86% of Clients Prefer Authors Over Identical Non-Author Competitors

If you’ve read even just one of my posts, you know I tend to go on a bit about how the goal of a book should be to attract clients and not to sell books.

Well, now I’ve got some data to back me up.

Numbers! And I’m not even a numbers person!

Despite the fact that I believe I’m borderline math dyslexic, I helped create a study for an organization called The Evolution of Publishing Institute that surveyed 100 Los Angeles residents about how authorship affects their hiring decisions and willingness to pay for professional services.

And I’ll tell you up front: the results are so dramatic they almost seem fake.

The Author Premium Is Real (And Massive)

Here's what we found: 82-86% of people prefer hiring professionals who are published authors over those with identical qualifications who haven't written books.

Yes, identical qualifications. Same experience, same credentials, same everything. The only difference? One person wrote a book.

But it gets better. Or worse, depending on how you look at it.

Published authors can charge 40-65% higher consultation fees. In some cases, potential clients are willing to pay double.

Double. For the same service. Because that person wrote a book.

The Trust Multiplier That Changes Everything

The study found something even more striking: 86% of people trust content more when it's created by book authors.

We tested this specifically. Same blog post, same expertise level, same everything. When we told people the author had written a book, trust shot up by 6.1x.

Six times more trustworthy. Because of a book.

This isn't about the quality of the content. It's about cognitive bias. It's about how our brains are wired to associate published expertise with authority.

Does the traditional publishing industry know this? I think? But it’s not a focus for them since they’re invested in you selling books and not making more money in your business.

Where It Gets Ridiculous

We tested LinkedIn headlines. Two business consultants with identical descriptions:

• "Business Consultant | Helping Companies Scale": 28% preference

• "Business Consultant | Bestselling Author | Helping Companies Scale": 72% preference

Adding "bestselling author" to your LinkedIn headline creates a 44 percentage point boost in professional appeal.

For conference speaking? 83% prefer a CEO who also authored a business book over a CEO of an equally successful company who hasn't.

For thought leadership credibility? An executive with a strong LinkedIn presence gets 32% preference. Add "authored a book" and it jumps to 68%.

The Marketing Consulting Gold Mine

The biggest surprise in the data: marketing consultants who are published authors have a 72 percent point advantage over non-author consultants with identical qualifications.

This makes sense when you think about it. If you're hiring someone to help with marketing and they can't even market themselves enough to get a book published, what does that say about their abilities?

But the same pattern holds across all professional services. Business consulting: 64 percentage point advantage. Financial advising: 38 percentage point advantage.

Even in the most conservative field we tested, published authors have a massive edge.

Why Traditional Publishing Hates This Data

This study proves something the traditional publishing industry doesn't want you to understand: the value of your book has nothing to do with your publisher or your advance.

The study didn't ask about Big Five publishers versus indie presses. The people surveyed didn't care about advance sizes or bestseller lists. They just thought: "Is this person a published author?"

The traditional publishing industry wants you focused on their metrics—advance sizes, sales figures, bestseller lists—because it keeps you dependent on their approval. But the real value happens in your business, your career, your professional life.

The Cognitive Bias We Can't Ignore

Before you get too excited, let's acknowledge what this data really shows: people make irrational decisions based on credentials that may have nothing to do with actual competence.

A book doesn't automatically make you better at your job. Publishing a memoir about addiction recovery doesn't make you a better marketing consultant. Writing a business book doesn't guarantee you can actually run a business.

But human psychology doesn't care about logic. We use shortcuts to make decisions. "Published author" is a powerful shortcut that signals expertise, authority and credibility.

Is this fair? No. Is this reality? Absolutely.

 The Real ROI of Book Writing

The study concludes that writing a book may be one of the highest-ROI professional development investments you can make.

Think about it: what else can you do that creates a 40-65% pricing premium? That gives you a 6x trust multiplier? That makes 80%+ of potential clients prefer you over equally qualified competitors?

An MBA? Maybe, if you're lucky and in the right field. Professional certifications? They help, but nothing like these numbers.

A book doesn't just make you money through sales. It makes you money through everything else you do for the rest of your career.

The Limitation They Don't Want You to See

The study has one important limitation: it assumes "generic published author" without considering book quality, publisher or sales success.

This is actually great news for you.

It means the benefit comes from being published, period. Not from being published well. Not from having a Big Five publisher. Not from selling thousands of copies.

Just from being able to say, "I published a book."

The traditional publishing industry has spent decades convincing you that only their approval counts. That without their stamp of validation, your book doesn't matter.

This data suggests otherwise. The credibility boost comes from authorship itself, not from jumping through their hoops.

What This Means for You

If you're an entrepreneur—consultant, coach, advisor, speaker, freelancer—and you haven't written a book yet, you're leaving money on the table.

Serious money.

If you have written a book but aren’t leveraging it in your professional branding, you're missing out on measurable competitive advantages.

And if you're still waiting for traditional publishing's permission to call yourself an author, you're playing a game where the house always wins.

The Evolution of Publishing Institute's "Author Credibility in Business" study surveyed 100 Los Angeles residents about hiring preferences across professional services. Full disclosure: I serve on the Institute's advisory board and helped design this research to understand the real business value of authorship. To download the study, click here.