Pictured here: me proudly holding the Taiwanese version of my first book, which was published in multiple languages (I think 5?) and in stores worldwide. Can anybody read this thing for me, lol?
I just got on the phone with my friend Jay to discuss the potential of publishing his incredible story of overcoming death. Watching the strength of community gathered around him, marshaled by his wife Michelle was such an inspiring experience, even as a bystander. I spent just a few months working with his son John to prep for the SAT over a decade ago and I don’t remember what his scores were, but I do remember Michelle can COOK! Man, oh man. I digress.
Jay said that a friend told him publishing a book “raises your IQ 40 points in the eyes of the audience.” Funny, but so very true!
As it relates to building your career, writing and publishing a book is one of the smartest things you can do. It’s the ultimate calling card, even in the age of social media and AI.
Why? Positioning.
In the professional world, positioning is a thing. Yes, you must have skills. But outside of that, the biggest difference between charging $1,000 and $10,000 for the same service isn’t a 10x skill gap or quality difference. It’s 2-3x at best.
We see this in all industries, by the way. The highest-paid aren’t always the most qualified on paper.
Price differentiation is created by client selection, perception of value and positioning in the market. At the highest price points, whom you’re speaking to and how they perceive you often counts for more than your actual skillset. I don’t relish this fact and I don’t make up the rules, I just observe them. Authority matters.
When organizers are looking to bring speakers into their events, they want to work with published authors. When movie studios look for ideas to turn into films, they look for bestselling books.
When individuals look to get support, hire you or learn from you, they are much more likely to take you seriously if you’ve published a book. Publishing your work (the right way) implies a certain amount of refinement and expertise that can’t be faked.
This doesn’t apply to just business owners, either. Imagine you’re interviewing for a job and the hiring manager has to choose between you and somebody else who’s written a book on subject matter related to the position they’re interviewing for. Who gets the job? Who gets the raise?
It doesn’t have to be my company New Wave Press that publishes your book. Truth be told, we are a small firm focused on selecting the perfect authors and we’ll produce just 5-10 books in 2025 of impeccable quality — all of which I’ll help to write, design, produce and market personally. Plus, we’re not cheap.
However, publishing a book should be on your radar as a professional strategy for pulling ahead in the market. I’ve published three books so far under my own name and each one has helped to solidify my career in ways that cannot be replicated.
Want to get ahead? It’s time to get writing 🙂
If you’re a professional, entrepreneur or expert who is ready to become a bestselling author, I’m happy to answer any questions about writing, publishing and promoting your book. Reach out by completing the application on this page and we can discuss how New Wave Press may be able to support you.
