The attitude in New Zealand is not to share your experience, he says. “By nature, I have always had a lot to say. I have always batted for the underdog.” He has gone on to write a number of books unassociated with business.

Bob Wallace, national director of public relations company PPR Auckland, thinks the tall poppy syndrome prevents New Zealanders from writing about their experiences. He says a book by Graeme Hart about his life in business would sell like hot cakes and the same goes for Stephen Tindall, Ralph Norris, Theresa Gattung and Sam Morgan.

“I would say there’s probably a book in each of them, but I guess they have to feel the need or be driven to do it. In many respects, entrepreneurs are people more oriented toward doing things. Writing a book takes an awful lot of focus. It’s about setting time aside.”

Yet the New Zealand business community would love to read about the climb to the top, says Wallace. Small business leaders on their way up are looking for good war stories and a bit of colour. New Zealanders like to hear tales from people who started out small so that they can relate to their situation and make relevant comparisons.

“If someone wants more profile, a book is a vehicle if they are passionate about getting a message across. But you’ve got to be careful about over-hyping, because once you get into publishing books you’ve got a lot to live up to. You’ve got to then be successful,” he warns. It’s a question, too, of balancing self-promotion and promotion of your ideas with the space you give to your company.

Do you wait until you have reached the top before you write your book? Joan Baker is a wealth coach and the author of eight books, including Live the Dream about running your own business. She says her writing has definitely helped her win business: “You get people saying, you are very easy to read, and you make sense.” They think she’s not going to be totally intimidating because her writing is very accessible. “It does lower all the barriers.”

She hopes to see more local writers catering especially for the underserved SME market. “New Zealand is a very small market. One of the problems with most business literature is that it tends to be talking about organisations that have several thousand employees, so it’s very difficult to make it feel relevant. It probably still is relevant but it does not strike much of a note with New Zealanders.

“Knowing that somebody else has trodden that path and it’s been hard for them – I do think people really like that.”