When I wrote my post last week on Why You Need a Book, I gave a somewhat sketchy list of reasons (hey, I was low on time!) and promised to write more about each one if there was enough interest.  And, it turns out, there was.  So herewith are more information on the first three reasons you should write a book.

Your Book Is Your Business Card

As the title of this post implies, the book is the new business card.  Why is this?  For a couple of reasons.  Number one, a book tells a prospective client more about you in seconds than a business card does.  A book cover can communicate who you are and what the service or product is that you are selling.  And a book tells much more than that.  It tells that you have some oomph and stick-to-itness, that you have what it takes to sit down and put words on paper over and over again until a book emerges.

In our society of constant content, being able to put forth your message in a book is a valuable asset.  And if you're not a businessperson, but a writer who has always dreamed of writing a book, getting one published can be a huge boost to your career.  With a book under your belt, you can raise your fees.  You'll get the plumb job now, too.  Why?  That question leads to reason number two:

Instant credibility

Even in this age of the interwebs and immediate access to information, there's still something about a book that gives us heft and weight (and I do not mean body-wise, because that is not the kind of heft we are looking for).  A book communicates that you know whereof you speak, and that what you speak is not to be taken lightly.  Because, you know, you da bomb baby.  That's what people will think when you show them your book.  Books are magical in this way.  They make you into somebody: an author.  Which is even, to my ears, cooler than a writer.  And I think being a writer is about the coolest thing in the universe.

Source of Authority

Writing a book makes you a source of authority.  Suddenly, journalists and bloggers will call your for quotes.  Conference organizers will call you to speak.  Because, you know, you are the authority.  Don't tell them otherwise.  Kidding.  The truth is that you, yes little ole you, are the authority.  You wrote a book, didn't you?  And you spend hours and days and weeks and months researching it and learning in order to write it, didn't you? So you are the authority.

And this means that other people will want to learn from you.  Because authority sells.  It sells if you are writing an article, a blog post, a newsletter, or a brochure for your business.  But it especially sells if you write a book.  So be that authority and write the book.  The world needs your authority and it needs your voice.

I'll continue with the reasons why you should write a book later on this week.  But in the meantime, what about you?  Why do you want to write a book?  Or, if you've already done so, what kind of successes have you garnered from it?