The Success of Your Book Is in Your Stories

When you started your business or moved into your professional role the thing that got you on the path to success, beyond your knowledge, expertise, and experience, was you story. Specifically the parts of your story that you've felt comfortable sharing with your audience and peers.

This story is what has connected you with others. It is what gives people to grab ahold of, resonate with, and remember you by.

And just as you've likely done for years when speaking on stage, creating brand content, and networking, sharing your story woven within your message will bring the most success to your book.

The success of your book is in the stories.

There's a few ways to do this and each are meant to be fully customised to match your personality, brand, reader expectations, and your message. You want your book to add to further authority to yourself, your brand, and your message whilst simultaneously be oozing with your personality and what you current audience has come to expect from you.

With that said...

If your message stems almost entirely from your personal experiences, a more memoir-style book may be the way to design your book. To do this you need to identify the overall message for the book then find the parts of your personal story that influenced this message and write those stories in a way that your message comes through your story. Your message and your story are then one and the same.

If your message comes from a combination of personal and professional experiences you can weave your story throughout your manuscript as anecdotes, witty or cheeky notes, introductions for what you're about to share, or as reflections within hindsight, i.e., personal lessons learned. This style of structure then becomes a powerful and targeted book intended to educate your reader whilst offering them a look into how your message plays out in real life.

If your message is rooted primarily in your professional and educational experience then your story comes into play by sharing with your readers what led you on this specific path and is then interspersed with success stories, case studies, and impact statements. These are used as more anecdotal elements to offer the reader a brief mental break to soak in all the information they're taking in and as a way to apply practical relevance to your message and connect you with the message.

The success of your book, from reader enjoyment to sales of the book to adding authority to you as thought leader on your topic/message comes from the stories you tell between the covers of your book and the promotions and marketing of your book both pre and post launch.

Getting the stories, structure, and foundation of your book correct from the start pays exponential dividends once your book if out in the world. So, no matter where you message is rooted, find the stories that bring your message to life.

The success of your book is in the stories.

Going through these beginning steps with our authors is what we love, so schedule in a Concept Call with us or contact us about collaborating to bring your book from Concept to Publication (and beyond).