This story appears in the January 2018 issue of Entrepreneur. Subscribe »
There’s a lot of pressure on entrepreneurs to be not just great business owners but also great business minds. Writing a book seems like a logical path to influencer status. But is it?
Q: As an entrepreneur, is it important to write a book and become an influencer in order to take my business to the next level? — Pete, Australia
Pete, let me clear the air and admit a few biases: I’ve written five books, including a New York Times best-seller. I’ve ghostwritten three other best-sellers, and my consulting company has marketed two books that both hit number one on the New York Times list. Books are my business, so I see how it’d be easy to expect me to recommend that route.
But most of the time, I suggest that an entrepreneur not write a book.
Which isn’t to say I don’t understand the appeal. I do. Plenty of successful leaders have written them, from Richard Branson to Sheryl Sandberg, and many of these books have led to new businesses or increased reach and prestige. In some cases, writing a book becomes a calling card, a feather in the entrepreneurial cap. It can bring more opportunity, speaking engagements with hefty fees, even the opportunity to write another book — this time with a larger advance.
But those reasons? They’re not really valid. Well, OK, Branson and Sandberg have written wildly successful books….
