How a book builds your brand

First, Why Write a Book?

Well, a book does something no tweet, blog, or LinkedIn post ever can:

First, it gives you authority. People believe what’s in books.

Secondly, it creates trust. Long-form content helps people understand how you think.

And thirdly, it filters your audience. The right people resonate with your message, and the wrong ones self-select out.

If you’re a financial planner, consultant, coach, or entrepreneur, your book isn’t just about sharing ideas—it’s about winning business.

David Meerman Scott (author of the bestselling New Rules of Marketing & PR) told me something that stuck:

'Writing a book is like getting paid to do your marketing.'

This makes sense because your book doesn’t just sit on a shelf. It works for you:

– It introduces you before you enter a room.

– It starts conversations before you even meet a prospect.

– It makes you discoverable to people actively searching for solutions you provide.

– Aaaand, yeah, people buy copies from you.

How Do You Choose the Right Topic For Your Book?

The biggest mistake authors make, and I've done it, is this:

Writing for themselves instead of their ideal clients.

A book should answer one key question:

What’s your best clients' biggest problem?

So don’t write for your peers. (Mea culpa.) Writing to impress colleagues leads to dry, academic books that no one outside your industry cares about.

Write instead for the clients you want, the clients you aspire to. Speak directly to the people you can help the most.

✅ A financial planner writing for high-net-worth entrepreneurs? → Your book should tackle wealth-building, business exits, and long-term security.

✅ A leadership coach targeting fast-growth startups? → Your book should focus on hiring, scaling, and decision-making under pressure.

Remember that your book is a magnet. It attracts exactly type of people you want to work with. And actively turns off people you don't want to work with.

How Do You Write a Book Without It Taking Over Your Life?

Time is the biggest barrier. You're already running a business. How do you fit in writing?

My answer: Stop thinking like an 'author' and start thinking like a speaker.

Instead of writing, try this:

🎤 Record yourself. Dictate your thoughts and have them transcribed. Otter.ai, or any movie programme, or Audacity, can do this free.

🎤 Interview clients. Their biggest pain points and insights will shape your book.

🎤 Use the 12-week method. If you focus for just 1 hour a day, you can finish a book in 12 weeks.

🚀 Speed tip: A book isn’t written in one go. You can also build it from existing content – if you have relevant material. Your LinkedIn posts, client conversations, and insights you already share in other ways may be helpful.

How Do You Make Money with a Book?

A book is not a vanity project. Let's be really clear on that.

Because it should make you money, for one thing.

Though not from book sales alone.

The real money comes from what your book unlocks:

🔹 Speaking engagements – A book makes you an instant expert. It gets you on conference stages and in front of decision-makers.

🔹 High-value clients – One client from your book can pay for the entire writing process 100x over.

🔹 Bulk sales & licensing – Businesses, universities, and conferences buy books in bulk.

🔹 Courses & consulting – Your book becomes a launchpad for training programs, coaching, and advisory work.

🔥 Example: I know a leadership consultant who landed a $20,000 speaking gig in the U.S. because of his book. Before that, he couldn’t even get invited.

Self-Publish or Traditional?

🔹 Traditional publishing gives you a degree of credibility, some people think, but they take control (and almost all the royalties).

🔹 Self-publishing gives you speed, control, and gives you 100% of the profit.

🚀 Hybrid strategy: Many experts now self-publish first (to get their ideas out fast) and then license rights to a traditional publisher later. It can happen.

Most importantly, if you're a knowledge worker, an expert of some kind, this:

If you want to own your intellectual property, self-publish. Please. Save yourself immense hassle.

How Do You Keep Selling Your Book for Years?

Most books fade after launch. The key is ongoing visibility.

📌 Here’s how to keep momentum:

🎤 Turn it into talks. Every conference you speak at is a chance to sell books.

📹 Repurpose content. Take chapters and turn them into LinkedIn posts, videos, or podcasts.

🔄 Relaunch in different formats. Hardback → Paperback → Kindle → Audiobook → Workbook.

Pro tip: Every 12-24 months, release a new edition or follow-up book to stay relevant.

Always Remember: Your Book Is a True Business Asset

Your book isn’t a one-time project.

It’s:

✅ A client-magnet

✅ A credibility-booster

✅ A revenue-generator

The best financial planners, consultants, and entrepreneurs use books to dominate their industry.

Thinking about writing a book?

Contact us now for a Book Idea Audit. 

Start now. Because your future clients are already looking for you.