I’ve heard a lot of crazy things because of the economy, but this takes the cake.  I’m hearing a lot of folks are writing a book right now.  When I ask why, here’s the number one answer:  well, business has been slow so why not?  This answer has spawned a rant not to be missed – click here to see the video.

Let’s get real:  this kind of delusional thinking takes over when a business is in trouble — that big client suddenly goes away, referrals dry up, a more prominent competitor invades your space.  It’s easy to rationalize, “Hey, instead of figuring out how to get more business, I think I’ll go write a book.”  It’s easier to focus on a book than it is your business strategy.  Why?  Because we feel vulnerable when we don’t know what to do when the game  changes.  What used to work doesn’t anymore and we’ve got to do something NOW to fix it.  The book becomes our security blanket.  Writing that book makes us feel in control.  By golly, this book will jumpstart my business.  And while writing that book, we don’t have to do tough stuff like get out into the marketplace and compete.  It’s a great way to hide, to stick our head into the sand.  And again, there’s plenty of people urging us to write that manuscript.  For a price.

The hard truth:  the best motivation for writing a book is market-driven.  So before the book train leaves the station, let’s step back and take a hard look at our motivations.  Ask yourself:  what trends are converging that will make this book create more clients or more speaking?

This recovering economy has created trends that will make some books soar – and some sink.  I’m unveiling my latest analysis on those market dynamics at the next Extreme Mini Makeover call on June 22nd.  Click here to join in the fun.