If you’ve been meaning to write your business book for years, motivation probably isn’t the problem.
Now that we are safely past International Quitters’ Day—the second Friday of January, when 80% of New Year’s resolutions have already fallen by the wayside—let’s get real about your goals.
Is this the year you finally write your book? Because it wasn’t last year. Or maybe even the year before that.
I’m pretty sure it’s been on your to-do list for a while, especially if you’re a speaker, coach, or consultant. Yet year after year passes, and it’s still not done.
Let’s talk about why.
You already know all the reasons you should write a book: expand your reach, increase your credibility and authority, find your people, generate leads. Blah blah blah. (What—just me?)
The real issue isn’t that you don’t understand the benefits.
And guess what?
The Real Issue Is Not Time.
Not going to lie: writing a book takes time. I can show you how to handle that bump in the road.
But there’s a different cost to time.
I recently received an email from a man I first spoke with back in October of 2023 about writing a business book. We talked about the book he wanted to write, what he hoped it would accomplish, and where he was in his career. He was a prime candidate for coaching, but he wanted to wait a bit. He was convinced he could write it on his own.
And honestly? I had to agree—he probably could.
He was a self-starter, highly motivated, and someone who gets things done.
I also knew that if he worked with me, he’d get it done much faster—in about five to six months.
We stayed in touch, and he emailed me last week to say he’s putting the finishing touches on his manuscript.
A little over two years later.
I’m not going to diss him—finishing a book is a huge accomplishment. But for someone like him—a high-level consultant, speaker, and trainer—that year to eighteen months without a book to offer, without having a solid marketing tool to leverage, likely cost him far more than my coaching fees ever would have.
This is the part business owners rarely factor in: opportunity cost.
Authoring a book increases your credibility and authority. It helps land more speaking and training gigs. It pre-qualifies clients so you’re not wasting time with people who aren’t a good fit. And when you’re charging five figures for coaching, consulting, or training, those missed opportunities add up quickly.
Yet most people don’t frame it that way.
They frame it as, “I’ll get to it when I have more time.”
Which brings us back to why your book still isn’t written.
It’s not a lack of discipline or ideas. It’s not that the book isn’t important.
It’s that you don’t want to make room for a massive, time-intensive project when you’re not sure the payoff will justify the effort.
The Real Reason: You’re Not Sure of the Payoff
That uncertainty is usually what keeps the book stuck in the someday pile.
And that’s exactly where the gap is.
At the heart of it, this is usually what stops people.
You’re not actually wondering whether a book is a good idea. You’re wondering if it’s worth the time it will take away from everything else you already do.
Will it lead to better clients?
Will it open doors—or just sit on Amazon?
Will it actually make money, or just look nice on your website?
Those are fair questions. Smart questions, even.
The problem is that most people evaluate the payoff of a book as if it were a short-term marketing tactic, when in reality it’s a long-term business asset.
A book isn’t just something you sell. It’s something that:
- establishes your authority before you ever get on a call
- explains your thinking without you having to repeat yourself
- attracts the right people and quietly repels the wrong ones
- supports your speaking, training, and consulting for years
And unlike a webinar, a launch, or a social media push, it doesn’t disappear when you stop actively promoting it.
The payoff isn’t always immediate, and it’s rarely linear.
But it compounds.
Which is why the real question isn’t “Will a book pay off?”
It’s “What is it costing me not to have one?”
If you’ve been circling this goal for years, it’s probably not because you lack motivation or ideas. It’s because you’re trying to solve a structural problem—time, focus, follow-through—by sheer force of will.
And that’s a tough way to get a book written.
At some point, the decision becomes less about whether you can write your book, and more about how much longer you want to keep it on your to-do list instead of in your hands.
Putting your expertise into a book that becomes a pillar of your marketing strategy is what I do. I’ve been doing it for over 20 years. I can do it for you. Let’s talk. Barbara@BarbaraGrassey.com
