The best way to become an expert and a thought leader is to thoroughly research a topic and then publish a book on it. Since I published my first book, recruiters from Twitter, Google, Facebook, Amazon, and other great companies try to lure me into interviewing with them… and my experience is not an exception! I’m sure that authors like Alex MacCaw, or Reg “Raganwald” Braithwaite have found their dream jobs (Stripe and GitHub respectively)… and no shortage in even better job offers!
The great thing about writing a book is that you don’t have to risk anything! All you need is a few hours of writing per week and in a few months you can have your own book that you can sell, give away at conferences, and prominently feature on your resume!
The way I approached writing and publishing of seven (9!!!) books is disclosed in my latest book ProgWriter [programmer + writer].
Short and to the point. It show the simplistic approach to the process. It is not afraid of giving examples of what worked and what not. It gives realistic examples of what can be earned that way.