#75 - Peer Pressure is Your Friend, Not Your Foe, When Writing a Book
#75 - Peer Pressure is Your Friend, Not Your Foe, When Writing a Book
It's healthier than smoking.
Cheers, My Friends!
Peer pressure’s got a bad rap. Sure, it’s been the scapegoat for youth making poor choices—and I get it. When we think about our kids, we worry they might fall in with the wrong crowd, get caught up in bad habits, or even head down paths we’d rather they avoid. But for adults, peer pressure can be a very different thing, and actually a good one.
You’ve probably heard the idea that you’re the average of the five people you spend the most time with. At its core, that’s peer pressure in action—but in a positive way. You become like the people you’re around, so why not use that to your advantage?
That got me thinking about using peer pressure as a strategy for writing a book. “Building in public” is a popular concept in the social media world. People create their courses, messages, and brands live, right in front of their audience. So, why not do the same with writing a book?
Here are a few ways you might try it:
Write Your Book Live. For my next book, Leader in the Rough, coming out later this year, I wrote 52 quotes and passages on leadership. Each of those passages started as a LinkedIn post. Once I shared my goal of posting daily for 52 days, people were watching for it. That accountability became its own form of peer pressure, and it kept me on track.
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Release Chapters Over Time. Some writers on Substack are doing this with novels—releasing a chapter each month, building up excitement and FOMO as they go. You could try the same approach with your own book, sharing a chapter weekly or monthly, keeping readers engaged, and creating anticipation along the way.
Share Your Journey in a Newsletter. Another method is to start a newsletter documenting your writing journey. Share what you’re learning, the challenges, the wins. Putting yourself out there, declaring that “I’m writing a book,” creates positive peer pressure. It builds an expectation and accountability that’s motivating, while helping you create something meaningful and worthwhile.
My advice? Leverage the power of peer pressure. Surround yourself with people who encourage or even hold you accountable in your writing journey. It’s one of the most effective ways to turn intention into action and finally write that book.
Live Big, Love Bigger!
Brian
P.S.
I do offer peer pressure in the form of one-to-one coaching to write your book. If you want to learn more schedule a call.
P.P.S.
After months of encouragement from her peers, Robyn Engelson, a talented client, is excited to announce that her book, *Exhausted to Energized*, will be available on Amazon starting November 12th. She would greatly appreciate your support in helping her book reach bestseller status!