As someone who has published his own books in the past, I sometimes get requests from would-be authors to consult with them on the publishing process. I welcome these assignments because

1. They keep me grounded in reality
2. They ensure I stay up-to-date on the latest publishing best practices
3. And I love to help other authors realize their dream of getting published

Earlier this year, I was approached by a former airline pilot turned real estate pro to help him tell his story. Building an Empire: Failing Our Way to Millions is an awesome story about how Steven Rozenberg and his business partner met, separately got into real estate investing, and built a business together in the property management sector after making every mistake imaginable trying to do so. It’s an awesome read and has some great lessons on leadership, real estate investing, and life.

What I Did For Steven Rozenberg

Steven approached me initially to help him write the book. He wanted me to ghostwrite it. As I read what he gave to me, I realized I didn’t so much need to ghostwrite the book as simply edit the manuscript and polish it to get it publish-ready. He had practically written the book himself. Quite often, when I receive such requests, the author simply has a bunch of jumbled up notes that I need to make sense of, then I need to interview the author to flesh out many of the details of the story, and then I have to write the manuscript. None of that was necessary in Steven’s case.

Of course, Steven is not a writer. He is, however, an excellent storyteller, and as I read through his manuscript, what jumped out at me most is his irreverent sense of humor. He has raw grit coupled with business sense, and it was this combination that made it enjoyable working on his project. As a result, I was able to save him a lot of money on the writing end of the project while being a part of a fabulous publishing endeavor.

After we’d polished his manuscript to make it ready for publication, Steven asked if I could help him get it published. As a public speaker, he wanted a book he could pass out to people attending his speaking engagements–a sort of calling card. That’s a great idea. A lot of authors take that approach. But when we started talking about publishing options, Steven decided he also wanted to make the book available for sale on Amazon. So we opted to publish it in both print and Kindle editions. It is now available, and I highly recommend it.

Using Life to Teach Leadership Lessons

Building an Empire: Failing Our Way to Millions is a great book for real estate professionals, especially property management professionals who want to avoid rookie mistakes and build a solid business model in real estate property management. However, it’s not just for real estate professionals. Anyone can learn about leadership reading this book from a master of the storytelling craft.

Steven Rozenberg teaches three very important lessons on leadership:

1. If you fail to make a plan, you plan to fail
2. True leaders listen to expert advice, not amateur advice masquerading as expertise
3. You have to keep a good sense of humor (don’t forget to laugh at yourself)

No matter what business you are in, these are key lessons to learn, and Steven Rozenberg takes you through the steps he walked to learn those lessons the hard way.

Why Book Publishing is the Path to Authority

One of the topics Steven delves into deeply in his book is marketing. He talks about how he learned marketing, especially online marketing (and even more specifically, video marketing), from gurus, wannabe gurus, and self-study. The end result, he became an authority on the latest online marketing tactics as well as an authority on real estate. Being a public speaker, he has an important message to deliver to audiences and does quite well in establishing his authority through that channel. Having a book published with his name on the cover adds to his credibility in some very powerful and fundamental ways.

If you take all three of his personas (public speaker, online marketer, and book author) into account, Steven has established himself as an authority in property management. These three professional calls work together to create an image of the man, the leader, and the professional.

Steven’s approach to leadership and authority-building can work for anyone in any industry. If you’re looking for another feather in your cap, you should consider publishing a book to highlight your expertise in your professional field of choice. Being a book author is a great way to establish your authority, prove your authority, and expand your authority beyond your current audience.