5 horrible mistakes every entrepreneur must avoid while writing a book
Losing My Virginity, Steve Jobs, iWoz and The Trump Card – what do all of these have in common? All of them are autobiographies written by famous entrepreneurs whose stories are worth giving a mindful read. For any entrepreneur, a book is the ultimate mass platform for voicing out their stories, to let the world know of their successes and failures, of their woes, worries and struggles that has led them to their positions. It’s a powerful way to share a story which sometimes acts as a positive reinforcement on other hopefuls.
Image : shutterstock
There are thousands of books written about entrepreneurs or even by entrepreneurs themselves, but when it comes to success among the masses, only a handful see the light of the day. But since every second entrepreneur wishes to write a book (who wouldn’t?), these are the mistakes that should be avoided at all cost.
Doing it for money
A successful book is not only measured by the amount of cash flow. In fact, many judge their book’s success by the doors and possibilities that they open up. Giving the money factor prime importance will not only make the quality of the book suffer, but also restrain you from pouring your heart out to your readers. Always remember, your readers are what matters.
Brainstorm a title
It’s not an easy task to come up with a unique and catchy working title. No matter how much your heart is stuck onto a title, if there are identical ones floating around, it’s time to do a little brainstorming. Figuring out a title and subtitle early on in the process will save you a lot of crucial time that you can spend writing the book. And even as the book takes up a concrete shape, be flexible about changing the title too.
The cover design
Hiring a professional and utilising a focus-group testing mechanism is the best way to go about it. Since you are not a professional designer and your book is most definitely not a piece of art, do not be a control freak! Instead of picking an ‘all-time favorite’, be open and accommodating when it comes to implementing changes. The key is to not settle!
Don’t plan the book
The book is not a business venture that you need to get over and done with by a given deadline. It’s a product of your creative energy that is, more often than not, spontaneous. Of course, you should always have an outline in mind in terms of how you want you and your company to be portrayed to the readers. People buy books to get inspired, to get past a hurdle that is seemingly insurmountable, and that is where your storytelling must kick in.
Not showing the human side
Since you’ve set foot on the track of telling people the journey of your life, don’t just tell them the good stuff. They need to trust you and they need to relate with you. The simplest way of making that happen is by appealing to their human sad, that is, by telling them about the failures and difficult times that you’ve had to face on your journey. People need to realise that if you can overcome your hardships and become successful, then they can too – that’s real motivation!
But all these pointes is of no use if you don’t start. If you don’t start, you can never finish and that’s not something desirable! If you think you’ve got a story to tell, just grab a laptop and start writing, and you might end up helping people who needed that tiny bit of motivation!
