Like clockwork, three months into the new agency’s tenure, they approached us about turning our chief exec into a “thought leader” by ghosting a CEO book.  “So — since he’s just a ‘thought follower’ now, would you read his book?” I asked.

I say “like clockwork” because I have never hired a major PR firm without being pitched on doing a CEO book some time during the first few months of the relationship. I have nothing against CEO books per se.  There are a few good ones out there.  I’ve even written a couple (none in the “good” category, I confess).  Here’s what I don’t like about most CEO book projects and the agencies that try to sell clients on doing them:

1. The Term “Thought Leadership” is Both Misleading and Ridiculous. Thinking is an independent process.  Nobody leads it.  Imagine if such a thing were really possible — that’s scary.  What the agency is trying to say, perhaps, is that a book will make a CEO an industry leader.  Okay, but there’s still a flaw in this logic, to whit –
2. If your CEO Isn’t an Industry Leader Now, a Book Won’t Help. Most successful CEO books are authored by individuals who are already recognized industry leaders: folks like Bill Gates and Jack Welch.  No corporate nobody ever morphed overnight into a business guru just by publishing a book.  The guru part almost always comes first.
3. Creating a CEO Book is a Resource Nightmare. Calculate the amount of time it takes just to write the CEO letter for an annual report and multiple that by 1,000.  Interviews, outlines, rough drafts, final drafts, review by armies of marketing and PR people — and when the CEO reads the finished product he or she typically hates it and demands a rewrite.  Which is just fine & dandy with the agency — KA CHING!
4. Horrendous Mark-Ups and Overage. CEO books are a high-margin item.  That’s why agencies love ‘em.  Once the client agrees, the agency typically hires an outside writer (like me in former days — you’d think with all the bucks Top 10 agencies rake in elsewhere that they could afford a decent staff writer or two, but that’s a topic for another blog), pay him or her a set fee, and then mark up the project 100% or more — for starters.  Rewrites beyond the initially agreed price are, of course, extra.
5. They call it “Vanity Press” for a Reason. Oh yeah, almost forgot this part — who’s going to want to publish a book by an obscure business leader?  Only the publishers you pay to do so, a breed called the “vanity press.”  Once the book is published, it’s your baby, i.e., these vanity publishers generally don’t do marketing or distribution — ergo you’ll have to.  Know anything about that?  Does the agency?  A CEO friend of mine still has a garage full of his books.  And a large wood-burning stove.

Still tempted to go forward with a CEO book?– God speed!  If nothing else, I hope my little screed helps begin a movement to laugh the term “thought leadership” out of common usage.

But on the other hand, maybe someday I’ll break down and write my own CEO book.  “Life and Times of a PR Guy” has a nice ring to it.  I know I can count on Mom to buy a copy or two.

Related posts:

1. 10 Ways Big PR Agencies Rip Off Clients
2. MyPRtools – When You Absolutely, Positively Don’t Need a PR Agency
3. How To Write a Social Media “How To” Book
4. This is Your Brain on PR
5. Book Review: The Case for Rational Optimism

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