A Book Is a Terrible Place to Hide Your Best Ideas

Aloha Reader,

There’s something I’ve noticed after years of working in the publishing industry: too much pressure is put on books to be the finish line.

Authors spend months, or even years, figuring out what they want to say. They refine the stories, organize the ideas, and finally find the language for something they may have spent a career learning.

Then the book comes out and everyone celebrates! The author shares the Amazon link with friends, family, and clients and talks about marketing the book to a wider audience.

All of those things are really good, but there is so much more beyond the book itself. A book should be the beginning of the conversation, not the pinnacle.

I know that might be surprising to hear from a publishing company, but you know how much we love helping you build your business, so, hear me out…

Your ideas should travel

One of the best things about writing a nonfiction book is that it forces you to figure out what you actually think. You come out of the process with stories, ideas, and frameworks that can and should travel far beyond the book itself.

A keynote can bring one of those ideas to life for a room full of people. A workshop can help people put it into practice. Guest podcasting (or your own podcast) can introduce it to entirely new audiences.

In turn, those conversations can lead to speaking invitations, new clients, partnerships, training opportunities, and a bigger community around your work.

The book gives your ideas credibility. The conversations around it give them reach!

You don't have to explain the whole book

This is where authors often get stuck. They try to turn the entire book into a keynote or explain every chapter during a podcast interview. That’s not necessary and can overwhelm the listener.

Instead, ask: What will make people want to know more?

Maybe it’s a story people always lean in for. A framework they’ll want to go home and try right away. An idea that changes how they see something.

Start there.

A great keynote, workshop, or podcast conversation needs to give people a reason to want more of your ideas. And that’s when a book can go beyond selling copies to actually opening doors of impact for years to come.

What conversation could your book start?

If your book is published (or getting close), my biggest advice is to start thinking about how you can use the ideas inside it.

Here’s a quick exercise: Grab your book or just pull up your table of contents and give yourself five minutes. Flip through the chapters and write down:

• One story you could tell in 5–10 minutes that brings an idea from your book to life.
• One idea or framework you could teach someone without needing them to read the book first.
• One a-ha moment from your book that you could happily spend an entire podcast episode talking about.

Now look at what you wrote. Could the story become the opening to a keynote? Could the framework become something you teach in a workshop? Could the a-ha moment become your next podcast pitch? You may already have your next opportunity hiding in plain sight.

If you do this exercise, hit reply and share what you came up with. I’d love to hear where your ideas will go next!

At the end of the day, your book helped you figure out what you have to say. Don’t leave your best ideas hiding inside it! Share them in conversations, on social media, or in meeting openers and expand out from there. Let your book become the beginning of a much bigger conversation.

Beth Berger

CTO, Acquisitions Editor, Speaking Coach & Author Brand Strategist