If you’re an entrepreneur or CEO who’s reached great heights but still hasn’t been recognized for your accomplishments, in my line of work, I’d call you a Hidden Titan. A Hidden Titan is a CEO, entrepreneur innovator, and/or a visionary who has honed their expertise over the years, but in a world where internet sensations and wannabe entrepreneurs steal the spotlight, these real success stories are sometimes overlooked.
If this sounds like you, you should strongly consider writing your own book. While blogs and articles are very helpful in getting your brand going, the best way to enhance your reputation while increasing awareness of your brand is to publish a book that introduces you to a wider audience eager to learn more about your story.
Writing and publishing a book is a bold and audacious move that will bring you admiration and respect, and if your content is informative and interesting it will help you firmly establish yourself as a thought leader in your industry.
So what should your book be about?
Ideally, your book will combine autobiographical details, personal development strategies, and practical insights in one dynamic package. A comprehensive presentation of this type will help you establish a reputation as a true sage, as someone with a track record of success whose wisdom has been hard-earned and whose plans for action are backed by extensive knowledge and years of experience.
Your initial foray into book writing should introduce you to those who will be inspired by your story and benefit from your guidance, both personally and professionally. This will make it a great and informative read for your industry peers, for aspiring entrepreneurs who want to follow in your footsteps, and for members of the general public who represent your customer base. You’ll pique their curiosity in your introduction and early chapters, and ultimately deliver a rousing and motivational reading experience that leaves them wanting more (which you’ll deliver in future books, of course).
The Advantages of Becoming a Published Author
You’ve worked hard to earn respect and build your reputation. Your learning curve was steep and challenging, but now that you’ve reached the top of the mountain, you’ve become a true expert in your profession. At this stage, you have tons of insights to share and some entertaining tales as well, and there are a tremendous number of people who could benefit from your example.
When you publish your own book, you’ll be asserting your right to be heard. You’ll be taking your message directly to the people, unfiltered, uncensored, and completely in your own words.
You can always find outlets where you can publish your ideas, possibly for a fee, and those PR opportunities are valuable and important. But when you write your own book, in time, you won’t have to go looking for the media, the media will come to you. You’ll be a welcome guest on industry podcasts, enjoy a steady stream of interview requests from online and print publications, and have your phone calls and emails quickly returned when you do reach out to outlets that haven’t yet expressed interest in talking to you.
This happens because the title ‘published author’ carries a certain amount of built-in prestige. It will automatically give your thoughts and opinions added gravitas, even among those who haven’t read your book and probably don’t intend to. When someone introduces you online or in print as “the CEO of company X and the author of “10 Principles for Growth in Business and in Life,” listeners or readers will instinctively take you more seriously. They will accept you as a subject matter expert without hesitation, having been raised in a culture that values literacy and respects those who are confident enough and eloquent enough to put their ideas out into the world in written form.
If you’re like most successful people, you probably haven’t spent a lot of time pondering the reasons why you’ve been able to accomplish so much. You’re a person of action, and you’ve been too busy just getting things done to worry about that.
But when you decide to write your own book, you’ll finally have time to reflect on the choices you’ve made and the strategies you pursued on your pathway to success. You’ll learn a lot about yourself doing this, developing a much clearer understanding of the personality traits, motivations, and overall approach to planning that have allowed you to pursue and achieve excellence. You’ll also gain more clarity about the reasons for your failures, on those rare occasions when you’ve experienced them. After finishing this process you’ll be supremely well-prepared to offer guidance that has been honed by experience and is rooted in deep self-reflection.
The self-consciousness and self-awareness you develop as you work on your book will obviously be helpful to your readers. But it will also be beneficial to you. As your secrets for success crystallize in your mind, you’ll be better able to apply them to your future endeavors, avoiding the pitfalls that could trip you up or the errors in judgment that could lead you astray should you become complacent or overconfident.
You’ll still be relying on your instincts for the most part since they have served you so well up to now. But the strategies you choose as you seek personal and professional growth will be more focused and fine-tuned once you have a clearer grasp of the underlying principles that have been guiding your actions all along.
Time is Not a Factor
Right now you may be thinking, “Okay, yes, I can see why writing and publishing my own book would be awesome for my career and my brand. But while I’d love to write a book, I’m too busy and just don’t have the time …”
This is where your executive publicist can help. They can partner you with ghostwriters, interviewers, and editors who will lighten your load and help you convert your book project from a pleasant dream into a thrilling reality. You can determine the terms of the collaboration, customizing an approach to writing, revising, and ultimately publishing that won’t stress you out or demand more time than you have to give.
The process of producing your first book will be smooth, efficient, and pleasurable, and that process will only terminate when you’re 100% satisfied with the final result. Your book will reflect your thoughts and ideas accurately and precisely and with all the nuance preserved in a form that’s easy to read and comprehend.
The fact is, it’s never been easier to write and publish your own book than it is right now. If you become a published author, you’ll be seizing a marvelous opportunity to expand your public profile organically, bringing you the acknowledgment and recognition that you truly deserve.
So what’s stopping you?
Adrienne Greenwood
Adrienne Greenwood is a seasoned global executive publicist, founder of a bespoke PR Agency and author of Unleash The Hidden Titan, Publicity Secrets For Modern Business Leaders.
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