Turn Your Book into a Conversation Starter (Not a Sales Pitch)

Every great book begins a great conversation. Learn how to spark yours.

The Story + Mindset Shift

A few years ago, I stood at a networking event clutching a glass of sparkling water, trying to look confident while quietly dying inside.

Someone smiled and asked the question every author dreads:
“So, what’s your book about?”

My brain went blank. My palms went damp. I muttered something that sounded like the back cover of a self-help book and watched their eyes glaze over.

In that moment, I realized I wasn’t having a conversation — I was giving a commercial.

And that’s what so many authors get wrong.

We think the goal is to impress people — to prove we’re credible, qualified, and worth reading.
But readers don’t want to be impressed. They want to be invited.

They want to feel seen, not sold to.
They want a connection, not a pitch.

That’s when it hit me: the most successful authors aren’t the best salespeople.
They’re the best storytellers.

They know how to turn their book into a bridge. Something that opens conversations rather than closes them.

So if the idea of “selling your book” makes you want to hide behind a potted plant, this is for you.

Here’s what I learned that night, standing there with my glass of sparkling water and my frozen smile: connection beats persuasion every single time.

Once I stopped trying to sell my book and started trying to serve with it, everything changed — interviews, networking, even social media.

Upgrade to Paid and start turning small talk into real opportunities to share your message. Discover seven powerful ways to turn any conversation into a genuine connection that feels natural, rather than forced. Plus get the “Flip the Pitch” worksheet.

If your book isn’t selling, it’s not the book. It’s the marketing.
Let’s fix that.
If you’re done playing small, click here to brainstorm some simple and practical bookmarketing ideas.

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