Why using downtime to work on your book can plant the seeds for the future success of your business

If you are a business owner and have been on the fence, deciding whether or not to write a book, or even if you are in the middle of writing one but have lost motivation to finish, having a published book can provide lasting benefits for your business. By being a published author and having a book associated with your name and your business name, you are able to create future success and new opportunities.

What a book can do for your business

Having a book under your belt positions you as an expert in your field. You are putting your thoughts and lessons that you’ve learned along the way through your business and career out there to help teach people in similar positions. Through this, you cement yourself as a leader and educator, someone who leads the field and works to impart what you’ve learned on to other people. This gives you more recognition on a personal level and gets your name out there in other people’s minds, thus promoting your personal brand. You are able to go to different business meetings and conferences not just as a business owner but also as a published author.  

As your book receives attention,, your business also gets a boost in recognition. You’ll simultaneously be able to market your business as you promote your book. If you were at a business conference and networking with a group of people, you could mention that you are an author and name drop your book title. That piques the group’s interest in you and you are able to not only plug your book and explain what your book is about, but also how your business ties in with your book. You are able to promote the sale of your book and also draw in new clients for your business. Networking as a published author gives you more credibility and allows your name and business to circulate through different networks and draw more attention to your book and business.

In addition to having a published book to add to your clout, the lessons that you teach throughout your book are lessons that you can utilize in your business strategies. For instance, if you are running a consulting business and you decide to write a book based on what you’ve learned throughout your career. Writing out your thoughts and lessons learned fleshes out ideas that you’ve had in your head, and many of the lessons that you are writing about in your book can be taught through your consulting work. Graphics that you use in the book and step-by-step plans that you outline in your book can be used in your presentations that you give to different companies. You can create direct tie-ins from your book to your business lessons and strategies that also work to promote your book. 

What do we mean by ‘downtime’ 

Downtime can be anytime that you aren’t working on something business related. Taking some time during the weekend, or during an hour lunch break, or even a few hours after you finish working. Downtime is time that you have to yourself that is free for you for whatever you want to do. 

Writing a book is a long process that takes months to finish just the first draft of your manuscript, which is a common reason why many people who have a good book idea don’t act on it. It’s a large task, but you get through it one step at a time. Utilizing your downtime each day to write little by little will help you get your manuscript finished. Taking a little time each day to get some words down will get you to that completed manuscript. The important thing is to stick to a timeline and schedule for when you are able to write and an estimated time that you want to have your book completed. 

How much time should you spend writing? 

This depends on how much downtime that you have and how fast you plan on finishing your manuscript. Writing a book is by no means a one week task, and it won’t be easy. You need to set a timeline for yourself and your book. How much downtime do you have on average weekly? How many words per hour are you usually able to put down? How long do you think your manuscript will be? How will you publish your book? When would you like to have your book published? 

These are all things to take into consideration that will affect how long you should spend writing daily and weekly. Say you have about 15-20 hours of downtime each week that you could spend working on your book, and you know you can write about 500 words every two or three hours. If you are thinking that your manuscript will be about 50,000 words, that puts you at around 13 weeks to meet that goal. This is if you keep up with that goal and make sure that you are writing consistently with the amount of downtime that you have. 

That’s a specific example and your book and your writing style and projections can be completely different. The important thing is to have a timeline and a schedule for when you want your book to be published and when you can work on it. Your timeline and schedule might shift because of different life events, or you may get busy with your business which can lower the amount of downtime you have. It’s okay to shift your writing schedule around due to changing circumstances as long as you stick to the schedule that you set in place. 

If you’ve been pushing off your writing or don’t know where to start, click here to learn more about our free Getting Started for Writers Program. The program covers the basics, how to get into the author mindset, how to get into a writing routine, writing tips, accountability, and more!