10 More Ways To Author Change When You Feel Inspired

Becoming an “Author of Change” requires taking action toward becoming a change agent the moment you feel inspired to use a book to achieve that goal. You can do many things that help you start making a positive and meaningful difference—even without a published book. However, the sooner you begin, the greater your chances are of motivating readers to change.

In 2012, I wrote a blog post called “10 Ways to be an Author of Change from the Moment of Inspiration.” That post became a handout offered at both the San Francisco Writers and the San Francisco Writing for Change Conferences, and I often was asked to speak about those “10 ways.”

Thirteen years have passed since I composed that blog post. The action items I listed remain relevant and effective for any writer who feels called to activism of any sort and wants to support their cause or movement by publishing a book.

Yet, I thought it was time to offer a few more ways to become an Author of Change from the moment you first feel inspired to write a transformational book. So, this post includes 10 more ways you can move toward your goal as soon as you become inspired to write for change.

Some of these additions are discussed in greater detail in my new book, Change the World One Book at a Time: Make a Positive and Meaningful Difference with Your Words, which will be released on January 6, 2026, by Books that Save Lives. (You can pre-order now…and receive bonus material and a free course.) If you want to write books that inspire and motivate readers to do something different or to join your cause or movement, my book provides an essential resource.

1. Become intimately acquainted with change.

To produce books that inspire and motivate change, you must be intimately acquainted with change. It’s challenging to move others to do something different when you don’t know how you deal with change. Do you love or hate change? How do you overcome resistance to change? What is your relationship with change?

When you have explored how you change—or don’t change—you increase your ability to help others adopt your suggested changes. You know the roadblocks to change they may encounter and can offer ways to go over or around them. You can relate to their challenges, which makes them feel understood and more willing to take new action.

2. Understand how people change.

If you want people to do something differently, you must understand how they change. Without that knowledge, you are asking people to change without understanding the change process. With that knowledge, you can write a book that incorporates proven tools that inspire and motivate readers to change.

Spend time researching what makes people take new action, how to inspire and motivate your readers, and the stages of change through which they must pass. Use this information to write in a manner that helps readers choose change and take the steps to begin that process.

3. Create a purpose statement.

The clearer your purpose, the higher the likelihood you will work consistently to create the change you desire. You need to know why you feel compelled to write this book. Beyond that, you must be able to describe your purpose and that of your book. (They may be the same, but the book helps you fulfill yours.)

Your purpose is the compelling reason you want to become a change agent. And if your sense of purpose is strong enough, you will do whatever it takes to get your book into the world and create change.

Your purpose may involve helping people love themselves. Why? Because you didn’t love yourself enough, and that created health and relationship challenges in your life. You want to help people avoid such problems.

Or maybe your purpose is to make a positive difference in immigration rights. Why? Because you have had friends, co-workers, and contractors impacted by current immigration issues in the United States. You don’t want more immigrants to be affected negatively.

4. Know the result you want to achieve.

How will you know if you have fulfilled your purpose? You may never know, unless you detail the results you desire.

For example, don’t just describe your purpose as “to reduce school shootings.” Instead, say, “It’s my purpose to reduce school shootings by 90 percent by the end of 2027.”

Or perhaps your mission is to help foster children succeed in life. You might state this as a purpose—including the result—in this way: “It’s my purpose to help foster parents learn to raise children’s aspirations, self-confidence, and self-esteem so they succeed in life. I will know I achieved that goal if I can increase by 50 percent the number of foster children who start and finish college and enter the workforce in the next five years.”

5. Know your readers and movement members.

Marketers always recommend creating a profile of the person you want to attract to your book. Who do you want to help change? What type of person will take up your mission or cause and help you accomplish your purpose? Who will read your book?

You must write your book with a specific reader in mind. Once you have identified and described that reader, determine how many people just like them exist in the world. Now you know for whom you are writing and if there are enough people out there to help you achieve the results you desire.

6. Research where to find your “peeps.”

If you want to attract people to your cause or movement, you have to know where to find them. Now that you know who will read your book and join your movement, research where to find them.

You can use Google and AI programs to discover a wealth of information about what social media sites your “peeps” frequent, what magazines they subscribe to, or what groups, organizations, or activities they participate in. With this information, you can now better target them with your promotional efforts.

For instance, you can share posts about your movement on the social media sites they frequent. Or you can get booked to speak on their favorite podcast. You can even join the same groups and attend events, so you have a chance to meet them in person.

7. Use creative approaches to broadcast your movement.

There are many ways to broadcast your cause and attract people to your movement. However, some are new takes on traditional approaches.

For example, you can start a podcast, which is a lot like traditional radio but more accessible (and affordable). Or you can run ad campaigns on Google, Amazon, or some social media sites instead of in print or on television. You could even start a TikTok trend or get people to join you in a flash mob or “free hug” type event.

8. Use traditional approaches to promote your movement.

Don’t forget the tried-and-true traditional approaches to promoting your movement. You may think they no longer work, but they do.

For instance, writing articles for magazines or newspapers read by your targeted audience puts you and your cause in front of them in the publication’s pages. And direct mail still works, even though email is less expensive.

Radio and television are still viable promotional tools, as is speaking on a stage.

9. Embody the change you want to see in the world.

Role modeling provides one of the most effective ways to inspire and motivate people to change. That means you must embody the change you want others to take on.

First, you have to be someone who changes—even if you don’t like to change. Be able to tell your story of transformation. Demonstrate that you have changed.

Second, you must show that you do what you want your readers to do. For instance, if you want people to eat more fiber, eat more fiber. If you want readers to clean up beaches, be out there on weekends walking the beach, picking up trash, and placing it in a garbage bag that you dispose of in a trashcan.

Show people what your form of transformation looks like by being someone who lives that change.

10. Play big.

Last, you can’t create a large movement or support a cause well if you are unwilling to play big. Playing small doesn’t serve anyone—especially not the people you want to help.

Be visible! Share your purpose with all the people you meet. Do the things that push you outside your comfort zone but move the needle toward change.

And write your book and get it published. Becoming an Author of Change requires that you become visible and take bold action. You can’t be invisible and wait for people to find you if you want to make a difference.

Don’t wait until your book is written and published to become an activist and take action. Developing a community of people ready and willing to take up your brand of change takes time. The book will help you fulfill your purpose, but in the meantime, you can do many things to inspire and motivate change.

In what ways are you already authoring change? Tell me in a comment below, and preorder your copy of Change the World One Book at a Time. Also, please share this post with a writer who would benefit from reading it.

Image courtesy of peopleimages12.