subject: Put Your Expertise Into A Book: Dave Ramsey's Path To Celebrity [print this page] Today's celebrity is not always a movie or TV star, or famous recording artist. Rather, today's celebrity is frequently an expert in his or her field, whether it is decorating, gardening, investing or healthcare. These "expert celebrities" are the people we look up to, the people who have the information we are searching for, or who inspire us to make a change for the better in our professional or personal lives.
If you want to become an expert celebrity, understand that it is the culmination of hard work, passion and intent. Not everyone has the heart or the drive for it, but those that do - and have been successful - have frequently started on their path to celebrity by writing a book to build their platform and credibility as an expert.
An excellent example of the power of this strategy is financial expert and author Dave Ramsey, who learned the hard way that debt can cause you to lose everything, and was forced to file for bankruptcy in the mid-1980s. Ramsey, now the author of several bestselling books with his own nationally syndicated radio show and national TV show on Fox Business Network, recovered from financial devastation to achieve international success and recognition.
After losing his substantial real estate holdings in the 1980s through reckless borrowing habits, Ramsey changed course personally and professionally and became an expert on consumer financial issues and personal financial management. He wrote his first book in 1992, and the same year started up a local call-in radio show, The Money Game, that grew into the juggernaut that is now the nationally syndicated The Dave Ramsey Show. Ramsey took the initiative to start speaking to as many people as possible, creating a buzz for himself that started as a local whisper and has become a national shout. His financial talk show can now be heard on more than 450 radio stations in the U.S. and Canada, and on satellite radio.
Ramsey intuitively understood that the most direct route to establishing himself as an expert was to write a book and get out in front of people. He started speaking to as many individuals and groups as he could while spending his own money to air his local radio show in order to reach more people. And as they say, the rest is history; he now sells books, training materials and classes, and is making a fortune as a speaker, author and national radio and TV personality.
Perception is everything when it comes to being an expert, and people perceive authors as experts in their field. Gathering knowledge and imparting it as Ramsey did in the form of a book is the first and most important step on the journey. If your book is clearly written, concise and conveys your message in a unique manner, it can be very effective as the springboard to launch you as an expert celebrity in your field.
Becoming an author and speaker worked for Dave Ramsey and it can work for you too.
