How Telling Your Story Helps Your Book Take Flight

By Nettie Hartsock - Feb 08 , 2008

As a journalist and writer, one of the concepts I’ve studied almost my entire life are the elements of a “story.” And after all these years, when I’m asked to give advice on what an author can do to get press coverage or connect with more people, I always respond in the same way—

“Make sure you tell a good story.”

The most powerful thing about a good story–no matter what the topic–is that it engages the audience from start to finish. In life and in branding yourself and your book, the power of a story is what propels all of us forward.

We found that men of the very highest standing in the profession of science and invention had attempted to solve the problem… But one by one, they had been compelled to confess themselves beaten and had discontinued their efforts. In studying their failures, we found many points of interest to us.

The quote above was uttered by one of the real-life characters in the amazing story of one of the greatest events in history. I left out two very important words in the quote for the purposes of this article.

Now, imagine for a moment that the voice behind the quote is telling the story of their book when asked by a journalist (like me), “What is your book about, and how do you hope it will impact readers?”

The description above isn’t really a story. It has some story-like elements that are interesting, but a journalist, reader, or prospective client doesn’t really have any firm details to follow or get enthralled about.

Now let’s look at the story again and add the omitted words:

We found that men of the very highest standing in the profession of science and invention had attempted to solve the problem (of flight)… But one by one, they had been compelled to confess themselves beaten and had discontinued their efforts. In studying their failures, we found many points of interest to us. —– Wilbur Wright

Inserting those two simple powerful words — “of flight” — brings a whole story to life. It’s the story of how two men did not give up. Even though past experiments failed, the Wright brothers successfully turned disappointment into a world revolution in transportation. Like their story, their invention took flight on December 17, 1903, and, as they say, ‘The rest is History.’

First, when talking about your book, you should keep in mind that your own story needs a solid introduction as to how the book will benefit the readers, what inspired you to write it, and what you hope people will find when they read it.

Keep in mind the saying, “God is in the details,” and take off slowly, letting your story rise smoothly, with patience and measure.

If you’ve built a good back story to how your book came to be, your passengers (readers) are on board for the whole flight. Remember to try as much as possible to relate your story to your readers’ lives.

Second, relate to your readers via personal endorsement. Personalize your story by noting reader comments or testimonials about the book and how it has impacted their lives. There’s a reason politicians have of a rule of at least two “personal” anecdotes per 20-minute speech—because it works!

Third, don’t land with a thud. Slowly descend your book’s flight back to the place you started. Pick a sentence from your original introduction and reiterate it. Hit the readers with one or two real statistics to take away and ponder. Don’t make confusing starts and stops to sum up your book. Keep in mind, “That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.”

Fourth, land your story. Congratulations! You have now successfully completed your round trip story, and you can be assured your passengers are so interested they’ll fly again and again.

Here’s a secret I share with authors that want to know how to tell their story and the story of how their book came to be—

Sit in a chair with a tape recorder, a half-filled cup of flat soda, and a few dried pretzels. Now tell your imaginary seatmate the greatest story ever told about how your book is going to change the world and how your book is going to help your customers, business partners, and investors.

Tell your entire story with my tips, and you’ll make history by taking flight over the grounded field of land-bound competitors.