What is going to be your legacy?

Have you even thought about it.

I’ve recently watch KAOS on Netflix.

If you haven’t seen it do yourself a favour and watch it. Created by Charlie Covell it’s a mythical romp with Jeff Goldblum as Zeus, who is going through what I’d call a power and legacy crisis. Zeus is all powerful yet insecure. He starts to fear his end of reign once he notices a wrinkle on his forehead, possibly indicating the end of the world. Of course, the humans – pesky playthings that they are – start realising something is up. That their gods are perhaps not what they seem, and neither are they (aka they have agency).

While watching it I also started thinking about legacy in general and mine specifically.

This was prompted by a discussion among family and friends around the dinner table, absent a few as some had died over the past year.

When I thought about my legacy I immediately went to the books I’ve written, and the people I’ve helped along the way with their books. These books are a permanent record that I was here. They are a record of what I have learned and shared, forever. Or are they?

In the age of AI and data will the books I’ve written, or that any of us write, really going to be around in 100 years or more?

To a degree this is what Google and AI is promising – that everything that’s ever been written will be captured and permanently available at the touch of a few links via our phone. But what if the format that my books are saved on doesn’t make the upgrade cycle, misses out on several upgrades so that after a period of time it’s not ‘there’ anymore? What happens to my legacy then?

I face a version of this issue every day when I am researching and writing company histories. So much of what I search for is simply not available online (called grey information or unstructured content). Sometimes it’s only available through the ‘old fashioned’ hard copy or digitised copy via a library. Or, in more than a number of cases via an antiquarian/rare book website.

I am a print book tragic. I love the act and art of researching, writing and publishing the printed book. I have a copy of every book I have written and most of those I have published or helped to publish. Most of my books are not available in an electronic format, although I have started a project to digitise the ones that are most important to me – hedging my bets in a way. If there’s a print version and electronic version of my books somewhere perhaps my legacy will remain. Perhaps not.

Just what is a legacy?

The dictionary ascribes one definitions as ‘something transmitted by or received from an ancestor or predecessor or from the past’.

In relation to writing and publishing a business or non fiction book then, your legacy is the knowledge, experiences and/or insights you want to share now and into the future to those who the subject matter is relevant and, hopefully useful. This knowledge/insight might be of value over a shorter or longer timeframe, to a specific audience or wider group.

The primary element though is one of knowledge exchange and, if you want to engage your audience, discussion.

You believe at some level that your knowledge and insights are of value to others AND you want to do something tangible about sharing this – write and self publish a book.

The value of your legacy – now and tomorrow

The value of your book is directly proportional to the focus, energy and effort you put into it. The better your book is constructed, written and published the more opportunity you have through it to leave a positive and enduring legacy in your area.

While AI might be able to pump out content, it can’t (and has never claimed otherwise) craft a book that synthesises knowledge, experience, hindsight and foresight – in essence insight. It can certainly assist with research, act as another person in the room to explore ideas with, come up with different titles, help structure your book and more, but only if you take ownership and agency of how you engage with it and what you do with its responses.

Another wonderful thing about a book – print, eBooks and audio books – is that you can share them while you’re alive. You can actively build your legacy based on your expertise and insight now and for as long as you are interested and involved. They also have the benefit of working for you to build your profile, reputation and recognition and expand your reach and impact.

Building your legacy now

The great thing about a book is that you can write and publish it now (well within 6-12 months depending on your topic, the length and your focus). I mean, it’s kind of odd that most of us don’t think about our legacy until we’ve got grey hair and are grandparents, whereas there’s a real opportunity to build our legacy over time in a much more considered way.

So, think about it. What will your legacy be?

What can you do, what do you want to do, today to start building it?

Is writing a book to share your knowledge, insights and foresight part of it, or not?

If it is, what do you have to share, to who and why?

If you don’t start now, when will you, or what’s stopping you?

Write better, publish smarter.

If you want to discuss your book idea with me, book in a FREE strategy session here .

Want to send me a draft of what you’ve written for feedback, Message me.

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