I’ve written a book.
Unfortunately, it was about investing in tech stocks just as the dot-com boom went bust. Over the past few years, I’ve never been tempted to write another book; just like I’ve never had any interest in running another marathon.
Been there, done that.
That said, if I were going to write another book, it would seem like the trendy thing to do. Everyone within the social media world seems to be doing it, which is odd given the book – at least in the form we’ve known it – is disappearing.
So, what is it about writing a book that has excites so many people? In a wonderful column in the New York Times Magazine, Bill Keller believes that people write books “for reasons that usually have a little to do with money and not as much to do with masochism as you might think.There is real satisfaction in a story deeply told, a case richly argued, a puzzle meticulously untangled.”
Given the long hours and remote chances of financial reward, book writing has to be a labour of love. I think people do it because they’re so enthusiastic about their interests or work that a book seems like the only forum with the capacity to present all their ideas.
I also believe, however, writing a book is also a status symbol that separates the wheat from the chaff, and the writers from the bloggers. It also has to do with stature and street cred, which gives people a better chance to drive speaking gigs and their professional activity, which makes up for the fact books don’t pay (royalties).
I guess in the scheme of things I could re-allocate all the hours I spend writing blogs into writing a book but I’m not sure it would deliver the same amount of satisfaction. Right now, I’m more into sprints than marathons.
