I've published two books. The first, From McDonalds to Financial Freedom, tells my personal story of going from $30K in debt to building multiple income streams. The second, The Autonomous Engineer, is a playbook for technical people who want to build wealth through automation. Both are on Amazon. Both changed my business in ways I didn't fully anticipate.
If you're thinking about writing a book to grow your business, here's what I actually learned — not the theory, but the results.
The Authority Multiplier
A blog post gets skimmed. A podcast gets half-listened to in the car. A book gets read cover-to-cover by someone who chose to spend hours with your ideas. That's a fundamentally different level of trust.
After my first book launched, I noticed something shift. People who reached out about consulting didn't ask "can you do this?" — they already knew I could. The book had done the selling for me. They'd read 200 pages of my thinking, my frameworks, my real story. By the time they emailed, the only question was pricing.
"A book is a trust accelerator. It compresses months of relationship-building into a single reading experience. No blog post, no tweet thread, no YouTube video does that."
This is the authority multiplier that nobody talks about honestly. A book doesn't just make you look credible — it makes every other piece of your business work harder. Your website converts better. Your emails get opened more. Your consulting rate goes up. It's not magic. It's the compound effect of deep trust.
What Actually Happened After Each Book
Book 1: From McDonalds to Financial Freedom
This was the personal story — debt, struggle, systems, financial independence. Here's what it produced:
- 25+ email subscribers directly from the book funnel (free starter kit CTA in the back matter)
- Consulting inquiries from readers who wanted help building their own systems
- App downloads — readers found the free financial tools on the website and started using them
- A foundation for everything else. Every new project I launch now references the book. It's the origin story that makes everything else make sense.
Book 2: The Autonomous Engineer
This one was more targeted — written specifically for engineers and technical people who want to monetize their automation skills. The results were different:
- Higher-quality leads. The people who read this book are builders. They don't need convincing — they need a framework.
- Product validation. The book talks about tools I've built (InkEngine, HumanRail, ScanBrief). Readers who try them are already warm.
- Speaking credibility. Two books on Amazon puts you in a different category than "guy with a blog."
The Real Cost Breakdown
Let's talk money, because this is where most advice gets vague. There are three paths to publishing a book in 2026:
Traditional Publishing
- Timeline: 12-18 months minimum from signed contract to bookshelf
- Cost to you: $0 upfront (publisher pays), but you give up most rights and 85-90% of revenue
- Control: Almost none. They pick the cover, the title, the release date.
- Best for: People who want the prestige of a known publisher and don't care about speed or control
Self-Publishing (DIY)
- Timeline: 3-6 months
- Cost: $2,000-$5,000 for professional editing, cover design, and formatting
- Control: Total. You own everything.
- Best for: People with budget and patience who want professional quality without giving up rights
AI-Assisted Publishing
- Timeline: 2-4 weeks
- Cost: $99-$499 depending on scope. I built InkEngine specifically because I wanted this option to exist — a tool that helps you go from outline to publishable book using AI assistance while keeping your voice and expertise at the center.
- Control: Total. Your ideas, your name, your rights.
- Best for: Entrepreneurs and consultants who have the expertise but not the time
"The question isn't whether you can afford to write a book. It's whether you can afford not to — while your competitors build authority and you're still posting on LinkedIn."
Who Should Write a Book
Not everyone should. But if you check two or more of these boxes, you're probably leaving money on the table by not having one:
- You're a consultant or coach. A book replaces cold outreach. Clients come to you pre-sold.
- You're an entrepreneur with expertise. You've built something. You've learned things the hard way. That knowledge has value beyond your current business.
- People keep asking you the same questions. That's a book. You just haven't organized it yet.
- You want to build a funnel. Book → email list → courses/consulting/software. This is the model I run. It works.
Who Should NOT Write a Book
I'm going to be direct here because too many people waste time on books that shouldn't exist:
- You don't have a clear audience. "Everyone" is not an audience. If you can't describe who this book is for in one sentence, don't write it yet.
- You're looking for quick money. Books are authority builders, not cash cows. My books generate revenue, but the real value is in the doors they open — consulting, software sales, subscriber growth.
- You're not willing to market it. Publishing is 20% of the work. The other 80% is getting it in front of people. If you think "build it and they will come," you'll be disappointed.
The Bottom Line
Writing two books was one of the highest-ROI decisions I've made as an entrepreneur. Not because of book sales — but because of everything a book makes possible. It's the foundation that every other piece of my business sits on.
If you've got expertise, an audience, and a willingness to put in the marketing work, write the book. The best time was a year ago. The second best time is now.
Download My Book for Free
Want to see a book funnel in action? Download the free starter kit for From McDonalds to Financial Freedom. You'll get the book excerpt, the financial calculators I mention in the chapters, and you'll experience the exact email sequence that turns readers into subscribers.