You don’t need a new angle

When you think about writing your business book, you might be tempted to go hunting for a completely new angle.

As someone who has helped nearly 40 business authors through this process, I have one piece of advice.

Don't bother. You don't need to be new.

The British band 10cc ("I'm Not in Love," remember?) once spent a day in the studio trying to find something that made a sound like a bass drum. They dragged pipes and panels out of dumpsters, wrapped them in tape, and hit them with every tool they could find.

Nothing worked.

Eventually a production assistant suggested they use the bass drum in the corner.

They'd disappeared up their own creative backsides looking for something they already had.

Many CEOs and founders are tempted to do the same thing when they write a book.

They get stuck looking for a fresh, never-been-done angle. What they actually need is the stuff they've been sitting on the whole time: their own experience, told straight.

You've already got your own drum. Just bang it.