Take it from me, you don’t need to be great writer to write a great book
One of the most common things I hear from aspiring authors is, “I’m not a great writer. Can I really become an author?” This is normally followed by the equally paralysing, “Who am I to write a book?”
Let me answer the first question by sharing the story of the phone call that started my author career
My first manuscript, ‘101 Ways to Market Your Business’, found its way to Ian Bowring at Allen & Unwin. A few weeks later, Ian called me and said, “Andrew, I’ve got your manuscript in front of me. I’ve read it thoroughly, and I have to say it looks like it’s been written by a drunken, dyslexic, heroin-addicted chimpanzee.”
Not exactly the opening line I was hoping for from a major Australian publisher. I replied, “Well, based on that, Ian, I’m not really sure why we are talking.”
He then said something that has stayed with me throughout my entire author career: “Yes, your writing is terrible, but your content is excellent. We can fix bad writing, but we can’t create such honest, direct, relevant and practical content.”
And there it was. My writing may have needed work, or possibly a complete rescue operation, but the ideas were good, the stories were real and the advice came from years of running businesses, making mistakes, solving problems and figuring things out the hard way. Allen & Unwin published that terrible-looking manuscript, the book became a bestseller, and it led to a long series of books with them. Fifteen books later, I’d like to think I’m now at least a slightly more literate chimpanzee.
The point is, you don’t have to be a great writer to start writing a book. You need to have something worthwhile to say. Writing can be improved. Editors, writing coaches and publishing professionals can help you shape your ideas and turn a rough manuscript into a world-class book. But they can’t manufacture your experience, your insights or your particular way of seeing the world.
And that brings me to the second question: “Who am I to write a book?”
No one on the planet has had the same wins, losses, trials, tribulations or bazinga moments as you. No one has lived your life, built your business, made your mistakes, learned your lessons or discovered what you’ve discovered. Those experiences have shaped what you know and what you believe. They give you the right to write your book.
Your job isn’t to impress readers with big words or fancy sentences. It is to share what you know in a way that is honest, useful and unmistakably yours. If something you’ve learned could help another person solve a problem, avoid a mistake, see an opportunity or make a meaningful change, who are you not to share it?
Writing a book will stretch you. It will make you question what you know, clarify what you believe and find better ways to explain your ideas. I’ve often said that writing a book is one of the greatest personal development programmes you will ever undertake. You don’t need to feel completely ready before you start, because much of the confidence, clarity and capability you need will come from doing the work.
So, can you become an author if you don’t consider yourself a great writer? Absolutely. Start with substance. Get the right people around you. Be prepared to learn, refine and rewrite. Above all, trust that your experiences and lessons learned, are worth sharing.
If a drunken, dyslexic, heroin-addicted chimpanzee can become an international bestselling author, there is hope for all of us.
