Why Authoring a Book Is Like Mining a Diamond

A few days ago, I was talking to an attorney.

Let’s call him “John”.

Like all the attorneys I speak with on the phone, John was interested in authoring a book with us, and so we were brainstorming ideas for a title.

Anyway, toward the end of the call he said something.

It’s a sentiment I hear from a lot of attorneys who are on the fence about going through our Speak-a-Book process and getting their book written. So, I wanted to share it with you, in case you have the same concern.

Here’s what he said:

“Tracy, I LOVE the idea of this.”

“I’ve been meaning to write a book for years now, but just never got around to it. There’s always something else more urgent, and I never have the time.”

I ventured: “Buuuttt…”

“But I’m not sure how I feel about the ethics of handing out a book that only took me three hours to author — and passing it off as my own work.”

I smiled.

“Well, John, that’s one way to look at it. And it’s a valid one. However, let me share with you a different perspective. One that, in my humble opinion, more accurately reflects what we’re doing here with our Speak-a-Book service.”

“For us, authoring a book is a bit like mining a diamond.”

“Yes, it does take only 2-3 hours for you to help us extract it from your mind. And then, over about 30 days, we cut it into shape and polish it to a shine.”

“BUT, we need a raw diamond to work with.”

“In this case, that diamond is all the knowledge, experience, and wisdom you’ve accumulated over your long and distinguished career as an attorney. It’s been there, in your mind, forming and growing for all these years.”

“You’ve already done 99.99% of the work.”

“Our Speak-a-Book service is about turning that knowledge, experience, and wisdom into a tangible book you can hand out to potential clients.”

“So, in a few months when your new book is published and you start handing out copies, just remember that it didn’t really take you 2-3 hours to create. It took you 20-30 years. You just needed help getting it out of your head.”

* * *

This is why I love my job.

Almost every day, I get to jump on the phone with an attorney who has spent 20, 30, sometimes more than 40 years, fighting on the front line of civilized society. Helping people get justice, sometimes against huge odds.

And you should hear some of the tales they have to tell!

It truly is a privilege, to be able to spend each day at work helping the extraordinary attorneys who are our clients finally get their story down on paper — and transformed into a book they can be proud to publish.

For that (and many other things), I am thankful today.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Tracy Merda

Tracy Merda is the Senior Project Manager of Jacobs & Whitehall Publishing, a publishing house that helps respected professionals who are too busy to write a book the “traditional” way author their own book, ethically, in just 2-3 hours using a proprietary interview method. Since 2018, Tracy has helped 70+ attorneys, dentists, physicians, consultants, engineers, and other professionals become published authors.