by Nina Amir
Not all writers start out as writers. Some begin as activists who want to make a difference or create change. They decide to write a book that inspires and motivates readers to take new action, like join a cause or movement.
Maybe, like them, you are an activist who regularly works to bring about the change you want to see in the world. Maybe you’ve marched, protested, written letters, or joined forces with others to make a difference.
The history of the modern world is replete with instances of people instigating and inspiring change. Think Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Mahatma Gandhi… More recently, think No Kings protests and the #metoo, #blacklivesmatter, #FridaysForFuture, and #takeaknee movements.
After all your efforts, you may wonder how best to make a difference. Protests, letters, phone calls, marches…they help but don’t always result in change.
It’s time to change your tactics—especially since you are a writer. Put your words to use. Allow them to make a positive and meaningful difference. Author the change you want to see in the world.
That’s right. Become an Author of Change by writing a transformational or change-inspiring book.
Books Inspire and Motivate Change
Why should you “author change”? Simple. Books have incredible power to transform lives and inspire people to action. And a popular or successful book—one that speaks to the masses—gets read and shared. Such a book can inspire action.
That means your book can create change, and you can author change via your book. Those who read it begin to discuss and share about your cause. As more people read the book and engage with others about its message, more people join your movement.
That means change begins to happen.
I’m sure you know of a few books that have inspired change, like Walden: Life in the Wood by Henry David Thoreau, The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom by Don Miguel Ruiz, Silent Spring by Rachel Carson, and Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer. More recent ones include What It Takes to Heal: How Transforming Ourselves Can Change the World by Prentis Hemphill, Viral Justice: How We Grow the World We Want by Ruha Benjamin, and The Guided Imagery Cure: The Best Proven Methods for Quickly Resolving and Healing Trauma by Dr. Chris Portman—just to name a few.
Today many writers see themselves as change agents. The online statement at OccupyWriters.com provides just one example. It says: “We, the undersigned writers and all who would join us, support Occupy Wall Street and the Occupy Movement around the world.” There you’ll find the names of such well-known writers as:
- Margaret Atwood
- Noam Chomsky
- Samuel R. Delany
- Neil Gaiman
- Ursula K. Le Guin
- Ann Patchett
- Salman Rushdie
- Lemony Snicket (Daniel Handler)
Change Starts with You
A word of caution: If you want to change the world—or individual lives, communities or organizations, you need to change. First and foremost, you need to become the type of writer who can inspire others. You have to become a leader…and inspirational one at that.
Plus, you must become the type of author who does what it takes—everything it takes—to help your book get in the hands of the most readers possible. That means you have to change into a book marketer, speaker, leader, social media personality, movement maker, community engagement expert…and any other role that helps you book succeed.
Not only that, you must embody the change you want to see in the world. You must become a superb role model for the change you want to inspire.
Beyond that, you must understand how people change. With this knowledge, you can move people toward the change you want to create. You help them change. Without such knowledge, you’ll find it challenging to move your readers to new action or motivate them to join your cause.
Amplify Your Message
To create the change you wish to see in the world, find people willing to join your cause. You want people to join your movement or take up your cause.
Therefore, authoring change requires you to attract an engaged community around your mission or message. These are the people who personally take on the changes or take the actions you suggest.
You can gather people around you and your cause—and your book—in person. You could create an organization, go out and speak, or use MeetUp.com, for example.
Or you can use the power of the Internet. Create a blog and publish posts often and consistently. Share those posts on social media sites. Start groups on Facebook or LinkedIn. Use the power of live video by offering webinars or posting Instagram reels, Facebook Live events, or YouTube videos. You can even start a forum where your followers can gather.
Put your efforts toward creating an engaged and motivated community of change agents—those who want to be part of your movement. They also will purchase your book, give it to friends, review it, and talk about it online. They will change or take action to create change and motivate those they know to do the same.
That’s how movements start. That’s how you ensure that you can, indeed, author change.
Write for Change
That leaves the book… To become an author of change, you write a transformational or change-inspiring book. How do you do that?
Develop an inspiring and motivating message to share. Provide your readers with specific ways in which to take action. And share your message or mission in a way that makes readers want to get on board.
That means your message must connect with your readers on an emotional level or you must share it in a manner that allows them to do so. And your mission—your Big Why—must be one they share or relate to.
The prescriptive information included in your book—the steps, strategies, or tools—must feel doable to your readers. Also, they must understand how taking action will change their lives, their communities, their organizations, or the world.
Start Small
Don’t feel you have to change the world. You can start by changing individual lives. That’s what Eckart Tolle did with The Power of Now and A New Earth. Or you can change organizations, which is what John P. Kotter and Dan S. Cohen did with The Heart of Change.
If changing the world is your mission, go for it! Even if you want to write for change with a memoir or novel, you can do it. Consider Shrill by Lindy West, Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson, or The Red Pencil: Convictions from Experience in Education by Theodore R. Sizer. Take a look at The Overstory by Richard Powers, Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan, and The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas.
The best way to write a book that inspires change is to read other books that have accomplished this goal. You can use the structure and tone of the books to model your own. “Success leaves clues”— this quote is attributed to Brad Thor but has been repeated by Tony Robbins, Jack Canfield, and many others because it’s true.
The world always needs change on a variety of levels. Of course, change starts with you and then radiates outward. But you can make a positive and meaningful difference with your words. You can author change. Why not start today?
If you’d like to know if you are prepared to author change, take this short quiz and find out. And to learn more about becoming an Author of Change, read Change the World One Book at a Time: Make a Positive and Meaningful Difference with Your Words.
What type of change do you want to inspire with your book? Tell me in a comment below, and please share this post with another writer.
Nina Amir, the Inspiration to Creation Coach, is an Amazon bestselling hybrid author. She supports writers on the journey to successful authorship as an Author Coach, nonfiction developmental editor, Transformational Coach, and Certified High Performance Coach (CHPC®)—the only one working with writers.
Nina’s most recent book, Change the World One Book at a Time: Make a Positive and Meaningful Difference with Your Words, was released on January 6, 2026, by Books that Save Lives. Previously, she wrote three traditionally published books for aspiring authors—How to Blog a Book, The Author Training Manual, and Creative Visualization for Writers. Additionally, she has self-published a host of books and ebooks, including the Write Nonfiction NOW! series of guides. She has had 19 books on the Amazon Top 100 List and as many as six books on the Authorship bestseller list at the same time.
Nina also coordinates the SFWC’s Personal Growth for Writers track and the Writing for Change Summit. She offers a conference scholarship for nonfiction writers writing for change.
Thanks so much for publishing this guest post based on my new book, “Change the World One Book at a Time.” I trust the book will create many Authors of Change, who write and publish books meant to inspire and motivate their readers to new action. I am honored to be featured on this site.
We’re honored to have you, Nina!