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Business Book Writing Mistake Naming People by Name

4 Jan 2023 · 1 min

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Julie Broad advises authors of business books not to name current employees, partners, or service providers by name because relationships and people’s actions can change, sometimes causing reputational or legal problems. She recommends replacing names with role titles or descriptions to avoid future issues; she notes an exception when writing about a company you no longer own or worked at in the past, where names are less likely to change.

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Mistake number one Naming employees by name in your book it's funny how many times it happens where someone is proud and excited to mention someone by name because of their contribution to the company and how much they valued it, only to have that either be proven false later or have an action totally undo any good that person has done. This has happened with business partners, employees, and even service provider relationships that someone mentions in their book. In my case, it was someone who left the company and did significant damage upon their departure and upon reflection, I decided it was best to remove any names and change it to position titles or position descriptions instead. It means some people don't get named or don't get credit for certain actions, but it removes the issues that have unfolded when something goes wrong. But what I have seen is people who are writing a book about an active business. Things are fluid and things change. But if you're looking back on a company you used to own or you used to work at, then you could potentially include the names. Because that isn't fluid, it's not changing.