5 Reasons to Write a Book

There are probably a million reasons to write a book. Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin to stop the injustice of slavery. Stephenie Meyer wrote Twilight to capture a dream she had one night. Dale Carnegie wrote How to Win Friends and Influence People to help people overcome their fear of public speaking. Behind every book in every library is an author who had a reason for investing a lot of time and energy into that project. 

If you've ever considered writing a book, you have reasons of your own, and they're probably very good reasons. The following 5 reasons are universal, I believe. Do they apply to you? Are you ready to take the plunge?
 
1. You Have Something to Say 
Admit it. You know a lot about something—so much that other people ask you advice about it and care what you have to say. It might be something relatively obscure like growing lucious peaches or drawing still lifes. Or it might be something more common like setting up small business accounting systems or teaching kids how to swim. Whatever it is, there are people out there who would like to learn what you already know. And they just might pay you to explain it to them.
 
2. You’d Like to Publish Something 
There’s never been a better time to get into publishing. Just a few years ago, you couldn’t publish a book without going through a series of gatekeepers: agents, editors, publishers. Today, thanks to some amazing innovations and print-on-demand technology, you can publish a book by yourself and market it to practically the whole world. The indie publishing process is incredibly satisfying, and holding your published book in your hand is pretty satisfying, too.
 
3. You Want to Learn Something New 
If you’re into lifelong learning, indie publishing is definitely for you. Not only will you continually be learning about writing, thinking, and communicating, but you’ll learn all kinds of fascinating skills along the way. You’ll learn about design as you work through your book covers and interior setup. You’ll learn how to use complicated software like Gimp or Photoshop. You’ll learn about inbound marketing and social media. You’ll meet interesting people and step out of your comfort zone. With each new book you publish you’ll learn something new. It’s endlessly rewarding.
 
4. You Want to Give Back 
Most authors started out as dedicated readers. At some point, after devouring book after delicious book, most readers have a desire to give back and add to the conversation. One of my favorite college professors told me that reading and writing are just different parts of the same conversation. If you’re ready to reciprocate start writing. Your voice is important to the great conversation of ideas and stories.
 
5. You Want to Stretch Yourself 
Anyone can write a blog post. Take 400-600 words, add an image or two, and bam. Published. But writing a book is different. It requires you to take one idea and explore it in depth. For a long time. It requires you to pace yourself, to discipline yourself, and to stick with something until it’s done. You’ll get sick of it. It will nag you and be a permanent resident on your to-do list. When you finally finish that sucker, though, you will feel the elation that comes from accomplishing something difficult. You will have climbed a very tall mountain. And from the top of that mountain you will see things you couldn’t see before. And it will make you want to climb the next mountain.
 
So what are you going to write about?