Do you want to get rich?  Who doesn’t?  Some authors are loaded. J.K. Rowling, for instance, is one of the richest people in the United Kingdom.  However, most authors would have trouble supporting themselves on their writing income.

Do you want to be famous?  Anyone who hasn’t heard of Steven King or Agatha Christie probably lives under a rock and ventures out only during full moons.  Some authors become very famous.  They get book tours, radio appearances, and Oprah invitations.  Yet these are the exceptions.  Most authors are known only to their readers and loved ones.

I’m not saying that if you write a book, you won’t get rich.  I’m not saying that authors can’t become celebrities.  I am saying that if fame or big bucks are the only reason for writing your book, you’re likely to be disappointed.

There are other reasons to write a book.

Reason one: you have something to say.  Most people do.  Perhaps it’s about politics; perhaps it’s about raising children.  Maybe you know a lot about cooking gluten-free meals or about how to cope with sore feet.  It doesn’t matter what it is, if you have something to say, writing a book is an excellent way to say it. Moreover, a book says it over and over again to each reader.

Reason two: you have valuable expertise.  You probably have more expertise that you realize.  You should share it.  Other people need it. Do you know how to cook steel-cut oats in a microwave?  How about setting up an online bookselling business?  Any advice about reducing property tax assessments?  Whatever it is that you know, there are people who need your knowledge.  If you put that knowledge in a book, then those who need it can have access to it.

Reason three:  you must write.  You have this compulsion to get something off your chest, to place your ideas before the public, to honor someone who meant more than the world to you.  If you don’t write, you’ll burst.

There are many reasons to write a book.  What’s yours?. 

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