Two months ago, I set out to transform my 60,000-word Personality Poker book into a Reader’s Digest version—15,000 to 20,000 words with short chapters and detailed action steps.
The content was already there. I just needed to update it, cut it down, and make it more actionable. It sounded easy, but it turned out to be far more difficult than I anticipated. The good news? The manuscript is getting close.
I got feedback from dozens of people using the Help This Book software. In addition to refining the manuscript, I also struggled with the title, subtitle, and cover. (I’ve joked about this in previous posts.)
Here’s what I learned: Keep an open mind.
Authors often think of their books as babies and don’t want to hear anything negative. I’m the opposite. I want people to rip it to shreds. I don’t want a book that I like; I want a book that readers will love.
The same is true for every aspect of the book. You can see from the images how the cover evolved. I haven’t sent it to my professional designer yet, but you can already see the evolution of the design, title, and subtitle.
The original title, You’re Not Playing with a Full Deck, was perceived as too negative and insulting. It softened to Are You Playing with a Full Deck? (and other variations) and eventually became “Playing with a Full Deck.”
The subtitle changed even more.
But the cover may have evolved the most.
Originally, I planned to stick with the style of my last two books: a dark purple background. But I realized that locking into the past might limit what I could do. Changing to a white background opened up many more options.
Where do you keep yourself locked into a belief that limits you?
I’d love to hear your thoughts.
What prevents you from seeing new and different directions that might be better?
What assumptions do you make that keep you on a path based on the past rather than one driven by the future?