RecomMONDAYtions ~ 2026.09.28
Podcast (The Story Power Marketing Show)
How To Write A Book You Don’t Have Time To Write (with Jamie Dykstra)
Jamie Dykstra is a nonfiction ghostwriter and book coach. She works with executives and entrepreneurs who have “so many thoughts” and helps them shape those thoughts into one clear message and a book they can stand behind.
Her advice is to stop writing for Amazon sales and write for what the book can do for your business: new clients, credibility, and speaking invitations. We talk about the “road mapping” session she runs before anyone writes a word. We also cover the process she borrowed from her years in finance and project management, how she keeps a book sounding like the author and not like her, and why handing the job to AI leaves out your strategy and your voice.
If you’ve been putting off your book because you don’t know where to start, this is your first step.
DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE
~01:51 — Finding Your Core Message
~03:25 — Why Write a Book
~07:18 — Roadmap Before You Write
~09:07 — Process Driven Writing
~14:56 — Ghostwriting Is Still You
~17:08 — Why AI Falls Short
~20:03 — When to Hire Help
~22:55 — Ghostwriting Timeline
~26:51 — Where to Find Jamie
~27:58 — Final Thoughts and Outro
LISTEN ON: Apple | Spotify | Amazon
Recommended Reading
Being Known Isn’t Being Booked
You have the book. The podcast. The speaking gigs. And your calendar still has open weeks you can’t explain.
Dr. Theresa Pantanella says being known and being booked “run on two separate machines.” Most experts have free content at the bottom of their offer ladder and a big-ticket engagement at the top, with nothing in between that a follower can say a small yes to. Her line: “Nobody jumps a cliff.”
Her fix is to build one middle rung out of IP you already own, like a paid workshop or a diagnostic. If your book is getting you attention but not clients, start here.
Read: Being Known Isn’t Being Booked
How ‘Addition Bias’ Is Holding Back Your Company
My friend Matt Homan sent me this one.
In this excerpt from The Friction Project, Stanford’s Bob Sutton explains that when we fix a problem, we add something: another meeting, another app, another rule. We almost never take something away. He cites one study where the best answer was to remove a LEGO brick. Most people added bricks anyway, even though each one cost them money.
Read it, then look at your own business and ask the harder question. What can I get rid of?
Read: How ‘Addition Bias’ Is Holding Back Your Company
Consider the AI Tear Down
Last week the Marketoonist warned about AI workslop. This week Seth Godin has a better use for the tool: ask it to write the harshest review of your work.
It stings less because the critic is a parody, not a person. You’ll still find some truth in it. And you’ll be reminded that some people can’t be pleased no matter what. Try it on your next launch page before a real critic gets there.
Read: Consider the AI Tear Down
Recommended Viewing
5 Ways to Reduce Customer Churn
Shep Hyken says churn is the real problem, and bad service is just the symptom. The big idea here is simple: measure churn. Stop guessing at it.
Thanks to my friend Jonathan Jones for the recommendation.
Watch: 5 Ways to Reduce Customer Churn
Words to Ponder
“Wonder what your customer really wants? Ask. Don’t tell.”
— Lisa Stone
Don't go away yet..
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