This is something my friends have told me on occasion in the last few years.

It would be great to have tackled a project such as a book, but what are the implications?

The message must exceed my physical self. A book is nothing if it doesn’t add value through ideas, rather than who wrote it.

The portrait of the reader must be precise. Without understanding the people I wish to commune with, any book, no matter how large or well-intended, will fail. One can use thousands of words and yet say nothing.

Finally, to write one book, we must accept that hundreds more must first be read – including the one being written.

Most books are written over the course of several years, even if the initial draft can be produced in one or less (rare, but it does occur with seasoned writers). The author must read their own book dozens of times over – making changes, additions, subtraction, and corrections with each pass.

To write a book for its own sake is to suffer. There must be a reason for it, and a defined group of people you wish to inspire.

One cannot do something important without first finding a good reason.