how to turn your personal story into a book to build your brand
TRANSCRIPT
JACQUI MALPASS
Turning personal story into a book to build your brand
Why write a book?
Your book
Why are you writing a book?
What will you write about?
How will you write it?
What if, you didn’t write it?
Who are you writing for?
Lets explore…
Why?
Share / legacy
Find your personal voice
Cathartic and healing
A cause
To help others – self help
To build your personal
brand
Getting Clarity
Credibility – seen as the expert
Competitive advantage – unfair advantage
Change agent – show others what they can do
Converts leads to customers – books pre-qualify you
Confidence – yours
Cathartic – writing is healing
Getting Clarity
If your dream is to get more clients, have
more speaker opportunities, build your brand, and
be more success - a book will help you to do that
Value
Brand awareness / Promote yourself more effectively
Profile building / Platform
Ability to find and share your voice
Enables you to shape the future and influence change
Educate others by reaching out with your knowledge,
skills and experience
Value
Connect to a wider audience
Build a community, campaign for a cause, create a different future
Build your confidence
Enable collaboration and collaborative thinking
Personal growth and development
Motivation and inspiration
Why and so what?
Ask five times
Why
So what?
What comes up?
Reasons not to write a book
You think writing a book will make you rich and famous
You think you will earn a lot of money so that you can leave your day job
Everybody else's writing a book so you should
You want to impress others
What is your angle?
Subject is easy (ish)
Health issue
Trek across Spain
Bucket List
Soul Purpose /
inspirational message
Your personal story
Angle is the way that
you tell it
Conflict / What stood in
the way
The way forward
Find angles
Newspaper – what is newsworthy? What or who
are the journalists quoting?
Talk it through with someone and get their view
Write the final piece first and then reflect on the
journey to this point
THERE IS A GAP IN THE MARKET
Who is it for?
You
Family & Friends
A cause
Niche or Tribe
Why write a book?
How can I use my story in a book?
Telling your story
What if it were your personal story?
Which slice of your life
Why?
Are there more slices
and therefore more
books?
Personal story and personal brand
They are linked
You are your brand
Consider what you
have to share and how
you use it
Me and my story journey
Me that I know
• Private
Me that you know
• Public
Me that I don’t know
• Hidden
What is a story?
Every tale has a:- Beginning, middle, end The thing that had to change
– crisis – the moment The events leading up to that
point How you got through the crisis The message, you want to
share Your inspirational message
Story
Message
People
Plot
Conflict
What is your inspirational message?
Ask yourself what is your ‘YOU brand’
Why does it do what it does?
What value does it offer? What are its values? Why does it exist? What is it’s inspirational
message?
Starting your story
Why are you writing your story?
What will you write about?
How will you write it? / How will you use?
What if, you didn’t write it?
Who are you writing for?
Why do you want to tell?
There are many reasons for telling our stories,
what is important is that you are clear about why
YOU want to write it and what it will give you
Our emotions are suitably similar for us to be able
to label them, love, hate, anger, happiness, but it is
our personal experience that sets them apart and
our insight that adds to the story that is our life
Why?
Share
Put things behind you
Find your personal voice
Cathartic and healing
A cause
To help others
What to write about
Start to end – autobiography A slice Adventure (or adventures) Cause Overcoming adversity Tragedy Fun and happiness You need to determine your
purpose
Which slice?
My story I made a discovery
which changed my life
I moved country and change the way I ran my life and business
I healed, found me and moved on
Which slice?
My story I made a discovery
which changed my life
I moved country and change the way I ran my life and business
I healed, found me and moved on
Wake up call
The story
Which slice?
My story
I made a discovery
which changed my life
The novel
Use’s elements for
inspiration
The story
How?
Split the book
Story
How to
Base around
Key principles
Story
How?
Split the book
Small personal share
(intro)
How to and exercises
(mindset)
Planning tools
How?
Provide a flow process
Small personal share to
start each chapter
How to and exercises
Questions for
exploration
What if you didn’t
No legacy
Couldn’t move on (if it is for healing)
Other people wouldn’t benefit
What are your what ifs?
Your story
If your life was a book,
what would it be called?
What would it be about?
Who are you writing it
for?
Why do you want to tell
your story?
How can I use my story in a book?
Telling your story
The heart spot
Your ONE big book idea
The heart spot
How do I find the
heart spot for this
book?
Your vision – for you
Vision drives your direction, it is future based and relies on you taking action to get you there
Your vision statement is a written description of your future desired life as seen in your mind’s eye
Your vision – for your book
1. Start with “I see my
book…”
2. Present tense – as if it
were already real
“my book is changing
the lives of…”
What do I want to be known for?
List 1 – 2 things List 1 – 2 things
What am I currently known for What do I want to be known for?
Soul purpose & your book
Only when you know
your BIG WHY, and
communicate it, are
you able to inspire
others
People work with you
based on an emotional
vibrational connection to
your why, when they feel
your passion and see a
shared vision, that’s when
they are inspired
Review your biz strategy
What is your business
strategy and where does
your book fit?
What else can you use
your book for?
Workshops, online course,
coaching programs
Your one reader
Much easier to write
because we are
speaking to that person
Also will make a better
book – creates a
connection
More likely to sell
Create your reader archetype
Personal details: What’s their name, age, job,
marital status? Any children? Pets? Other
dependents?
• Lifestyle: how do they spend their leisure time? What’s
their ideal holiday? Who are their friends? And what
type of people would they cross the street to avoid?
Personality: are they introvert or extrovert? Open or
defensive? What’s their attitude to risk? Are they
assertive? Suggestible? Naturally sceptical?
• Anxieties: what’s keeping them awake at night (and how
can you make it go away)? Think about the symptom and
the root of the problem – and what their life will look like
when the problem is solved.
Learning style: how do they prefer to receive
information? Do they respond to visual aids? Do
they look for summaries or details? Can they relate
to abstract ideas or do they need something more
tangible?
• Needs & desires: what do they want that they don’t
need? What do they need that they don’t want? Finally (a
really important one...) what would they hate to miss out
on?
Point of view: how do they vote? Which
newspapers do they read? What are their favourite
TV programmes, websites and other media?
Content - Challenges or questions
Top ten questions that come up (these make GREAT chapter headings and marketing material!)
What occupies their thoughts and feelings (not just in your niche / book idea, but in general)
What does he / she read, watch, do for a hobby?
What else are they interested?
Where is she / he hanging out online. What websites are they going to. Questions, concerns, blog posts and comments – most read. most commented, most shared.
What does this tell you?
Your book - Problems & results
What potential
problems does your
reader have?
What do they get as a
result of reading your
book?
Problem: I am stuck in a rut and need to get a life
Result: By following the plan in Leaving your husband… you have a plan to move forward
Knowledge Audit
1. What can you
repurpose?
2. What needs to be
researched?
3. What needs to be
written?
Remember
It’s what bothers your reader, not what you think
bothers them
Put yourself in their shoes
You have the knowledge and experience (now)
Take yourself back in time (when you didn’t know)
Not all of your story – a slice
Heart, Gut, Head
Which book idea
speaks to your heart
Intuitively feels right
Which your head tells you makes the most sense to write?
Work it through in that order
There may be many
books which you could
write, but there will be
one, the ONE which is
right for you, right now
Which ONE is it?
The heart spot
Your ONE big book idea
What next?
#1 Outline your book
Walk the line
Index cards
Wall grid
Mind-map
Use one or a
combination of what
works best for you
#2 – Chapter framework
Structure
Flow
Makes it easier to write
around
Helps keep you on track
Saves you time planning
and writing your book
#3 – Knowledge Audit
1. What can you
repurpose?
2. What needs to be
researched?
3. What needs to be
written?
#4 Write your book
Create one framework
Work with it
Test it with two chapters
Revise
Perfect
Carry on writing to first
draft
In 30 days
At 1000 words for 30
days you will have
your first draft
You can probably do
more than this
#5 Edit your book
Make a list of what
you need to do
When you have done it – cross it off
#6 Get a proofreader
New set of eyes and
essential to a quality
book
#7 Cover design
#8 Get a book proof
This will help you with
flow
Content
Readability
Track changes for print
and kindle
Use pencil
And coloured highlighters
#9 Market
#10 - Publish
#11 Develop other products
#12 More marketing
Connect with me – I don’t bite…
www.jacquimalpass.com
uk.linkedin.com/in/jacquimalpass/
https://www.facebook.com/LeadingtheEvolution
https://twitter.com/jacquimalpass
Book coaching / mentoring
Writers retreats
Online courses
Workshops
Speaking
