So You Want to Write a Book?

A cautionary tale of encouragement

Something I’m Learning

I teamed up with my friend Anne Miltenburg to share our hard-won experiences with writing and publishing our recent nonfiction books. This article was originally published in the India Development Review, but for those who didn’t see it there, here it is:

(The illustrations are all Anne!)

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Over the last decade, we have both authored books about working in social impact. Roshan, who has spent more than 20 years enabling social entrepreneurs and changemakers to build careers and scale their work, co-wrote a book about how to shape and sustain a long-term career in the development sector. Anne, who successfully transitioned from the corporate world to the social sector more than a decade ago, created Brand the Change—a guidebook that helps changemakers build stronger brands to increase their impact.

Many readers no doubt feel they have a book in them, and are actively considering taking the plunge. We learned a lot from the process of writing and marketing our books. So, for those of you who want to write a non-fiction book (fiction is another industry, for all practical purposes), here are 10 lessons that may be helpful.

1. Deciding on your publishing platform is critical

This is the first decision you will make, and you have three options: (a) self-publish (b) publish through a traditional company (c) hybrid-publish. I went with the hybrid option because I had no luck getting an agent (ridiculously hard unless you’re very well connected or have a very large social media following) and most publishing houses wanted too much equity for not enough value-add. I even cancelled a deal with an academic publisher in favour of hybrid publishing. Anne funded the making of her book through Kickstarter, and then self-published.

In that year, she learned that the financial return and control over your book’s marketing is far greater when you self-publish, but her book wasn’t picking up any momentum on her own limited promotion time. She then decided to publish the book with an official publisher. This added credibility, and also helped with distribution and visibility in conventional bookstores (even seven years after the first edition came out). If, like most social sector authors, you don’t have unlimited time or money or are averse to self-promotion, let that factor into your choice.

2. Spend as much time on marketing as you do on writing

Most aspiring authors likely think that they’ll spend most of their time writing. But the final edits and the publishing process can take far longer. And no matter who publishes you, plan to spend most of the year after the book comes out on marketing it to your audience—speaking at events with potential readers; writing op-eds in related publications, from blogs to newspapers to online media; featuring on social sector podcasts; posting on social media; chasing reviews and testimonials from sector leaders or influencers; and gaming the Amazon algorithm. You have to be prepared to be unabashedly self-promotional over a long period of time, finding new hooks that you can use to talk about your book. Don’t be too subtle about it.

Only a few people will directly order your book—for most, they will need to hear many different accounts from various sources before you convince them to buy it. We weren’t prepared for this, and in general did not do enough on social media (which is an activity neither of us enjoys). In any case, the odd weekly post on social media is not going to get you enough exposure. A friend of mine is currently taking his own book on a self-organised world book tour. This hadn’t even crossed our minds.

3. It’s not about book sales

Success for a social sector book (or any non-fiction book, really) is rarely about how many copies get sold—this was the hardest mental model to break. Success comes from the impact it has on people, and on how well you can monetise the book through paid speaking engagements and business deals. One corporate speaking engagement alone made me back all the money I’d spent on the hybrid publisher, and then some. Anne recouped her investment by designing workshops for nonprofits around the world following the success of her book.

4. Being an author means so much more

As an author, your book is like a gold-plated business card. Aim for long-term value through reputational capital and increased opportunities. Anne had a chance encounter with a reader who was such a fan he commissioned her for several projects over the next few years, taking her career to a new level. I sent my book to two CEOs I admired, and received job offers from both of them before the year was out.

5. Bestseller lists are scammy

When you see a book prominently featured somewhere, it’s usually because the author or publisher has paid for it to be there. My hybrid publisher guided my co-author and me on becoming an Amazon #1 bestseller. A mutual friend spent more than USD 50,000 on a PR firm that landed them on a billboard at New York’s Times Square. Airport bookstores are ludicrously expensive to get your book into, and be especially wary of The New York Times bestseller lists.

6. Make the book available in different formats

Distributing printed books around the world, especially in countries without a major domestic publishing industry, limits your reach. Always accompany your book with an e-book. Additionally, people are increasingly consuming audiobooks rather than physical books. I had already paid for making the physical book, so didn’t want to add an audiobook to the budget (it’s not cheap) and then spend more time and money marketing that one, especially when sales aren’t the metric of success. But so many people have told me that they would have listened to it as an audiobook, and other authors have noted greater audio sales than physical sales.

7. Use your book to upsell

A book is a great self-development resource. Anne’s brand guidebook came with free tools and worksheets to design your own brand strategy, which readers can download from her website. More (paid) case studies, online courses, and live programmes were available for readers who wanted to dive deeper or who needed more personalised support. In my book, every chapter ended with suggested exercises and templates to help the reader apply the chapter’s lessons and grow their social impact career. The key here is to deliver great learning and professional development opportunities in addition to the core content of the book.

8. What people really took from the book was unexpected

Approximately 75 percent of the speaking invitations I received dealt with just one chapter of the book, and it was one I’d pushed to include as it wasn’t the main point of the book. On the other hand, the #1 question I’ve received in all my book talks was about how to make money in a social sector career—a topic we’d spent less than a page on. Anne wrote her book for changemakers and social entrepreneurs, but to her surprise a large chunk of her readership comprised other brand professionals who wanted to do more meaningful work. She used that insight to create a certified trainer programme.

9. Non-fiction books have a shelf-life

At some point after your book is out there, the world changes (because of politics or new technologies or shifts in social mores) and your book’s immediate salience diminishes. For instance, one of the central themes of my book was that there has never been a better time to get into the social sector (because there’s never been more jobs in this space). In the branding arena, the trend of ‘purpose-driven’ brands was unstoppable for 10 years. But the last few months have been characterised by a right-wing pushback against civil society and brands engaged with social justice issues.

I can no longer confidently say that this is the best time to get into the social impact space, and Anne believes that the backlash against commenting on social causes is making even purpose-driven brands reconsider their positioning. Perhaps the pendulum will shift back someday and our books will stand on solid ground because their underlying lessons and messages are enduring. But if you have a book concept, it’s a good idea to get it out there before the world tilts away from you. That said, your book will be part of your profile for the rest of your career. A successful follow-up book or shorter essays that respond to new developments are a great way to stay part of the conversation.

10. The people you meet make it all worthwhile

More than sales and revenue, it’s meeting the people who were impacted by the book that makes us happiest. A book is a very useful tool to bring like-minded people together, and a wonderful way to expand your professional and social circle. Thanks to her book, Anne built a global community of people—from Malaysia to Kenya to Canada—who continue to meet up and collaborate even years after it was published. Using my book’s lessons in hundreds of career coaching sessions is as close to ‘my ministry’ as I have ever felt. Around three weeks ago, I heard from someone, out of the blue, that the book inspired her to quit her corporate job and launch a start-up dedicated to supporting immigrant mothers in the United States. “The book helped me clarify what I want to build and gave me the courage to take this leap,” she said. We know that these books have made a difference!

Which is why, if you have a book in you, write it. You have likely learned some hard-won lessons to get to a point where you believe you have something to share that others will benefit from. Making social change happen is difficult; we need all the help we can get from those who have walked the path before us and can help us grow faster, make fewer mistakes, and do better work.

Something to Consider

Anne’s newest book - a “graphic memoir” - is about a European visiting modern-day America. I loved it! Check out First World Problems.

Something to Quote

“Never forget that writing is as close as we get to keeping a hold on the thousand and one things – childhood, certainties, cities, doubts, dreams, instants, phrases, parents, loves – that go on slipping, like sand, through our fingers.”

- Salman Rushdie, Imaginary Homelands