There are a zillion readers out there who could benefit from what you have to offer and would happily pay $20 or $25 for your book—and join your newsletter, listen to your podcast, or sign up for your courses or one-on-ones. But they’re not going to do it on the basis of your desire to help them: for better or worse, in our culture people don’t value books that way. They’re going to do it because you want to help so much that you’re willing to sell it.
In this blog post, I offer four areas to consider in relation to the question, “Is now a good time for you to write your book?” If you think through your career trajectory, your money situation, your time situation, and whether it’s likely to ever be easier than now, it should become much clearer whether now is the right time for you to take your idea and book it—or shelve it for the time being.
If you want to grab the attention of an acquiring editor or a literary agent, take as much time as you need to write a succinct, polished proposal.