How to Write a Business Book

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If You Want to Write a Business Book, Knowing the Process Turns your Ideas into Readable Content

There’s no “right” or “wrong” way to write your business book, but there are more effective and successful ways to go about it. When you start a project, you want to do it right from the beginning, or it takes more time and effort to fix later.

As with any business venture, you want to give your book the best chance of success and set up to provide ample opportunities for business growth and revenue. How you go about writing your book may depend on your overall goals or how you plan to leverage your book.

However you choose to go about it, it’s important to remember that book writing is a process and a specialized skillset.

Writing Your Book on Your Own

A lot of business leaders interested in writing a book want to do it on their own. This is an admirable goal, and many people in leadership positions have the drive, ambition, and vision to accomplish difficult tasks, such as starting or leading a company. The downside is, writing a quality book takes time and an understanding of book development and structure that might not align with their schedule, other time commitments, or knowledge base.

However, if you’re determined to write your own book, there are some fundamentals to consider and apply while working through the process.

A clock, coffee mug, glasses, and typewriter keyboard on a desk

A business book starts with an idea: a story you want to share, the desire to grow your business, or a process you think can benefit others. Wherever the idea begins, it needs to be nurtured and developed before it becomes a book.

The fundamental features of any business book include hook, theme, and message. Once you hone in on those three factors, you can begin putting together an outline, organizing your thoughts and content to align with the hook, theme, and message.

Outlining is one of the most crucial parts of writing your business book, as it organizes all the foundational material and gives you a content road map that you can tweak and adjust to ensure your book’s chapters and content flow and include the most relevant information.

Books that don’t start with an outline tend to turn into a chaotic stream of consciousness with no structure or direction. It’s like reading someone’s journal entries or listening to them dictate to themselves without ever cleaning up the recording for continuity and relevancy.

Once you have the outline nailed down, you can begin writing. This part can be exhilarating and fun as your ideas pour onto the page. It can also be time-consuming and difficult to stick with depending on your other obligations, work-life balance, and creative idea flow.

Full-time authors take anywhere from ten months to a couple of years to write their novels and memoirs. If you’re running a business and can’t devote “full time” to writing your book, it could take years to get those 40,000+ words on a page. Some business leaders get started on a book, and three or four years into it, they realize they’ll never get it done on their own.

Many entrepreneurs and business leaders have writing experience. Whether it’s articles, blog posts, social media content, podcast interviews, YouTube video scripts, copywriting, etc., writing is a skill that helps business leaders rise to the top.

What many prospective authors learn as they dive into writing a book is that book writing is not the same as other types of writing. Some people can adapt quickly and learn the tricks of the trade, putting together a quality book.

Once your book is written, the manuscript should go through content edits, copy edits, and proofreading before it is considered ready for publishing. You should also review it yourself and maybe have a few pairs of eyes familiar with your content review it before it gets to editing.

Now, it is very possible for you to write your own business book, but if you’re not sure you have the time, skillset, or understanding of the book writing and publishing process, there are alternatives to ensure that your book makes the best impact it can and serves your business the way it should.

Hiring a Ghostwriter to Write Your Business Book

As a business leader, you know that sometimes it is best to outsource work and projects or delegate to someone who has the necessary skillset and qualifications to complete a specific project. When you decide to author a business book, outsourcing and delegating are still a possibility.

Book ghostwriters are in the business of writing books for other people. They have the time and knowledge to write a book from the early foundational steps to the final reviews, and guide you through the publication process. They have connections with editors and designers to help you get your manuscript publish-ready, formatted, and the cover designed.

There are many benefits of working with a book ghostwriter for your business book project, including saving you time and completing the project in a streamlined, organized manner. There is also plenty of evidence to suggest that business books written by ghostwriters perform 10 times better than books not written by ghostwriters in terms of post-publication earnings, impact, and revenue.

Quality matters when it comes to your business book, and the highest quality book development and writing comes from professional book writers.

Bird's eye view of a typewriter, journal, and plant on a desk

If you want to design a business website but don’t understand coding, you hire a website designer and manager. If you want new cabinets in your kitchen but have no carpentry experience, you’ll likely contract a company that specializes in cabinets. Outsourcing in business is a very effective way to ensure you’re getting the best product or service for your needs.

Now, there are a lot of ghostwriters out there, many who specialize in short-form content, social media posts, or even copywriting. Even within the ghostwriting world, there are niches and specialties, and not all writing is transferable from one specialty area to the next. This is why book ghostwriters are the best writers to assist in writing your business book.

Still, if you are determined to do the writing yourself but need guidance on where to get started, how to go about it, or want someone to keep you accountable to meet deadlines, a book coach is another professional you can collaborate with on your project. Someone who will ensure you stick to your timelines and will help in the book development process.

Book ghostwriters and coaches are an invaluable resource for the business leader, coach, or entrepreneur looking to author a business book and get the highest quality result.

However you choose to pursue writing your business book, it is ultimately your project, and it deserves the best chances of success.


Isabella is an award-winning ghostwriter who has helped over 30 business leaders write and publish their books. She’s seen clients become keynote speakers, win book awards, grow their businesses as established authors, and travel all over the world for speaking engagements. Her mission is to help business leaders find their voice, tell their stories, and write their books to benefit their businesses.

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