I asked on LinkedIn How has writing a book changed your (professional) life? because it’s an oft-asked question “Should I write a book?” I received — as ever– a ton of great answers.
Everyone agrees that you lose money doing so– advances are dreadful, and percentages are not good so you never really make money from sales, but publishing does give you authority that translates into career advancement, and that does lead to more money.
One surprise was that many people said it forced them to deeply understand their subject, and after they had a new perspective and a great deal of confidence. I agree completely, but I had rather forgotten about this precious side-affect.