What kind of book should you write?

Before you start writing a book, ask yourself one deceptively simple question:

Where are you right now in your business life?

OK, not so simple, but the answer changes everything about the book you should write — from its purpose to its structure to how you benefit from it once it’s published.

We know this because over the last few years we’ve worked with a very mixed cast:

– Financial advisers who’ve shepherded billions in client assets.

– Senior journalists from the Financial Times rethinking their next chapter.

– Professors from London Business School and other institutions translating decades of research into books people actually want to read.

– Founders, consultants, and executives in that restless mid-career stage who are quietly asking: “Is this it?”

Different starting points mean different kinds of books.

And because you can take the professor out of the classroom but you can’t the professor out of the man, here’s a 2x2 matrix to help us explore this.

The Masterwork Matrix

On one side of the Masterwork Matrix is where you are in your business life. Are you in your first or second act, for example?

– First Act – You’re still building your primary professional body of work. Growth, reach, and revenue are the main game for you right now.

– Second Act – You’ve already built your career and business. Now you’re shifting focus, exploring new arenas for what you know and even shaping your legacy.

On the other side of the Matrix is your authority level, or how well recognised you are in business.

– Great Expert – You’re highly respected in your space, but influence is still concentrated in your immediate circles.

– Industry Authority – You are known across your sector. People default to you as the source, whether for media commentary, keynote slots, or shaping the conversation.

The Four Masterwork Quadrants

When you plot those together, you get four distinct positions — each demanding a different kind of book, a different Masterwork.

And this matters before you even write a single word. Too many authors start with “I should write a book” before asking “What do I want this book to do for me?”

By getting clear on your quadrant, you can:

– Choose the right type of book for your goals.

– Build the right ecosystem around it — speaking, consulting, training, licensing.

– Avoid wasting months on a manuscript that doesn’t serve your next chapter.

Let’s take a look at these quadrants, then, and find out where you are.

1. First Act + Great Expert → “Master in the Making”

You’ve been in the game long enough to have some wins and a few scars. You’ve developed a perspective on your field that’s fresh, but you’re still building name recognition.

Your book’s role here: To get you noticed. To help you cut through the noise in your market and position you as a credible, go-to voice. To build credibility fast.

– Typical profile: Perhaps you’re an early-stage founder, an entrepreneur or coach who’s already delivering results, but wants to command bigger rooms, bigger fees and better clients.

– Book type: A practical, high-value guide built on your signature method, Practical, problem-solving, highly usable for your ideal client. Can be shorter, fast to market, with a clear “do this → get that” structure. Rich with personal stories that humanise your expertise. But your book is very much a Category of One play. You’re defining the game and the rules — not just winning but shaping what “winning” even means.

– Outcomes: Paid speaking at high profile industry events, high-value consulting engagements, early media coverage and a clear foothold as a premium player in your chosen niche.

We’ve seen this work wonders for consultants who were technically brilliant but “invisible” to their market. One book launch later, they’re being invited to speak at industry events they used to just attend.

Here, your book is a springboard — it starts conversations you wouldn’t have been invited into otherwise.

2. First Act + Industry Authority → “Own the Category”

You’ve built a serious reputation in your space — but you want to lock it in. You’re in the “defend the hill” phase of your career, protecting your position from competitors and building brand equity.

Your book’s role here: To cement your authority. To make your name synonymous with your core methodology or philosophy and plant a flag on the mountain.

– Typical profile: The lawyer who’s already quoted in national media but hasn’t yet captured their IP in a definitive work.

– Book type: Signature framework, definitive guide, or “category claiming” book. You’ve climbed the mountain now you’re claiming the mountain, establishing yourself as the clear leader in your space, not just by reaching the top, but by defining what the summit even is. A “category-defining” work — think Blue Ocean Strategy, Start with Why, or The Lean Startup. Deep, research-backed, often with a proprietary framework. Designed to dominate search terms and speaking invitations.

– Outcomes: Prime media slots, international keynotes, premium pricing. We’ve worked with people here who used their book to make their category their own — not just participating in the conversation, but leading it. Bringing in premium consulting packages, corporate retainers, high-ticket speaking fees and opportunities to license your frameworks.

This is the book that claims the mountain — you become the reference point for the conversation.

3. Second Act + Great Expert → “Evolving Expert”

You’ve had a successful career in one field — but now you’re stepping into new territory. You’re building credibility from scratch again, but this time with the benefit of decades of experience.

Your book’s role here: To leverage your experience to pivot or expand. To signal the shift and stake your claim in the new space.

– Typical profile: The senior corporate leader with 30 years’ experience who wants to step into advisory work, the non-profit sector, or a passion project.

– Book type: Cross-domain insight, memoir-with-lessons, or thought-piece bridging multiple worlds. Narrative-driven, weaving in your backstory to build trust in the transition. Practical enough to show you can deliver results in the new arena. Shorter format may be fine here — speed matters when repositioning.

– Outcomes: Opens doors into new markets, hybrid offers, unexpected collaborations. We’ve seen retired CEOs land government advisory roles because their book reframed them as relevant voices in a completely different sector. Generating media coverage around the “career reinvention” theme. By speaking on your transition story. Bringing in entry-level consulting in your new domain.

Here, the book is your bridge — helping your existing network understand the move while attracting a new audience.

4. Second Act + Industry Authority → “Legacy Architect”

You’ve mastered your craft. Your name carries weight. You don’t need more clients — but you do want your ideas, your methods, your impact to outlive you.

Your book’s role here: To capture your philosophy and scale your influence. In effect, to bottle your wisdom and scale your influence far beyond your own delivery capacity.

– Typical profile: The professor with decades of research, or the business owner and founder whose methods have shaped an industry.

– Book type: Big-idea manifesto, research-led narrative, or certification/training blueprint. A complete articulation of your methodology. Written for both your peers and those who will carry the torch after you.

– Outcomes: Often part of a larger ecosystem — courses, communities, certification, licensing deals, “train-the-trainer” programmes, multi-year speaking tours. Corporate partnerships that scale delivery without your direct involvement.

One of our favourite examples: a global expert whose book became the basis for a certification programme, creating a revenue stream and a way to mentor the next generation without working one-to-one.

Here, the book isn’t the end — it’s the launchpad for a legacy business. The methodology becomes a system that others can learn, teach, and profit from, ensuring your life’s work keeps making an impact.

Beyond the Book

Where you are in this matrix doesn’t just change the content of your book — it changes what comes next:

– Bulk book sales to firms hiring you as a speaker.

– Corporate or community programmes built around your book’s ideas.

– Research consortia, partnerships, and think tanks.

– Certification and “train-the-trainer” models.

These aren’t abstract possibilities — they’re all things we’ve helped authors set up, sometimes before the book is even launched.

So what’s next?

Regular readers will know we’ve been exploring Second Act Thinking — the moment you start to feel that subtle itch for something new. The Masterwork Matrix is one way to map it. Because every quadrant can produce a powerful, profitable book.

And magic happens when you match your book’s purpose to your life stage and expertise level — and then build the right ecosystem around it.

Because in the end, your book isn’t just about selling copies.

It’s about shaping your next act — and maybe even your legacy.

So let me ask you these final questions

1)    where would you place yourself TODAY?

2)    And what’s the single most important outcome you want from your book?

You’re really asking yourself how can you design your book so it becomes a powerful tool and not just a trophy?

Because when you know where you are, you can decide what kind of book will get you where you want to go.

And that’s when things get interesting.

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FYI— I’m putting together a workshop on the Masterwork Matrix to help you decide which of the four types of books is right for you and which of the income streams you should expect to create. If you want me to send you the link when it’s ready, drop me a quick message.