3 Ways You’ll Get Left Behind by NOT Being an Author

Today, I will share about the three ways you'll get left behind by not being an author. This is part one of a three-part series about being a collaborative author. In the next two blogs, I’ll cover what to look for in collaborative book opportunities and the five reasons to be a collaborative author even when you have a book or are writing your own book. 

Sidenote: 

Doors are open for our first call for authors for the next book in the Dynamic Women® Secret series. The book is called Dynamic Women® Leadership Secrets. Our first call for authors is closing on April 17, at 11:59PM PDT, and we’ve opened 18 spots for this round. There are bonuses and benefits to being in this first group. 

If you’re interested and want to learn more about this opportunity, you can come to our info session happening on April 15 at 1 PM PDT where I will share about, “Collaborative Author 101: How to Explode Your Audience, Establish Your Authority, and Leave a Legacy by Entering the World of Co-Writing”.

The Three Ways You’ll Get Left Behind by NOT Being an Author

These ways are for all people including those who…

• don't have a book themselves
• have never been in a collaborative book, and 
• already have books, but they're more than six months to a year old.

#1: Competitive Edge

I wrote my first book seven years ago called “Dynamic You: The Nine Pillars of Being a Dynamic Woman.”

Being an author is still very special, but things have changed because more books are being put out. It is a little bit easier to self-publish these days, rather than having to find a publisher. 

I guess that in about a year or two, almost all of your competitors will have a book themselves, or they'll be in one. They're going to be able to say that they're an author. If you don't have a book or a recent book, you're potentially going to lose out on that competitive edge. 
​You want to be thinking about that as part of your plan. Some people say to me, “Well, Diane, you have a book and so you're good.” Well, that was seven years ago. Since then, I have put out more books, and I've also been in other people's books as a strategy.

I hear, “Well, why would you go and be in other people's books when you can just publish more of your own?” There’s a strategy in all of this. There's a reason why I do all of these things, so watch out for my next two blogs in the coming weeks because I will go through the reasons why I continue to be in books. 

I've now put out one solo book, three Dynamic Women® Secrets books - Success Secrets, Confidence Secrets, and Trailblazer Secrets. I've also put out the Dynamic Year journal. That's me doing five of my own, then I've been in six other books that other people have put out, and I'm going to be signing up to be part of yet another one. ​

That competitive edge is what you want over other people in the industry. I'll talk about how that comes into play in the second way.

#2: Expertise and bio depth.

You may think, “Well, I'm not quite an expert at what I am doing.” Or you may believe, “Well, I am an expert.”  That's okay you both can be in a book. 

Being an author…

• Can help you become an expert 
• Can give you bio depth (meaning more depth in your bio, more things to add) 

Adding that you're an author, a collaborative author, and an author again, is a benefit that can move you ahead of others. 

As I said, almost everyone will have a book in the next couple of years. Then it's since most people have at least one book or have been in one book, you’ll need to have more. 

When I get introduced to go and speak and they say, “10-time bestselling author”, that's pretty impressive. I'm not saying you need 10. But 1, 2, or 3 would be wonderful. 

Expertise and bio depth come into play when your leads and clients are looking at their options. They're weighing options. “I’ve got this person, that person and one other person to consider.” You're one of three, one of two, one of 10. Who knows. 

If it's between you and these other people, they will start weighing the bios and the expertise. As soon as they see someone has a book, that they're an author, or they're an author in something and other people aren't, that's one thing that can make your competitors stand out compared to you. Also, it can help them to be seen as the expert, even though you might have more expertise than they do, and will give them more bio depth than your bio. 

Even if you have been published, if you don't have a recent publication, then that can also put you down if someone else has a recent book that's come out. 

We're going to see that in LinkedIn, as it's put up as a milestone. There's new energy around that. 

#3: Missing out on opportunities

You may think, “Well, what opportunities?” In my training that I've done about being a collaborative author, I talk about 10 to 20 ways of benefiting from being in a book or putting out your own book. 

Some of the ones that you're going to be missing out on are opportunities like speaking engagements. Being asked to speak because you're an author and expert on a topic. 

If you're not an author, you can’t join authors’ groups or be brought on to podcasts about being an author, or about the book that you're in. Those are some of the key benefits you’ll miss out on as well as summits. I get invited into summits and podcasts because of books that I've been in, because they found me that way, or they've been justified in asking me because they see that I have books for sale on my website.

The last piece around missing out on opportunities is list building. Now, with list building, there are multiple ways you can be doing it:

1. Through someone like me as the publisher promoting you to my network. That can help to build your list because I'm pushing people your way.
2. In the book, if you get to put your links (as you do with mine), then that's another way you can list build.  
3. The other authors that are in the book join your list when they connect with you. 
4. As well as the authors’ network, who their audience is and who is buying the book. 

There are so many different ways that you're missing out on opportunities by not being in a book. You don't want to be left behind, especially because I'm sure you're doing such great work in the world, that you're super passionate about, and you can help people with your products and your services. 

Wrapping Up

I’m guessing you now see how you want to have that competitive edge. You want to have expertise and bio depth. You don’t want to be missing out on opportunities. You don't want to get left behind by not being an author. 

I do provide a very simple, easy and affordable way that you can be an collaborative author. As I said, the call for authors is closing April 17th, 2024. You can go here to learn more about this exciting opportunity! 

There is an investment because we do have to pay for editors, the design team, the layout, the promos, and all the other pieces that we do. There is a very minor investment, I would say, in being part of this amazing opportunity. 

You can also join us on April 15 to learn more. We do have an amazing new training that I'm doing called, “Collaborative Author 101: How to Explode Your Audience, Establish Your Authority, and Leave a Legacy by Entering the World of Co-Writing”. I encourage you to jump onto that or reach out to me [email protected] if you have any questions. 

Read my other blogs:

1. Finding Your North Star
2. Make Your Own "Snow Day" with Diane Rolston
3. 3 Things I Do After a Big Talk