Hey ,
Who are you to write a book?
I mean, how dare you!
In all seriousness, this question can plague us. Who am I to write a book? I’m nobody.
You might even worry about what your friends and family will say. “Oh, you wrote a book, huh? You think you’re something special now?”
It sounds silly to say out loud, but thoughts like these can hold us back.
Let’s be realistic: most people will never write a book in their lives. So it makes sense that most of the people we know probably haven’t written a book. That makes us outliers. We’re the odd ones out.
It’s common to think only experts and famous people write books, so who are we to even try?
But we get it backwards when we think this way. It actually works the other way around:
It’s not that only experts write books; it’s that people who write books are seen as experts.
Instead of thinking, “Who am I to write a book? I’m nobody special,” think: “Who do I want to become by writing a book?”
- People who’ve run marathons aren’t special: They’re just people who ran every day and built up stamina.
- People who’ve built software companies aren’t special: They’re just people who failed until they succeeded.
- People who write books aren’t special: They’re just people who wrote every day until they had something substantial.
Get around the right people
If you don’t have much more than this newsletter encouraging you to write a book, you’re going to have a hard time.
People who run marathons hang around, and talk to, runners every day.
People who build software companies network with other founders.
People who write books surround themselves with other authors.
So long as you feel like “the weird one”, you’re going to feel resistance. That’s just how it works: we don’t want to be the odd one out of our social groups.
But we can use this reality to our advantage:
By getting around people who are doing the same thing you want to do, you actually end up feeling like the “weird one” if you don’t!
In other words, if you surround yourself with other writers, and people who are writing books, you’re going to be more likely to write yourself. Because it’s normalized by your social group.
Consume the right content
Being a part of a writer’s group, and going to writing conferences, is awesome. But you’re not always able to be in those settings.
So in between spending time with other writers, make it so the content you consume also keeps you in the right headspace. That could be:
- Newsletters you subscribe to (like this one)
- People you follow on Twitter
- YouTube videos you watch
- Books you read
Reading books like Authority will help you think like a writer and focus on finishing and marketing your book.
Reading and watching content from other writers will inspire and motivate you to continue making progress.
Position yourself as an expert
Remember: experts don’t write books; people who write books are seen as experts.
You don’t have to become an expert first! By writing a book, you become the expert. Then people will say you wrote the book on the topic.
When you write a book, people assume you’re an expert on the topic, because they have the very same assumption you did: that only experts write books.
A book is the ultimate business card. It opens the door to so many things. By having a book, you’ll start to get invitations to speak at conferences, be interviewed on podcasts, or consult with organizations.
Of course, people need to actually know you’ve written a book! That’s where your marketing plan comes in. Authority teaches you a method that works as long as you’re willing to put in the work. Get $10 off the book here.
The next time you find yourself thinking, “Who am I to write a book?” recognize it as imposter syndrome, and remember: you’re a badass. That’s who you are!
—Nathan
