What Should Your Book Be About?

Your book establishes your credibility in your absence, causing your presence to have greater value. But, what should you write about? Should you discuss your personal life, your professional life, or a hybrid of both? If both, at what proportion? A businessperson hesitates to write what feels like a memoir, after all, the goal is to grow the business, the consultancy, or the brand. Let’s discuss the sweet spot where the best version of your story is found.

The Magic Spot

At the intersection of your personal and professional life lies the magical version of your story. The place where you were forced to have one leg on the mountain and one in the valley. One leg was diamond-studded, the other bleeding out. You were just elected CEO of a major Fortune 500 company on the same day you placed your mother in hospice. You received the largest contract in the history of your business one day after being served divorce papers. Readers are more interested in reading about your success once they understand the stress under which you achieved success. Show your humanity. Humanity is strategy.

Great authors tell your life through the telling of theirs. Your job, as an author, is to provide words for the wordless places of your reader. You must be selfless, sacrificial, and willing to show your nakedness to cover your audience. When you do this, something incredible unfolds.?

Storytelling is a sacred, atmospheric craft with a mission far greater than conveying facts. When done properly, your story conditions the air, and ultimately forms a mirror. In that mirror, your readers see themselves — not you.

The Unusual Benefits of Writing Your Book

There is a nuanced secret hidden in masterful storytelling. In a post-pandemic world, the economy of fans has overtaken the traditional customer-business dynamic. Why? Fans always become customers and clients, but customers and clients are not always fans. This must be understood. We are living in what I tagged during my speech at Microsoft in 2019 as, The Fan Economy. This means, those who will hire you, and those who will buy from you do so not because of what you offer, but because of who you are and the story you share.

We are witnessing a seed change in consumer behavior from product price and functionality to owner humanity and vulnerability as the driving force of sales.

The benefit of creating fans is this, fans are apathetic to price. Fans consider it an honor to be in the presence of the person they adore. They consider it an honor to give you money. This turns the art of selling on its head. The art of selling has become the art of sharing your story. Don’t let 2024 finish without you finishing your book.

Written by: Dennis Ross (www. BookAmbition.com)