Write a Book or Stick With a Blog?
I’ve been pondering how I can spike my career lately. What’s funny too is that before I got married I had more work than I knew what to do with. After I got back from my honeymoon, I had lots of interest from various parties, and now the work has completely dried up. Seeing as I lack at self-promotion, I’ve thought about writing a book to help further my career. And while I’ve wanted to write a fiction book for most of my life, lately my thoughts have been turning to the non-fiction genre. Specifically, business blogging. Two or three years ago I got an agent, put together a proposal and had some meetings, but obviously that never lifted off the ground. So here I am.
Then I encountered Penelope Trunk’s ‘5 Reasons why you don’t need to write a book’, an excellent post but one that left me somewhat confused as to which direction I should take.
Ms. Trunk’s ‘rules’ are as follows:
1) Lots of ideas lend themselves to blogs, not books. So if you’re a writer of many rather scattered ideas, blogs are ideally suited for you.
2) Books are a somewhat antiquated vehicle to gain authority.
3) Books often lead to careers in public speaking, but then trail off into unemployment again.
4) Rocking a fast food joint every day will earn you more money than writing that dream book.
5) And perhaps most important in my case: when you feel directionless in your career, book writing won’t put you back on the path you need to be on.
In conclusion, if you have a passion for writing and research and still want to write that book, go for it—and good luck.
