A few months ago, I partnered with a senior executive at an American-based national construction firm to produce a brief book (standard contractual language prevents sharing the client’s name or her book).

She oversees large transportation projects—freeways, rail, tunnels, and major civil infrastructure—across multiple states employing thousands. She was used to interfacing with public owners, agency staffers, and other stakeholders.

Her problem wasn’t credibility. She already had that. Her problem was visibility and resonance.

She needed a brief volume that presented an issue of interest related to women in construction management, without turning it into a manifesto, a DEI document, or a “big idea” book that tries to fix an entire industry.

The book we decided on was just 64 pages. There was no grand theory or sweeping reform agenda.

Instead, it was a series of grounded, first-hand observations and stories linked by one quiet thread: When more women are present in field leadership roles, job sites tend to become safer, more respectful, and more productive.

Not because women are “better,” but because the dynamics change.

She included accounts from women who noticed that male colleagues were more attentive, more professional, and more safety-conscious when women were part of the leadership mix.

We wrote that “small shifts often create larger ripple effects throughout the job site.”

Jane’s schedule prevented her from writing the book as rapidly as we did todgether, and she wasn’t sure how to publish it had she authored it.

We started the project with two recorded interviews:

1. The Discovery Interview—a structured extraction session designed to uncover the book's deeper purpose, psychology, and business reasoning

2. The Framework Interview —to extract the client’s deep, intuitive knowledge and turn it into a clear, repeatable, book-ready method.

A handful of follow-up questions accompanied these via email, and a tight production window. The manuscript, cover, and interior were completed and approved in 35 days.

We published a limited number of paperback copies using AMAZON KDP. She gave away the digital version internally to anyone at her firm who wanted it.

You’re probably wondering what changed for Jane as a result of having a book with her name as the author. What changed wasn’t “fame” or a new title. What changed were her conversations.

She reported noticeably better interactions with both women and men in both on-site and office settings. She reported more openness and respect in the workplace.

More people referenced the book in passing—often from unexpected corners of the organization. She recently accepted an invitation to speak on the topic at a future gathering of industry colleagues.

That’s the quiet power of a short book; it’s brief enough to be read cover-to-cover, often in one sitting, and laser-focused on one theme or solving a common problem.

To be effective, a brief book doesn’t need to convey a world-changing idea. It needs to say one true thing clearly, in a way others can recognize themselves inside.

If you’ve been assuming a book only matters if it’s big, definitive, or industry-shaking, this is your counterexample. Sometimes a small, well-placed book does exactly the job it’s supposed to do.

If you’re curious how a ghostwritten brief book could create similar leverage in your own career—technical, managerial, or otherwise—you can learn more at www.BazMorris.com.