[00:00:00] Do you want to stand out as an author? Then start with your, why.
[00:00:06] In 2010, I read Simon Sinek's book. Start with why. I was led to his book because of his Ted talk, which he gave in September, 2009 and has since then had over 63 million views and is in the top five of the most watched Ted talks. Have you seen it?
[00:00:26] What he teaches, applies directly to authors and is what will keep you going when you hit roadblocks in your journey as an author?
[00:00:35] I'm Zach Kristensen, and this is Beyond the book presented by Juxta book.
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[00:00:49] In his talk Sinek shares the golden circle, which is his coding and perspective that people and organizations should start with the why [00:01:00] or their purpose or belief instead of the, what. He points out that companies often began with the how or the what, which is not the ideal approach because it's from the outside in when they're communicating and when they're marketing and telling customers about why they should come to them.
[00:01:21] But when they start from the inside out with the why it becomes a much more inspiring.
[00:01:27] As an author, understanding your, why will guide you in your vision, your choices and effort that you will need to put in to your book and the persistence and drive that will keep you going. It will help you understand which publishing path you want to pursue.
[00:01:47] Discovering your, why will help you understand which publishing path you want to pursue? It will help you understand how much time and money you're willing to invest it. It will help you understand what quality of book do [00:02:00] you want to produce.
[00:02:01] And the most important reason for this "why" will influence and inform you on why you want to write a book. Is it because you have a story or expertise to share. Do you want it to use it to grow your business, become a thought leader or build a personal brand. Or maybe you're building a consultancy and see the book as a marketing and branding tool.
[00:02:22] You can aim for all of these, but knowing your, why will help you determine where to start? Your why will drive you through the days when you wonder if all the time and effort you are putting in will be worth it. Being an author is a long game. There are little to no overnight success authors. Overnight success is achieved through years of effort. And is not a consistent upward journey.
[00:02:48] I worked with an author who was on their third book. His first two books were successful. One even became a wall street journal bestseller, and has now sold over 10,000 copies in a short period of time. For his third [00:03:00] book, he invested thousands of dollars and rallied his network to support the launch of this book. But guess how many copies he sold the first week of launch? 67.
[00:03:12] Since then the sales really haven't increased, week in and week out. The book has become more of a brand builder than a bestseller. There could be many reasons for this outcome, but it's a stark reminder that effort doesn't always translate into sales.
[00:03:27] So if you are this author, What would you do?
[00:03:31] They kept going because their why is what drove them. They moved on to the next step. The next book and that's what worked and was the best for them because of their "why".
[00:03:43] So here's the question. You need to ask yourself, why do you want to write a book? Once you've got your answer. You'll choose where you want to go and what the end looks like for you The path of how to get to that end goal may still be uncertain [00:04:00] but you will have a clear reason and driver to keep going when you hit the roadblocks.
[00:04:07] Thank you for listening
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[00:04:12] To discover your why?
[00:04:14] Visit juxta book.com. To set up your author coaching session today.
[00:04:21] If you have any questions about a recent episode, I'd love to hear from you. Visit juxtabook.com/beyondthebook and click the appropriate button to leave your question and we will include it in our weekly Q&A episode.
[00:04:36] Your book is just one chapter in your author journey. Think beyond the book as you craft your path. Thank you for your questions and thank you for listening.
