The value beyond royalties
When people tell me they want to write a book, one of the first questions I ask is why. If the answer is because they think it'll make them rich, I usually suggest they think again.
The vast majority of business books don't generate life changing royalties. That's never been the point.
For me, writing a book changed something far more valuable. It changed how people saw me. More importantly, it changed how I saw myself.
My first book, From Learner to Earner, was written to help students and graduates navigate the transition into the workplace. At the time, I was running an employability business and speaking regularly to young people, universities and employers. The book allowed me to package years of knowledge into something that could continue helping people long after I'd left the room.
Making experience visible
I didn't realise it at the time, but I wasn't just writing a book. I was building authority. People often talk about becoming an expert. The reality is that plenty of experts never become known because they never package what they know in a way that's easy for others to consume. A book does exactly that.
Almost overnight, conversations changed. Instead of introducing myself as someone who worked in graduate recruitment, I became "the author". Journalists were more interested. Event organisers saw me differently. Clients assumed I had a greater depth of expertise, even though my knowledge hadn't magically increased the day the book was published. The book simply made my experience visible.
That was the beginning of something much bigger than I expected. Over the years, I've now written three books and I'm currently working on my fourth. Each one has opened different doors. They've led to speaking engagements, media opportunities, partnerships and, perhaps most importantly, better quality conversations with potential clients.
People often assume books create opportunities because of how many copies they sell. In my experience, they create opportunities because of how many conversations they start.
A book gives people a reason to remember you. It creates credibility before you've even walked into the room. Prospective clients feel like they already know how you think. Trust is built much faster because you've already shared your ideas, your approach and your personality. It's one of the few marketing assets that continues working for years. Looking back, I can see another unexpected benefit. Writing forces clarity. It's easy to convince yourself you know your subject inside out until you try explaining it over 40,000 words.
Writing forces clarity
You have to organise your thinking. Challenge your own assumptions. Work out what you genuinely believe. Decide what matters enough to include and, just as importantly, what doesn't. That process made me a better business owner. It sharpened my message, strengthened my presentations and gave me far greater confidence whenever I was interviewed or standing on stage. After all, if you've written an entire book on your subject, answering questions in a meeting suddenly feels a lot less daunting.
Perhaps that's why so many founders tell me writing a book is one of the hardest things they've ever done. I agree. Not because writing itself is impossible, but because life gets in the way. Client work always feels more urgent. Emails need answering. Meetings appear. The manuscript quietly slips down the to do list for another week. Then another.
That's one of the reasons we created writing retreats through Moja. Sometimes the biggest challenge isn't knowing what to write. It's creating the time and space to write it. Stepping away from the day to day allows people to make meaningful progress in a matter of days rather than months.
From writing retreats to Moja Publishing
As more founders came to us asking for help, another pattern emerged. Many had incredible stories and expertise but found the publishing world confusing. Traditional publishing isn't the right route for everyone and self publishing can feel overwhelming if you've never done it before.
That demand led us to launch Moja Publishing. It wasn't part of some grand masterplan. It grew naturally because we'd experienced first hand how transformative writing a book could be for a business owner and we wanted to help others do the same.
Today we work with founders, consultants and leaders who don't necessarily dream of seeing their book in an airport bookshop. Instead, they want a book that helps grow their reputation, opens doors and creates opportunities.
That's exactly what mine did. If there's one thing I'd encourage any business owner to think about, it's this. Don't write a book because you want to become an author. Write a book because you have something worth saying. The process will challenge you. It will force you to think more clearly than you ever have before. It will make you articulate what makes your approach different. It will give people a reason to trust you before you've even met.
And while I can't promise it will become a bestseller, I can say this with complete confidence. Writing my first book didn't just add another line to my CV. It changed the trajectory of my business.
For more information on Moja writing retreats and Moja publishing, visit https://thisismoja.com/