Why book writing habits are harder but worth it because books make you un-interrupt-able.
“A book is a version of the world. If you do not like it, ignore it; or offer your own version in return.”
Salman Rushdie
I’ve seen personally and professionally how a book is the most powerful way to connect with your audience. It’s stronger, more transformative, and in the end, more long lasting than any other form of content.
This might sound like a strong statement in the age of nearly infinite places to create and share content – social media, audio, video, speeches, email, blogs, articles. I’m sure holographic VR tele-transport social media content solutions are coming for us next.
Why just share pictures of your lunch when you can offer your friends a bite of it?
But through it all, and historically speaking for a very long time now, and despite frequent predictions of their imminent demise, books have continued to hook people’s attention.
Shorter forms of content have their own value in conversations with your audience. But they’re slivers of the complete story. They’re the appetizers that excite you for the main feast. They’re previews of the larger attraction.
There’s a reason why writing a book is harder than writing a blog post, why it takes longer, why it requires a stronger daily writing habit, and, quite often, why you bang your head against the wall trying to write a great book. Shooting a YouTube video or writing a blog post requires only mild forehead tapping.
Being Real
We consume short form content in a scroll interwoven with other short form content, often as a form of distraction inserted into the hectic energy of our day. We’re interrupt-able when we’re consuming short form content. We can toggle our attention back and forth easily. We consume content while standing in line. In the waiting room. On the toilet. This is not to say that valuable lessons are not learned through content consumed in these… fleeting life moments.
Books Are Different.
We read books alone, with no other content interwoven through the pages – no distractions. We read books in bed. We read on the beach to a soundtrack of crashing waves. We read on airplanes, wearing headphones to prevent interruption. We read curled up on the couch on a rainy or snowy day.
When we read a book, we demand to be alone, un-interrupt-able. We push away the rest of the world. When it’s time to read a book it’s time to concentrate, to escape, to learn, to grow, to change. It’s different. It’s special.
Which relationship would YOU rather have with your audience? Ideally both, situationally speaking, but without the book – what is the destination? What is the greater goal? Where are you bringing people? Where is the relationship payoff?
Writing a book is hard, book writing habits are a different ballgame than other content writing habits. But the effort you invest is worth it. And if you need my help, well, you know where to find me.
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