I have an ambitious nephew who wants to become a writer. I think he has the idea in his head that this is romantic, free, and inspiring.

And if this is what he thinks, he’s correct. Writing can be one of the best vocations in the world, if you get into it for the “write” reasons and if you have the “write” stuff.

In my view it’s not how many books you sell or readers you can attract that determines whether you’re successful. It’s whether your readers really enjoy your work, and indirectly, you.

For instance, one of my habits when I was reasonably new to publishing was hunting for my books in every B. Dalton and other store I came across.

One day, I saw four of my titles on a shelf when a woman came in to browse. I spied on her from ten feet away, and sure enough, she took two of these books down, smiled as she turned the pages, brought them to the register, and paid for them!

I’ll never forget what she looked like. Out of the hundreds of thousands who have done the same thing over the years, all of whom I’ve never seen, hers is the face I see when I think about NOT writing my next book.

“What will she read, then?” I wonder.

I’ve also been fortunate inasmuch as I’ve received calls and emails through the years from grateful readers who have asked when my next book is coming out, and inquired about my audios and videos.

To me, you have the “write” stuff if you’re interested in communicating with an audience, getting a message across, something that they just won’t hear or see, at least in your particular way, from any other source.

If this is your motivation, welcome to the club!

Dr. Gary S. Goodman, President of Customersatisfaction.com, is a popular keynote speaker, management consultant, and seminar leader and the best-selling author of 12 books, including Reach Out & Sell Someone® and Monitoring, Measuring & Managing Customer Service, and the audio program, “The Law of Large Numbers: How To Make Success Inevitable,” published by Nightingale-Conant. He is a frequent guest on radio and television, worldwide. A Ph.D. from USC’s Annenberg School, a Loyola lawyer, and an MBA from the Peter F. Drucker School at Claremont Graduate University, Gary offers programs through UCLA Extension and numerous universities, trade associations, and other organizations in the United States and abroad. He holds the rank of Shodan, 1st Degree Black Belt in Kenpo Karate. He is headquartered in Glendale, California, and he can be reached at (818) 243-7338 or at: gary@customersatisfaction.com.

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