Ben Stroup

Over the past 3 years, I’ve been able to meet with some of the sharpest, most creative people I’ve ever met in my entire life. These people are doing incredible things… Starting new businesses, creating conversations and communities for Millennials, and making new maps in traditional industries.

After hearing their stories, I often find myself saying, “You should write an eBook about that!” Most times, my comment is met with responses like, “No one would want to hear what I have to say…” or “I’m not a writer…”

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from Ben over the past few years it’s this…

Those things don’t matter any more…

A New Age of Influence

Since the first publishing house started printing and selling books in the 14^th century, writing and publishing books has been a right primarily for authors. Thankfully, for the rest of us, that’s changed in the new connection economy. Publishing has changed. Marketing has changed. Opportunities for influence have changed.

These people I meet with have a message to share, a story worth telling. They have the knowledge and experience that could benefit thousands of people or their business has helped hundreds of customers with an issue a lot of people face. Yet, they’ve never thought about taking the time to write it all down and share it.

Winning in the Age of Influence

The best thing about this new age of influence is that anyone can spread their message or share their ideas. It’s not a right reserved for people skilled enough to write a book or those who “know someone.” While most people consider writing a blog or having a social media presence, they’ve never really considered writing an eBook as an opportunity to gain more influence.

Whatever their excuse, they haven’t grasped the fact that in order to win in the age of influence, we have to use multiple channels, a principle that Ben first outlined in this post. In today’s world, building your platform means investing in multiple channels. It’s why authors have started blogging and bloggers have started podcasting. They understand this principle.

How an eBook can help you win in the age of influence

Back to my original proposition.

Even if you would say you’re the furthest thing from a writer, here’s what I know about you…. You have something to say. Whether you’re blogger, community manager, Vice President of Marketing, CEO, head pastor, or entrepreneur you have a message inside of you that you want to share.

You may have started sharing your ideas through a blog or some other format, but you haven’t taken the steps to writing and publishing an eBook.

Here’s my challenge to you… start writing an eBook. It’s not an expensive ordeal and you don’t have to make it 20,000 words. If you’re not a good writer, talk with someone who writes eBooks for a living to help you put your ideas to paper. Pull together the best content from your blog and tweak the format if you want to go that route.  Give it away. Sell it for $1. I don’t really care….

But, if you truly want to leverage the age of influence, publishing an eBook needs to be on your short list of priorities.

I’m currently in the process of writing my first eBook so I know the fears and doubts you might be facing. However, I’ve been encouraged by the grit and determination of guys like Tony Morgan, Michael Hyatt, Jeff Goins, and Ben who understand what it takes to stand out in the age of influence. It’s time we start leveraging the age of influence as best we can, and share our messages through multiple channels. It’s time to start writing.

Have you every thought about writing and publishing an eBook? If so, what’s holding you back?

Jeremy Chandler is Social Media Director at Ben Stroup Enterprises and  jumps at any opportunity to connect with others. You can connect with him on Twitter, LinkedIn,Facebook, or Google+.