everything yourself, you’ll likely find that you’re much better off delegating this task to someone else so that you can focus on running your business. - Anna Tan, Coaching Go Where
8. Decide What Problem Your Book Will Solve
Use your day job to home in on what problem your book will solve. Be observant in your daily interactions. Listen to peoples’ concerns, inner blocks and assumptions. Reflect on how your book could shift them out of apathy and into growth. Note the biggest problem statements, play with frameworks to solve them and collect stories. When it’s time to sit down and write, the words will just flow. - Gabriella Goddard, Brainsparker Global
9. Make It A Priority
Set aside a little time daily to focus on writing—30 minutes to an hour. Staying consistent in the process is the key to completing it while maintaining a busy schedule. Lay out your topics and chapters before getting started. The book doesn’t have to be written in chronological order. Focus on whatever topic is top of mind that day. - Krystal Yates, EBR HR Experts
10. Organize Your Ideas First
I’ve written six books, including a For Dummies book and a textbook. The hardest part isn’t the writing—it is the ideating and structuring. Spend time thinking and organizing your ideas. Get clear on the theme of the book along with the value it brings to the audience. Then, spend time on the outline. Once you have that, writing is easy. Set a goal to write two chapters a week, and you’ll finish in under a year. - Krista Neher, Boot Camp Digital
11. Collect And Arrange Existing Content
Chances are leaders already have a lot of content ready in the form of social media updates, emails and speeches. Collecting and arranging those would give leaders a surprising amount of quality material that is both authentic and practical. An editor can help with the structure and point out where it needs more thought. In lieu of that, ghostwriters can help top up a leader’s thought leadership. - Csaba Toth, ICQ Global
12. Commit 30 Minutes Of Each Weekday
It’s likely you have great ideas already percolating, and it’s about making it happen. Too often, we get caught up in thinking we need to take a sabbatical in order to have time to complete such a “big rock” item as writing a book. But that just leaves it to put off indefinitely. By committing just 30 minutes at the start or end of each weekday to writing, you can complete your manuscript in just a few months. - Laura DeCarlo, Career Directors International
13. Pull Together All Of Your Intellectual Property
First, pull together all of your IP and look for themes. Use this as the basis for your book. Then, without a doubt, work with a professional writer to make it happen! I found a wonderful editor on Upwork and through networking found a marvelous layout person. All of this takes time—and investment. Allow those pros to do what they do so that you can stay focused on serving clients. - Ed Krow, Ed Krow, LLC
14. Define An ‘Ownable’ Point Of View
Writing a book to become a thought leader can be a bit of a cart-before-the-horse situation. I advise leaders to first define an “ownable” point of view that they are knowledgeable or passionate about, and then adopt a vigilant practice of creating and publishing short-form content around that POV. The content defines a classification system for the book chapters and creates a glide path toward publishing. - Osman Khan, 10x CEO
15. Set Aside Time Each Week
The idea of writing a book, like any other big accomplishment, can be intimidating to most busy professionals. With packed schedules and competing priorities, many leaders are already feeling the pressure of not having enough time. Setting some time aside each week is all it takes to get the ball (or the pen) rolling. Once the book project takes off and a leader gains confidence in the process, it gets easier. - Lori Wilson-Hudson, Energy Wellness Coaching
16. Look For A Publisher
Look for a publisher first by creating an executive summary of your book idea. Once you have a contract, you will also have a deadline, which will make things happen. Stay away from editing before you have written the entire book, or you will end up in paralysis by analysis. Finally, record voice memos of your ideas and have someone transcribe and edit them. - Thomas Gelmi, Movadis AG
