Is Writing a Book Worth It? (And Does Anyone Even Read Anymore?)
After a workshop I was leading today, someone asked me, half-joking but half-serious: “Does anyone even read anymore?”
It’s an honest question that cuts to the heart of something every aspiring authorpreneur wrestles with. In our swipe-up, scroll-down, TikTok world, are we just shouting into the void when we write business books?
So, I want to dig into the question: is writing a book worth it?
The conventional publishing world’s answer is always conditional:
“It’s worth it if you hit the bestseller list.”
“It’s worth it if you sell 10,000 copies.”
“It’s worth it if you can prove the ROI.”
Now, I’m not saying practical considerations shouldn’t be part of your internal calculation. You’ve heard me say many times, I don’t think you should write a book if you can’t make a clear business case for it. Yes, I believe ROI should be a big branch on your decision tree.
But here’s the problem: if when you ask “is writing a book worth it?” you’re only asking about immediate ROI, you’re missing 90% of what you should be considering.
That narrow focus is fragile—and frankly, it’s setting you up for disappointment.
It ties the value of your creative effort to a bunch of stuff you can’t control: the algorithm, whatever is going to replace SEO now that the top search results are dictated by AI, the fickle reading habits of strangers. It’s the fastest way to overthink yourself out of ever putting your ideas into the world.
I want to offer a different perspective.
Your Expertise Needs a Container
Right now, your insights and wisdom live mostly in your head and in your private conversations with clients, colleagues, and friends.
When you write a book, you’re packaging that knowledge so people can actually access and use it. You’re creating a container that makes your message visible, transferable, and scalable—one that can work for you 24/7.
It’s more than “content marketing” or even “thought leadership.” Writing a book is:
An act of clarification. When you clarify your ideas by writing them down in book form, it forces you to think more deeply about what you actually believe. I’ve watched clients discover what they genuinely stand for as they write their books—not what they think they should believe, but the beliefs they’re willing to “die in a ditch” for.
An act of collaboration. There’s a symbiotic relationship between you and your idea. Your idea needs you to give it form and share it with the world. You need your idea to establish your expertise and attract the right people to your business. It’s a partnership where both of you benefit.
An act of co-creation. The most successful authorpreneurs look at their book as the start of a conversation. You can’t control how people receive your ideas or what they choose to do with them. Writing a book is co-creation (whether or not you work with a ghostwriter) you co-create with your idea, with your reader, with your clients.
And here’s the thing about that co-creation—it’s not wishful thinking. It’s a strategic decision based on understanding how ideas actually spread. You’re putting your message out there and trusting the process, even if you don’t control who finds it, how they interpret it, or where they take it next.
But Let’s Get Real About the Numbers
Look, I’m not in the business of convincing people to write business books.
I don’t think everyone should write a book (even if it’s true that “everyone has a book in them”). In fact, I’ve talked more than a few business owners out of writing books because the timing wasn’t right, their goals weren’t clear, or they couldn’t see how a book would actually serve their business.
I only work with people who already want to write books and who can see the value in doing so.
Most of the folks I talk to know the brutal truth: you won’t make money on book sales.
But they may not realize that the average business book sells fewer than 300 copies over its lifetime. If your book sells for $28.97 (the average price for a nonfiction hardcover) and you sell 300 copies, that’s about $8,700 in gross sales. You don’t keep 100% of that.
Not exactly retirement money.
The Real Question Isn’t Whether People Read
The real question is whether people read you.
But here’s an even better question: Does your target reader—your ideal prospect, your potential client—read?
That’s a completely different question from the general one, “does anyone read anymore?” And the answer is almost certainly yes.
Do you work with executives? They read business books on planes and listen to audiobooks while hitting the gym. What about the entrepreneurs in your target market? They’re constantly consuming content to solve their problems and grow their businesses. And the decision-makers who can afford your services? They’re actively seeking credible expertise like yours that they can take back to their stakeholders.
And here’s the number one thing I’ve learned since writing my own book last year: when you know your audience and write for the right people, they find you.
Not everyone. Not millions. But the right people—the ones who need exactly what you have to offer—they’re out there, actively searching for your perspective.
Let’s say you sell 1,000 copies of your book in the first year (which is above average and totally achievable with the right strategy). Here’s what those 1,000 sales really represent:
1,000 people who were willing to invest their money and time in your ideas. These aren’t just random readers. These are potential clients, referral sources, and collaborators who now know what you stand for.
If even 1% of those readers becomes a client… If your typical client engagement is worth $10,000… You do the math.
But the financial return is just the beginning. Here’s what really happens when you write a book:
- Prospects find you and say yes because of your book. Not in spite of it, but because reading your book convinced them you’re the right person to help them.
- You gain confidence in your own expertise. There’s something about seeing your ideas in print that solidifies your authority—first in your own mind, then in others’. Your imposter syndrome part gets a lot quieter when you’re literally the author of the book on your topic.
- You can charge more. Authors command higher fees. Maybe it’s not fair, but it’s true. That “author” credibility gives you permission to price at the level your expertise deserves.
- You create a permanent asset. Your book works for you around the clock, introducing you to people you’ll never meet, in places you’ll never go.
So, Is It Worth It?
If your goal is guaranteed, immediate returns, then probably not.
If you’re expecting to get rich from book sales, definitely not.
But if your goal is to give your expertise a proper container, clarify your thinking, and find the people who resonate with your message—people who will gladly pay for your deeper wisdom—then yes.
It’s not just worth it. For the right authorpreneur at the right time with clear business goals, writing a book just is the work.
The question isn’t whether people read anymore. The question is whether you’re ready to trust that your ideas matter enough to give them shape, send them into the world, and let them find their way to the people who need them most.
Your expertise is already valuable. Writing a book just makes it visible.
And in a world where everyone’s shouting, sometimes the most powerful thing you can do is offer something worth reading.
