A Conversation with Best-Selling Author John Rowley

I just got off the phone with best-selling author John Rowley. He’s the author of “Climb Your Ladder of Success Without Running Out of Gas”. John has a truly inspiring story of hard work and triumphing over adversity. I’ve learned a lot from him, and it’s been awesome getting the chance to talk with him.

The reason I wanted to mention my call with him is two-fold. First of all, I just love having the opportunity to mention his story and his book to you. I recommend learning more about John and getting his book if you haven’t already. He’s an accomplished business owner, a best selling author and an engaging and dynamic speaker. Anyone interested in taking their life or business to the next level (that’s you!) can learn some valuable lessons from him.

Secondly, as always I’m exploring the options for taking my business to the next level, and as such I’ve been looking at the possibilities of putting out a book at some point. That’s what I wanted to talk with John about.

One of the reasons I wanted to meet Gary Vaynerchuk in Chicago recently is the same thing…I wanted to meet someone at a book tour in real life and get a sense of it. Do I want to put out a book at some point? I am on the fence. I’m not in a position to do it right this moment of course, but should it be part of my long term plan? That’s what I’m trying to answer.

My conversation with John was about that…what’s the deal with putting out a book? What’s the value in it? What’s the schedule like? How do you get it done? And of course…should I do it?

Here are a few things I learned:

• Putting out a book is a massive time commitment, for which you will likely be paid little or nothing.
• If your first book is very successful, writing your second or third book MIGHT be a good way to “make money”.
• John was committed to getting published. He got turned down well over 300 times before getting a publishing deal.
• Even though it didn’t net him a ton of money, it has opened up a lot of opportunity that would otherwise not have happened.
• John described a best-selling book as “the ultimate business card”. It’s simply a way to brand yourself in a powerful, convincing and authoritative way. It can open up larger opportunities for down the road.

I’m naturally a pretty low key guy and just like running my niche business. Gary Vaynerchuk has the ambition to own the Jets and basically become a billionaire. John Rowley wants to put out more books, have his own TV show and run other businesses. These are both awesome guys that I learn a lot from, but I just like building sites and marketing them! I like selling, and I like interacting with my community. I honestly have no personal interest in having a show of my own. It’s just not my bag 😉

So should I write a book? To me right now, it seems unnecessary…which really is not what I expected. It seemed like an obvious next step for me in about a year or two. You never know what direction things will go, and I’m definitely not ruling it out. But currently, if I have to choose between putting out a traditional book or launching a new internet marketing project…I’m gonna stick with internet marketing…at least for now 🙂

One thing I wanted to point out in case it’s not already obvious…John Rowley was very gracious to give me some of his time. We talked on the phone for a good 20 minutes or so…something he did not have to do. He did it purely out of generosity, and I’m very appreciative. I’ve been repeatedly amazed at how generous and forthcoming the top achievers in my network are. Thanks again John!