Why You Should Become a Non-Fiction Author

No matter the time, day, month, or year you come across this blog post, I want you to know that your experience is worth sharing.

Now that that’s out the way, let’s move on to today’s topic, “Why You Should Become a Non-Fiction Author.” And by non-fiction, I’m not necessarily referring to memoirs or autobiographies, I’m referring to the professional development genre, the self-help genre, and the education genre. I’m referring to informational books—leadership books. Because let’s be honest, we are all leaders in some form or fashion. And if you’re not, I have a feeling you’re on your way to becoming one.

A little bit about me: I’m a former English teacher with a current “mission” to help writers bring their ideas to life. I do this by focusing on a particular target audience, and as you may have guessed, that audience consists of leaders, specifically thought leaders and educators. Leadership is a big responsibility. In my experience, we—leaders—just want to know that we’ve made a difference. And when someone holds your genius in their hands, it is also my experience that this can be an indicator of impact. Making the time to write a book as a busy professional is very intentional. That said, I want you to start thinking of author benefits as I continue; who knows, we may have similar views. :)

But first, let me encourage you by saying that the first three months of this year were a trial period. We can officially start 2024 today. LOL. So, if you haven’t acted on your author goals yet, no worries. The time is now!

• The time is now to see your name next to your book on Amazon

• The time is now to stop researching and execute

• The time is now to influence others with your words

The journey to authorship can be heavy as writing is therapeutic for some, but think of the end result. Think of the businesses you may save by sharing your industry knowledge. Think of the clarity you may bring to someone’s mentality by giving tips and advice that come easily to you. Think of the impact of your words. Your words matter!

I digress.

Here are my top three reasons why I think it’s beneficial to become a non-fiction author (as a leader):

1. A non-fiction book can help you leverage your leadership.

   Let’s say you have at least five years of experience in your field and have been working diligently in your career and/or business to refine a skill set. I think this is a good amount of time dedicated to one industry to qualify someone for a managerial position. (Notice I didn’t say ‘master a skill set’ as I am aware of Malcolm Gladwell’s 10,000-Hours Rule.) I think five years of commitment to a niche can prepare someone to lead others. And leaders who are knowledgeable about specific niches within their industry know how to reach a desired result while helping others reach said result. Tying it all together, I believe authorship is a form of leadership; it’s a way to show your authority in your field. After all, you can’t spell the word “authority” without the word “author.”

2. A non-fiction book can help you build your brand.

   With social media’s temper tantrums by the name of algorithms, it’s hard to predict what your followers are being shown. I don’t know about you, but I don’t think it’s a good use of my time to spend hours creating Instagram carousels and drafting detailed IG captions for only two and half people to see it. Been there! And because I’ve been there, I keep my attachment to social media at bay. I manage my expectations and my clock. When I share informational posts on social media, I share bits of my book. It’s recycled content!!! This way, I’ll receive a return on my investment of time AND provide a call to action for my followers. My book has strengthened my brand. Your book can strengthen your brand! So, take your brand to the next level by writing a book that is influential. Remember: you are not only writing a book, but you are writing a book that will have an effect on the behavior and character of someone else. Why? Because that’s the definition of influence.

3. A non-fiction book can help you organize your expertise.

   This may sound like a ‘duh’ tip given what you’ve read above, but hear me out. As a subject matter expert or thought leader—-even an industry leader—-you have the potential to improve people’s lives by providing solutions, answering questions, and/or invoking change. Your reach can go as far as your book allows. For example, a K12 teacher may only reach a classroom of 25 students. But to make an impact outside of the classroom, a product or service is often needed to increase the target audience (unless that K12 teacher is a celebrity). In full transparency, my favorite celebrities are influencers. Their reach is limitless. And I want that for you. I want you to become a book influencer. But you have to write the book first…you have to package your genius into digestible content. Writing will help you organize your thoughts.

In summary, a non-fiction (informational) book can have a major return on investment, if you write it strategically.

And if you find value in this blog post but don’t quite know where to start, I have the perfect book-writing tool for you. It will be available on April 14th, but you can get a sneak peek here,

Anyway, I hope you are thinking differently about your author journey. I hope you now see yourself as a bookfluencer in the making. :)

Until the next blog post,

Nailah