Should I or shouldn’t I…

…write another book?

I’m conflicted. On the one hand, I am a writer/thinker - it’s DNA level. I can’t help it. I love to figure stuff out and share (hopefully) helpful perspectives.

On the other hand, writing two books was exhausting, and the results (at least in sales or deep-level impact) haven’t necessarily made me eager to do it again.

This morning, I did what I do more regularly these days - I asked ChatGPT for some advice. The response was full of practical insight. I found it fascinating, and you may as well.

If you exercise enough patience to read the exchange below, I have one simple question* at the end asking for your wise input.

——

Here was my prompt: “If I decide to write another book - a short one - on clarity, list for me the top 5 audience archetypes that I should consider. These are readers with felt, mission-critical needs who are searching for outside help and perspective.”

The AI response: “Below are five high-leverage audience archetypes that consistently demonstrate felt, mission-critical clarity needs and are actively receptive to outside perspectives. Each represents a distinct “moment of vulnerability” where confusion carries real cost, and clarity produces immediate relief and results.”

1. The Overloaded Founder

Core pain: Everything depends on them, and nothing is clear enough.
Typical profile: Solo founders, entrepreneurs, small-business owners in the $250K–$5M range.

Felt need:
“I’m working nonstop, explaining myself constantly, and still being misunderstood.”

Clarity breakdown:

• Vision lives in their head, not in language that others can act on

• Messaging, priorities, and delegation are inconsistent

• They are the bottleneck without realizing it

Why they search for help:
Growth has stalled, stress is high, and effort no longer equals progress.

What a short clarity book gives them:
Language to externalize their thinking, reduce friction, and stop being the translator-in-chief.

2. The Invisible Expert

Core pain: Competent, credible, and overlooked.
Typical profile: Consultants, coaches, advisors, fractional leaders, senior specialists.

Felt need:
“People don’t understand what I really do—or why it matters.”

Clarity breakdown:

• Overexplains instead of landing one sharp idea

• Relies on credentials instead of cognitive hooks

• Sounds similar to everyone else in their category

Why they search for help:
They know they deliver value, but the market isn’t responding.

What a short clarity book gives them:
Positioning language, memory darts, and a way to be recognized before explained.

3. The Leader of a Foggy Team

Core pain: Alignment problems masquerading as performance issues.
Typical profile: CEOs, COOs, department heads, ministry or nonprofit leaders.

Felt need:
“I keep saying it, but people keep doing something else.”

Clarity breakdown:

• Strategy is abstract, not operational

• Priorities shift without clear framing

• Accountability fails because expectations are fuzzy

Why they search for help:
Missed goals, internal friction, and growing frustration with “communication gaps.”

What a short clarity book gives them:
Simple frameworks to turn intent into shared understanding and consistent action.

4. The Professional in Transition

Core pain: Identity confusion at a pivotal moment.
Typical profile: Executives, senior professionals, or entrepreneurs changing roles, lanes, or seasons.

Felt need:
“I know I’m changing, but I don’t know how to say who I am now.”

Clarity breakdown:

• Old labels no longer fit

• The new direction isn’t yet coherent

• Networking conversations feel awkward and vague

Why they search for help:
They are rewriting their story and need a narrative that makes sense to others.

What a short clarity book gives them:
Language to reframe their past, name their present, and articulate their future with confidence.

5. The Message-Critical Communicator

Core pain: Stakes are high, and misunderstanding is expensive.
Typical profile: Sales leaders, marketers, fundraisers, pastors, speakers, authors, product leaders.

Felt need:
“If this message doesn’t land fast, we lose.”

Clarity breakdown:

• Too much information, not enough illumination

• Important messages are buried under detailed explanations

• Audiences disengage before comprehension

Why they search for help:
They are tired of working hard on messages that fail to move people.

What a short clarity book gives them:
A disciplined approach to first impressions, simplification, and memorability.

Summary: Strategic Insight for a Short Clarity Book

>All five archetypes share one unifying belief—even if they don’t articulate it yet:

“My problem isn’t effort or intelligence. It’s that what I know isn’t coming across clearly.” (dang…that’s actually a great single-sentence summary! -SW)

>A short book works best when it:

• Names that hidden frustration

• Normalizes it

• Provides sharp, repeatable mental models (not long theory)

• Gives language the reader can immediately use

>If you want, next steps could include:

• Narrowing to the single strongest primary archetype

• Naming the moment they pick up the book

• Drafting a one-sentence promise (a Memory Dart) for each archetype

• Or outlining a 10–12 chapter micro-book optimized for one of these audiences

——

So, that’s a pretty helpful overview, actually (and I really like the idea of the micro-book as a way to “test the market” for a focused book).

Now, *the input I’d love to get from you. Looking at these legitimate target groups, which of them do YOU think I should address as the highest-priority business audience?

Send me a quick note here and let me know your thoughts. I thank you in advance!

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