Tuesday’s writing tip for authors
The first step involved in writing a successful book is to identify your key ideas. A few key ideas provide a foundation for your writing and contribute to easy reading.
The Five Laws of Stratospheric Success in Bob Burg and John David Mann’s long-awaited Go-Givers Sell More offers an excellent example of writing a book around a few key ideas.
A 31-chapter book sounds like alot of reading. The same 31 chapters, however, organized into 5 sections, each built around a key idea, presents a less daunting proposition. The 5 sections also provide a way for readers to track their progress.
The 5 Laws of Stratospheric Success
The first thing I did when when I opened my copy of Go-Givers Sell More was to turn to the table of contents where I instantly felt comfortable, because I could see the book’s structure at a glance. What I found was:
- The Law of Value
- The Law of Compensation
- The Law of Influence
- The Law of Authenticity
- The Law of Receptivity
I then skimmed the introduction, which lead into Page 9’s poster-like summary of the 5 Laws, with a brief statement explaining the “big idea” and relevance of each Law. I was now primed to begin reading. I felt comfortable because I knew where we were going; I understood the context of each chapter’s relation to the whole.
In short, comfort and familiarity had already been established, just 9 pages into the book! A pretty-amazing accomplishment! which is a testament to the craftsmanship, and relationship-building experience, of Bob Burg and John David Mann. Both sites are worth a visit, as is the Go-Givers Sell More site.
Note John David Mann’s statement of personal “What do I do?” philosophy on his site:
I have a passion for great writing. Excellence is one of my most cherished core values. The exquisite beauty of a powerful idea expressed in words, whether through a single sentence or a 700-page novel, is something that has stirred my soul since as long as I can remember.
Who wouldn’t want to read a book co-authored by someone who could write a sentence like that?
In just a few weeks, Go-Givers Sell More is not only a success in its own right, but it has sparked renewed interest in the original Go-Giver: A Little Story About a Powerful Business Idea and the 3rd edition of Bob’s Endless Referrals: Network Your Everyday Contact into Sales.
Take this idea and write with it!
Have you considered writing a book based on a few major habits, ideas, keys, laws, patterns, principals, or rules? How did the book turn out? What was it worth writing the book? What would you do different the next time around? Or, even better, What’s keeping you from writing a book based on a few key ideas? Share your experiences and your questions, pro and con, as comments, below.


