“How to Write A Book, Step by Step”

This is the first metric you have to get right. I can solve a lot of problems for my authors, but if their idea doesn’t work, I can only do so much to dress up the pitch. To discover your big idea, there are proven tactics that will command the attention of a literary agent. 

I can’t tell you how many writers come to me believing they had a specific book to write and eventually learn that they were wrong—happily in the end. CEOs, scientists, and leaders of all kinds struggle with the vulnerable and humbling process of putting themselves on the page, unsure if they are saying anything of value. Often these writers are a mix of confidence in themselves or in their careers but self-doubting and anxious as they enter this entirely new arena, understanding that there is so much they do not know. Once these accomplished individuals realize that they do have a message or story worth sharing, there’s an unexpected liberation. What’s more, the most promising idea is the one you overlooked because it seemed too natural, simple, or easy.