I am a bit ashamed to admit that I never wanted to write a book (which is kind of embarrassing for a book coach). And here’s the #1 reason why!

I’m sharing this because a lot of trainers have the same doubt. It’s this: “The market is crowded with books. ‘Everyone’ writes a book, everyone has a podcast.”

But is that true? It’s important to do a fact check because if you believe that, you are not going to write a book. Why bother, right?

In fact, you are vanishingly rare if you are a published author. It is still an elite club. Latest figures show 0.02% to 0.03% of Australians have published a book – about 5000 to 7000 people.

But the benefits of writing a book go far beyond status, as marketing genius Seth Godin points out.

  1. It clarifies your thinking.
  2. It leaves behind a record of where you are in this moment.
  3. It’s clearly not going to be a worldwide mass-market bestseller, so you can focus only on the people who want to hear from you.
  4. It’s a project that is completely and totally up to you.
  5. Because it’s a generous way to share.
  6. As hobbies go, it’s energy-efficient, takes up very little space and is portable.
  7. Because then you get to write another one.
  8. It will increase your authority in your field.
  9. We need to hear your ideas; they matter.
  10. And then you become an author.
  11. It’s not that hard to publish it when you’re done.
  12. The publishing is a bonus, a way to seek completion, not the point of the exercise.
  13. And… it’s not as lonely as you think.

I agree.

Here’s the 2022 National Survey of Australian Book Authors.