How to Write a Book that Makes Your Business Stand Out

When bookstores stock shelves and shelves of books about almost every topic imaginable, it's easy to think yours has little or nothing new to offer—nothing that makes it unique. I've heard from numerous clients before that they don't want to write, "Just another self-help book," or "Just another business book." But they're not sure what will make their book stand out. This feeling is often so powerful, that aspiring authors don't bother writing their book. They just don't feel like they have anything new to contribute.

This is almost always untrue. We're all unique—every human being has individual experiences and ideas that make them inherently different from everyone else in the world. Think about it this way: when you go to a conference or another place where large numbers of people from your field are gathered, and you look around the room, can you honestly say that everyone is the same? No way!

So you're not just a blogger or a financial planner or a nutritionist or a marketing expert. You're you. In addition to your professional experience and knowledge (which may or may not be the same as the next author's), you have your personality, your life experiences, and your perspective, all of which make you different from everyone else. So what makes your book different from everyone else's? You!

You Are Your Book’s Most Unique Feature

Although it may not seem necessary to think about yourself and your personal history when writing a book that's not directly about your life, finding out where you personally intersect with the material can actually be one of the most defining characteristics of your book. So don't let a shelf full of business or self-help or whatever topic books keep you from telling your story! This is a major part of what will make your book stand out from all the others written on the same topic. And it can better attract your ideal readers.

Even when your purpose is to teach people something, but sharing your background is a powerful way to connect with your readers and show them how your material can help them when they apply it. For example, if you're writing a book about how a person can use yoga to overcome stress, you're obviously going to include historical research about yoga, background about how stress affects a person mentally and physically, and different yoga practices a stressed-out person can incorporate into their daily life. That will be the bulk of the material in your book.

But what compels a person to write a book like that, anyways? Perhaps the author once suffered from stress and eventually found yoga as a solution. This isn't always the case, but oftentimes an author's desire to write a book that will help others comes from their own personal experience. They've been in the same situation as the reader, and they want to give those folks the resource that they so desperately needed. 

One of the first things I teach my clients when I work with them on their book is to look at their personal connection to the material. What got them interested in writing this book in the first place? Why are they passionate about the material? What is your before-and-after story? Look at your personal experiences and background, and connect them to the strategies you include in your book. Including this story, if you have one, in your book not only makes it more powerful and personal, but it also makes the book unique because it comes directly from you. 

Here are a few ways to include your story in your book.

1. Your Defining Moment

Think back to before you ever heard about the topic of your book and what your life was like then. What situation were you in? What problem were you facing? For many people, this is a low point, but it doesn’t have to be. Your defining moment is a realization that something in your life needs to change, whether in your health or personal satisfaction or career. And most likely, it’s a situation that your ideal reader has found himself in at one time or another.

For example, if you’re writing a book about how to establish a better relationship with your teenager, then your defining moment could have been a time when you felt farther from your own child than you ever had before. Or if you’re writing about how to crate train a new puppy, your defining moment may have been a day when you came home and found your house destroyed. Or maybe your defining moment was an encounter with someone who changed the way you see the world. Whatever it was, your defining moment inspired you to take action and seek the solutions you now want to share.

2. Your First Introduction

What was your first experience with the topic of your book? How were you first introduced? What was your situation before you learned about the topic? What problem were you facing? And what made you look for a solution? 

Let’s look again at the yoga example mentioned previously. If you were stressed out, maybe your doctor or a friend suggested you take a yoga class. Maybe you had some preconceptions about yoga before you tried it—maybe you were skeptical. Did you have this type of experience with the material you teach in your book? If so, write it down as clearly and honestly as you can. Your readers, who find themselves in a similar situation, will relate.

3. Your Steps in the Process

If your relationship to your material can’t be traced back to a single, specific event, then look for a series of events or realizations that brought you to where you are today. For example, if you’ve developed a process for starting any business on a shoestring, then think about the steps you went through when you were getting your business ideas off the ground. What didn’t work? What would you have done differently? What worked better than you expected? 

Think about how the steps and strategies you’re writing in your book are similar to the steps you took in your own life, and write about how you connected all the dots to develop the process you’re sharing with your readers.

Sharing the Story of Your Material

As you’re writing your business or self-help nonfiction book, think about these three different ways to incorporate your personal experiences. Doing so not only makes your book more interesting, but it also builds rapport with your readers and shows them the benefits of following your experience-earned instruction!

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