By: Casey Cease, CEO, Lucid Books
I’ve had the privilege of speaking to groups of various sizes—from 10 people to 25,000 people at a time. While the style of speaking to different size groups varies, the ability to share a meaningful message that helps people is hugely rewarding. Early on, I noticed that when I was wrapping up a great speaking event, people seemed to want more of what I was saying. But I didn't have any meaningful resources to help them continue to work through the content I was speaking about.
Over the course of several years, people encouraged me to put my story into a book. The reason for this was less about them wanting to hear my story again and more about them wanting to share my message with someone else. So, after several years, I finally decided to write a book based on my testimony entitled Tragedy to Truth.
From my experience and that of many other public speakers and pastors, I can say with confidence that there are three significant reasons why speakers must write and publish books:
1. Build Trust: Being invited to speak at an event or a church is not something to be taken lightly. In fact, a lot of risk and burden is placed upon the hosts when they invite a speaker. If the speaker doesn't deliver in a way that they were hoping, there can (and will be) a lot of problems. One of the ways that I have seen my book help is that it allows potential hosts to get an idea about who I am, my style, and my message as they plan their event. It builds trust that I have the authority to speak about specific issues and that I have done the work needed to establish and maintain this authority. A book based on a topic that you speak on will help your potential hosts understand who and what they are getting when you come in to speak.
2. Expand Your Reach: There is only one of you. While blogs, podcasts, videos, and social media are helpful, all those things are intangible. They can provide a sense of what is being offered, but there is something unique about holding a book in your hand written by a speaker who presumes (at times, audaciously) to have something to say that is worth investing in—something that will help your group or organization. As an author, you can share your message and raise additional awareness about your speaking business or ministry and multiply your ability to reach more people. This benefit leads to my third point.
3. Resource People for Change: I am not an advocate of writing a book merely to have something to sell. In fact, if your book isn't excellent and helpful, it could hurt your speaking platform. I am, however, a huge proponent of creating a resource that will empower your hosts and your listeners to experience transformation in their lives and bring about positive changes in the lives of those around them. I’ve had several people tell me that they were given a copy of my book by a friend and that it really impacted them. That was a huge blessing for me to hear and a wonderful example of how writing a book not only expands your reach, but also equips your listeners with resources to help others.
Of course, there are many other benefits of writing a book based on the message you speak about. But these three points provide a great foundation as you work toward writing a book that builds trust with your audience, expands your reach, and helps people become effective change agents!
At Lucid Books, we would love to partner with you to craft your message, write your book, and market it to the best audience for expanding your reach and changing lives! If you’d like to connect with us about your upcoming book project, let’s Get Started today!
