Write Your Own Book (even if no one reads it!)

Amazon has shifted the world of print beyond recognition.

From satisfying the "long tail" marketplace of endless books available at the touch of a button to the evolution of digital books, like the Kindle. Then there is the democratisation of book publishing with Amazon's CreateSpace.

So why write and self publish your own book?

1. It's the best "business card" ever: send or leave a copy with prospects, future employers, customers etc
2. Creates authority or expert status (books just have this effect)
3. Provides leverage for your ideas. A book can be read by many whilst you sleep. Spreading your message and therefore providing you with leverage.
4. Allows you to delve deep into a subject-matter and increase your own knowledge in the process
5. Self-publishing means that you don't have to wait for a publisher to choose you. You can short-cut the process and choose yourself instead.
6. It's far quicker than following the traditional publishing path. Traditional publishers can take months or years for a book to shift from the idea phase to being an actual book for sale on the shop shelves - this can be disastrous for a book that is about a 'hot topic' (as it might no longer be quite so hot once published...)
7. The process is so darn easy using Amazon's CreateSpace platform. You can offer a digital version and/or a hard copy with print-on-demand available for the hard copies so there's no mass (potentially pointless and costly upfront) printing necessary

These are just a handful of reasons why self-publishing should be on everyone's list. It might be one of the most leveraged things that we can do so maybe we should commit the upfront time investment. I will.

You can read more about someone else's experience of self-publishing here.