That depends on any number of factors. As with so many other means of communication, technology and the internet have broken down barriers and busted through gatekeepers. You can write a book, publish it yourself, sell it online and reach thousands and make tens of thousands. That’s the good news. The bad news is you can also invest hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars only to have your best friend tell you they thought it was good, but they were too busy to finish it.
The goal is communication, which takes two. You as the writer are the sender of the message. The reader is the receiver of the message. To answer the question of whether you should write a book you have to ask these questions:
Is my potential book the best way to communicate my message? On average fewer than 50% of Americans have read even one book all the way through in the last year. We are increasingly a nation that can only consume images or the briefest of written formats. Try to estimate the relative amount of work, reach and impact writing you book might have.
Will my book communicate this message better than other books? I’d love to write a book contrasting the Christian faith and theological liberalism. But J. Gresham Machen pretty well covered that in his classic Christianity and Liberalism. It is perfectly understandable to love a book so much you want to write one just like it. But why? Unless of course there is some reason you can reach an audience the earlier book hasn’t.
Do I have the skills to a. communicate accurately and b. communicate well enough to hold the attention of my potential audience? Many aspiring writers think the hard thing about writing a book is coming up with 50,000 words on a particular theme. They think once they’ve done so they’ve created some sort of obligation on others to read those words. Sadly, sometimes those words are wrong. Other times those words are painful to read. Sometimes they are both.
Will I or my publisher be able to persuade people to buy/read my book? Writing the book is the easiest part. Getting it into publishing shape is a little harder. Finding a publisher (if you go that route) is a bit harder still. Getting people to buy the book is even more difficult. Most difficult of all is getting people to actually read my book.
Of course there is no way to know the answer to all of these questions in advance. Publishing history is riddled with great writers who had rejection letters sufficient to paper their own walls. You can, however, do your best to give an honest assessment and seek the counsel of others on these questions. What you shouldn’t expect is to be catapulted to fame and fortune. It could happen, but so could winning the lottery. That doesn’t make it likely.
I have served as a coach, editor, co-writer, ghost-writer for others over the years and so have some expertise. That’s why I operate The Purpose Driven Write, offering those very services to both aspiring and working writers. If you’d like to discuss your project, feel free to email me at hellorcjr@gmail.com.
You operate “The Purpose Driven Write.” That is good to know. I have a few manuscripts I am presently working on. I may take you up on that offer in the near future.
I believe there are a few other good reasons, besides the important considerations you listed, to write a book you haven’t covered.
Just the task of writing, the necessary research, and other efforts that go into putting words on a page, will help the author become a better writer, help them to organize their thoughts, and learn more about the subject they are writing about. And in fact, even if they are not interested in getting the book published, they will be a better, more rounded person, just because they were able to complete that task, that took time and effort to conclude.
One of the reasons I wrote my first book, was the challenge it presented (and the message I wanted others to read), it was like standing before a towering cliff I needed to ascend, and I had no mountain climbing experience or equipment. I think most, if they knew my background, and desire to write a book, would have said, “You, write a book, you’ve got to be kidding … ha, ha, ha …
The author may have questions he needs, or wants to have answers. That was one of the many reasons I wrote “Reindeer Don’t Fly: Exploring the Evidence-Lacking Realm of Evolutionary Philosophy.” I wanted to know, could I answer the challenge, the questions from a Ph.D. endowed professor concerning evolution. I also had numerous questions about the creation account, the flood, and many other things. Questions like, where did all the water go after the flood? Is there enough water to cover Mount Everest? Is there a reliable method scientists can use to date the age of the earth? Can animals evolve; change from one kind of creature into another species? If the theory of evolution is invalid and worthless, why do so many scientists and others promote this teaching? I really was able to answer those and a plethora of other such questions.
Or, while doing the research, study, and investigation, why not organize the information into an outline or manuscript, that could be turned into a book. I am sure there are other good reasons we have not mentioned.
Excellent points all brother. I’d love to talk when you are ready. God bless.