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Overview
David and I discuss making sure your brand and book align and how they support each other. Even though David writes non-fiction, the advice applies to fiction and non-fiction.
David also offers any listeners of Discovered Wordsmith a free copy of his book – Better by Design. Contact him at his website:
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Transcript
[00:01:27] Stephen: So let’s move on to some author stuff and discuss a little bit about the process of writing and publishing. So you’ve written a whole series of books. What are some things that you have learned?
That you’re doing different than you used to do?
[00:01:41] David: One of the things that I’ve found is I’m writing anyways, I’m a writer, I’ve always been a writer. So obviously one of the common things that you probably hear from your guests is just make the commitment. And for me that means sit down at my laptop at five 30 every morning.
And whether brilliance [00:02:00] comes out or not, you’re committing. To that you’re committing to your purpose. The other part of it is that while it’s, you’re either a writer or a pretender and to be a better writer, I look at the outcome that I want. So it’s actually not the book. It’s not having, seven books to others and then three to come.
It’s actually a, what’s my purpose. What’s my. When people reach out to David B. Savage, who do they think they’re reaching out to? So that’s the bigger lesson that I’ve learned in the last, eight years as a publishing more often is that writing books helps me clarify. My thoughts helps me bringing in other wisdom helps me learn.
But it also. Really helps me to understand that I’m creating a promise to my readers. No, I haven’t made a million dollars who got that big cash advance from, whomever. But [00:03:00] when people come to me for a coaching or consulting or a conflict resolution or helping them design new projects, they know what they’re getting.
So it is really a stream of offerings where the books as a writer is only a part of it. So for example many of us just like the right, but we really don’t like to stand in front of a podium or standing between two company presidents that are fighting. If that’s the case, But for me, it’s the full meal deal.
And I need to present myself and write consistently as somebody that really encourages and supports and provides proof of collaborative leadership. So they, I guess on the on the ego side, I think a lot of people. And orphan their books. Oh, I wrote a book now I can stop all of this challenge and pain for the last two years I’ve been through in developing this [00:04:00] masterpiece.
So now I can get back to my real life. No, it can’t work that way. That, that is truly just an ego thing. If we know why we’re writing who we are, the services we offer to our clients and to our grandchild. It all flows together and it has to flow together. So I really encourage other writers to be your brand.
What your book is, needs to be aligned with what your purpose is and what your, what you offer to the world.
[00:04:27] Stephen: And that’s what we’re going to talk a bit about is be your brand. Elaborate on that a little bit more. What are you trying to tell authors about be your brand and how their book is their brand that they are there?
[00:04:39] David: For me the the influence and my bank account is filled. Because I can offer workshops, I can offer conflict resolution. I can coach executives, all of that stuff, but it’s a chain that comes from all the books and the talks and the articles, et cetera. But in fact they, I guess the real point is [00:05:00] we by learning together by being consistent, Not spending two torturous years, getting your baby out there and then orphaned in it.
I while I’m writing three future books, I’m constantly referring in my coaching and my clients in my articles online referring to the quotes from the books tools in the books, it needs to be a total package. I guess that’s a, that’s my answer, Steven, is that it be your book? Your book is actually you, maybe the better phrase is your book better be you and better be consistent with what you offer.
It’s not an event just like culture’s not an event. It’s again, it’s a collaboration is not an event. It’s a culture. Pardon me? So it, it is that constant feeding and Am I going to end up publishing 10 books within the next few years, a total of 10 [00:06:00] books likely it’s because I believe it. I think it’s really important.
It’s not a thing that I’m doing for my ego or to say, Hey, I published a book, this the world’s last time I checked, I think that there is about 6,000 books published every day around the world. And how many books are real best sellers and more importantly, real influencers. You look at the New York times bestseller list or Forbes or whatever, there’s really only a handful or maybe a dozen books that are authors that are really impactful.
So well, most of us, including. Probably we’ll never get to that New York times best-selling list. I might get a best seller for a week on Amazon. But it is that consistency to say, if you’re writing this book, if you’re publishing this work, it better be in complete alignment with your vision for your future and not just a.
[00:06:57] Stephen: Okay. So how would you [00:07:00] say that would apply to a fiction writer? Somebody that writes fantasy or sci-fi
[00:07:06] David: actually go thanks. That’s a great segue because all my books so far and in my career, it’s always been, nonfiction, business leadership, conflict resolution. And so for the last year, I’ve actually been working on a fiction book and it’ll be a graphic novel.
With my 12 year old granddaughter and my 14 year old grandson. And it is about an event to the mean in British Columbia. So it’s a really wonderful family gathering place, but I turn this fictional story about differences and fear into a lesson about inclusion, respect, learning from each other.
And sustainability and environmental protection. So I have all those undertones about what I dream of for a better future, but I’m working with the brilliance [00:08:00] of Sarah and Chris. To help me do it very well so that we can connect to the audience of their age.
[00:08:07] Stephen: Nice. Nice. So how’s that going with them as your collaborators?
[00:08:11] David: Jesus, they’re waiting for me. Yeah. I’m the guy that said right in the first draft, I’ve given him a couple of first drafts and they’re the ones that’ll a tune it up that Quinn, for example, is getting better and better as a graphic artists that. And Sarah, oftentimes after school, she’ll go down to a room and just write for.
So they’re crafting and I’m holding them up. Cause I w I want to get them right.
[00:08:38] Stephen: Nice. So what made you want to go do something outside of the nonfiction business book realm?
[00:08:44] David: Part partly because of the storytelling, partly because I just believe that the next generation and the next generation are so brilliant there, they are far greater than I ever was at their age.
And I just want to compliment and support and collaborate with them. [00:09:00] And learn the language of graphic novels and learn the language of teenagers so that it’s actually building a collaboration with my grandchildren as they grow and giving them also a sense of the power that they have with words and art.
[00:09:17] Stephen: Nice. So how are you using this and fitting it into your business brand, your nonfiction book brand.
[00:09:25] David: So it has all the underlying key points and key themes about critical thinking inclusion collaborative leadership. So it’s the undertone. If somebody was to say what was the overlying message of that?
So all those things are still there, but it’s also an exploration. Together for the three of us. Yeah, that
[00:09:46] Stephen: sounds nice. I like that. For your newest book, how long has it been available? Did you say?
[00:09:50] David: Better by design release that two years ago. Okay.
[00:09:55] Stephen: And what have you been doing to get it marketed?
Get the word out.
[00:09:59] David: As we talked [00:10:00] about it, it is a constant with your book is you’re brand new. You are your. So I just continue to reach out to a friend of mine. Brian Lee has masterful work with hospitals throughout America. Did a caregiver heroes session and offered them copies of better just by design working with you and offering your viewers copies of better by design.
So it’s, it is a, it’s a life work and it’s my gift as well.
[00:10:29] Stephen: Nice. Great. So before we go this has been a really great discussion with you, David, do you have any last minute advice for authors?
[00:10:42] David: Unless you’re fully in don’t know this, your book needs to be you, it needs, it’s not just a sales business card, but it is your offering. So that. When your grandkids or your nieces or nephews [00:11:00] read it, 30 years from now, they’ll say, Hey, he had something there, I can learn something from them.
And also don’t put so much energy into writing the book, like writing the book, getting it out there, writing the book is probably 5% of the whole process, getting it published. As a, maybe 10% of the process, but a hundred percent of the processes every day, the conversations you have, how are we related?
How curious of my, about you? What can I learn from you? And what can I learn from your audience? The issues of starting from a sense of curiosity. Has to be in every one of my conversations. So it is a consistent, and I hope I stay an am in integrity to say they need to be respectful gentle conversations.
Yeah. You bet. Then sometimes when I’m in conflict, resolving conflict Glu, we need to bring out the loud voices and the pounding [00:12:00] tables. Cause some people respond to that better than a. But at the end of the time, all of those people have something to teach me. So it’s curiosity and consistency.
It is if you’re just saying I want to have a book and all of that, and there’s tons of us authors that have boxes and boxes of our books in our garage. Don’t do that. You do it as you’re offering to the world. And as a representation of what you’re proposing. To your community, your organizations and your future.
Great.
[00:12:34] Stephen: I appreciate that. Thanks, David. I appreciate that. You wanted to read from your book a chapter for people to listen to. Yeah,
[00:12:47] David: Steven, and here’s the, I’ll give you a little bit of a background on this. This is from my very first book breakthrough the S unlocking the possible within a culture of collaboration. [00:13:00] And, and when we talk about integrity for authors, when we talk about being consistent and curious and holistic, let me say, and in embracing complexity and employing critical thinking I think storytelling really helped.
When I was writing this book and I was sending a note to the publishing houses before I landed my first publishing deal. Most of the folks said Dave, this is a business book. Get that story out of there that, business people don’t like stories, which business people you’ve been talking to now, stories are the way to touch the heart, to change minds and motivate groups.
The publisher that I did finally land on first thing their editor said, Anna said, oh, I just love that you start with a prologue titled together a forest. That is just, it sets the tone for the whole book is we can’t [00:14:00] be different at work at the quarter office or in the boardroom than we are at home or with our grandkids.
And we need to actually be humans, be vulnerable be afraid of some things that are in the world, in our community and our homes and really touch hearts as best we can. So I used my prologue together, a forest I’m still really happy about that. And if you will allow me, I’d like to read it to
[00:14:30] Stephen: you.