Here’s what makes the difference between authors who want to change the world . . . and those who actually do

You’re an author who wants to change the world. Just like every other author.

Writing a book is a big effort. You think it’s worth it because you want to change the world. And I’m sure you’re right.

Whatever the world is that you want to change — the world of partisan politics, the world of IT departments, the world of venture-backed innovation — I’m sure it needs changing. I’ll accept that you’ve had an idea that shows how things can be different, and that you’ve got the evidence and drive to write a book to make that change.

How to actually change the world with a book

If changing the world is more than a dream for you, then channel that energy.

Turn your passion about your idea into passion to prove your idea. Get hard core about collecting evidence for your idea. Talk to everyone who might be interested and see whether they’re trying it out, or why they’re rejecting it, or what modifications they might need.

You could be wrong, you know. You’d better be just as energetic about disproving your idea as you are about proving it. Find all the counterarguments. Figure out what’s wrong about them (and what’s valid about them). Address them. Because the world doesn’t want to change. It wants to stay the same. And it will take any excuse not to change.

If your book launches with a muffled fizzle rather than a raucous explosion, it’s not going to change anything.

Authors who change the world develop a big and passionate following. They find people who believe in them and rally them in communities and social media groups and events. They connect with other big thinkers with similar goals. They give speeches, the larger the audience, the better. They write in every conceivable venue. They find a hundred variations on their idea and write about those. They publicly take on the people who disagree with them, even if those people don’t even know they exist. They build a big platform and exploit it — before their book published.

Don’t write about your passion to change the world in your book proposal

People who want to change the world often seek traditional publishers, because those publishers publish the books with the biggest impact.

Guess what. The publisher doesn’t give a crap about your desire to change the world. They’re read it a thousand times. It’s not differentiating; it’s commonplace.

The case studies you unearth — those they care about.

Also the soundness of your argument.

And the clever and entertaining way you write.

They really care about the size and potency of your platform and how you can use it to sell books.

In your proposal, write about the concrete things you’ve done because you want to change the world, things that are going to make a difference in the quality and promotion of your book.

Those things matter to publishers. Your passion to change the world may be central to what motivates you, but it won’t motivate your publisher.