but John now does 20+ keynote speeches a year and has seen his company double in size. Most people are not willing to take that risk. They’re afraid of shar- ing their knowledge or showing the world what they know. This is why we are very upfront with our authors: you can’t just vomit out nonsense, call it a book, and reap the benefits. To get credibility and authority from a book, you have to share valuable knowledge and ideas with your readers. If you can do that, you will rocket past all your contemporaries who do not have a book, even if they are just as smart and accomplished as you are. 3. A BOOK GETS YOU NEW CLIENTS AND OPPORTUNITIES When people look for a credible expert or authority, what’s the first thing they think about? Same as the media—everyone wants the person who literally “wrote the book” on the topic. Having a great book lets people know exactly who you are and how you can help them, and it brings them right to you. It’s the best marketing tool you could ever use—not just to build your brand, but to actually attract clients. Search creates inbound opportunities, but books also facilitate the best marketing there is: word of mouth. When someone you trust tells you to use something, you listen and you use it. Anything that helps other people talk about you and your business is the best marketing tool possible. A book enables word of mouth better than almost any other marketing. 378 · ThE SCriBE METhOD