Books Are Tools

Since I got into the business three decades ago, publishing has changed beyond all recognition.

The emergence of hybrid publishers and self publishing alongside traditional publishers has completely changed the business. Back then most books were either literary or popular fiction, academic or popular nonfiction, or practical how-to books. Publishers claimed to understand what people wanted to read, and provided it.

Now those gatekeepers are gone. Anyone can publish a book. Getting into print is easier than at any time in history – although writing a book still involves as much effort as it ever did, and it's not always cheap.

One of the biggest changes to come with this is the development of the book as a tool in exactly the same way that a textbook is an educational tool.

A business book is a selling or marketing tool that will help the author achieve a particular goal.

This is a real breakthrough because publishing has always taken place behind closed doors. Now everything is transparent. That allows the relationship between the author and the reader to be far more transactional. A business author says to their reader, "I'm going to help you be more successful by sharing my knowledge" and the reader says to the business author, "I'll pay you for that information, and in doing so I'll help raise your profile in our industry."

It's a win–win situation.

And a victory for transparency.