Have something to share? This helps you create the story.
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Made to Stick is one of five books I name when asked for books with meaningful, time-tested knowledge to share.  Part instruction on the 'how' of storytelling and part explanation of 'why' the story works, this is a great book for anyone who has something compelling to share with the world and wants their story to matter.
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Do you have something to say, but struggle with how to say it? Or maybe the issue is finding your audience. You know they're out there, right? People who share your concerns and passions. People ready to hear what you have to say, but more than that-people who are willing to open dialogue with you. Have a conversation. Learn from each other.

This is the point I'm at. I've determined the steps I need to take in focusing my blog and website on its new purpose. Now it's a matter of learning how to build a platform so that I can reach the audience I want to share with.

Enter PLATFORM Get Noticed in a Noisy World: A Step-by-Step Guide for Anyone with Something to Say or Sell. During its release week last May, the author offered a sweet package for those who ordered the hardcover. I jumped on it and listened to the entire book via mp3 several times before the physical book arrived. There are five main steps to platform building:

1. Start with Wow. This should be a no-brainer, but maybe it isn't. Either way, it's certainly the foundation to a platform. If you don't have a WOW product (book?), it will be hard to create a solid platform on top of it.

2. Prepare to Launch. In this section Hyatt talks about accepting personal responsibility, defining goals, creating branding, etc. Although this isn't the largest of the five sections, it's got a lot of practical information in it.

3. Build Your Home Base. This section focuses on the one place on the internet you own: your website and blog. Hyatt gives solid reasons why your blog should be at YourOwnName. You can't control anywhere else, so you need to solidify your efforts to your home base. He likens Facebook, guest blogging, etc, to embassies-a presence you've been invited to have on foreign soil, knowing they can change the rules at any time and kick you off.

Anyway, this section talks a lot about the hows and whys of blogging, with some information about the rest of your website as well, such as your "about" page.

4. Expand Your Reach. This relates to reaching out from your home base to find blog subscribers, Twitter followers, and Facebook fans. Hyatt is a great believer in Twitter, so a good chunk of this section has tips for this form of social media. While I don't love Twitter any more than I used to, he does provide some solid ideas.

5. Engage Your Tribe. Now that we (presumably) have all the pieces in place, Hyatt gives advice for keeping our new readers/followers/fans engaged and promoting us to their friends and contacts.

While he tries to make a case for "if he can do it, anyone can," this didn't ring true in my mind. Most of us are complete unknowns, not (former) CEOs of major publishing houses. Most of us don't have the budget to throw at our websites the way Hyatt apparently does. ($1000 per month? Beyond my comprehension.)

So, in my opinion, you need to take some of it with a grain of salt. A lot of his advice can be scaled back to a normal budget of paying for URL and hosting then using a free theme and plugins. Mine may not be as fancy as his, but honestly I don't see an expensive site when I go to MichaelHyatt.com. I doubt the average visitor is impressed by the bells and whistles. I could be wrong. My lack of judgment on the subject may be holding me back from having as effective a platform as Hyatt, who knows?

With all that in mind, I still think this book is a good buy and worth going through slowly and repeatedly. I'm sure I am getting way more than $15.36 value out of it. If you're trying to find your way to a more solid platform, I recommend this book.
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If you can read, you too can make one of these! Don't just depend on this alone!
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If you know the story, then there is no surprise but the illustration really allows you to be involved with the story.
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If you want to write a short story for books like "Chicken Soup" then this book is for you. It  gives step by step instructions of what to put in your story from the grabber at the beginning to changing scenes in the middle to a great take away at the end. This book will help you to sell more stories.
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As a storyteller, performing and teaching artist, I enjoyed how the author shared secrets on storytelling, development and writing. The book was very informative for the artist as business owner and a business owner who desires to develop a creative marketing plans as an artist with the use of story. Koorhan's information on how corporations can be more creative, and the use of creative storytelling can evolve into a unique brand that engages clients. I found it very useful in my line of work for also developing personal stories.
In these days of instant hype and commercialism, for one to actually learn how your own simple and straightforward story can connect with customers, is refreshing. I enjoyed the list of character archetypes and found bits and pieces of myself in all of them. I will recommend this book to my storytelling collective and hopes it will assist in their development as storytellers. As for me, So now its time to give the handbook a shot to see how I'll measure with the actions suggested to full fill my destiny. Thanks Mr. Koorhan for giving us a sweet short cut to the journey.
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Paul Betit wants to tell you a story. Well, actually, a bunch of stories. And he does just that in his new book, Let Me Tell A Story, published by BeeMan Books in Brunswick.

If you haven't read Pauls three novels, you should. They are very good. But it turns out he can write nonfiction too. Well, sort of.
Paul says his new book is a mix of short fiction and memoir. He told me, This book is a big departure from the books I have published in the past. Its more personal and, I think, much more literary. Basically, the book is about growing up and growing old.

It is all of that, a relatively short (116 pages) trip through Pauls interesting life. I would love to know what is fact and what is fiction, but part of the fun is trying to figure that out.

And yes, the book is a lot of fun, filled with compelling stories of growing up and traveling in Maine, attending school, getting his first kiss from a girl, serving in the Vietnam War where he wrote his fianc&eacute; and called off their wedding, falling in love with a girl in TaiPai, coming home to become a radio DJ, attending his mothers funeral, becoming a newspaper reporter and reporting from Taiwan, and moving into old age with weekly walks along the river in Brunswick with his wife.

Theres more to the stories than this, but you get the idea. This is, for sure, an autobiography, apparently with some exaggeration. But the stories all seemed real to me.

All of the stories are based on incidents that occurred in my own life, Paul told me. However, Ive taken poetic license (in fact, I had to apply for a new one) in how these incidents were portrayed.

Paul was a newspaper sports reporter for more than 40 years. Yup, hes done a lot of great writing in his lifetime! And you can add Let Me Tell A Story to that long list of great columns and books.
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Not as many know the name of Tim Parks; but they should - and his shorter fiction appears here in TALKING ABOUT IT to reach newcomers and old fans alike. This gathers his shorter works under one cover for the first time and adds new stories written just for TALKING ABOUT IT: from long-time friendships and events to newfound revelations about living well, TALKING ABOUT IT offers many satisfying scenarios.
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Awesome story telling dice. I use them in my classroom to tell and change stories. Could be great in centers or small groups.
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A great, short outline on how to tell a story in a powerful way. Everyone planning on doing a speech, or simply trying to make a point to one or more people, should read this booklet.
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This was well written. I plan on sharing it with others who may have to do this to make ends meet.
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This book describes the journey you go through to write a book.  It covers both the practical and the personal aspects of how to get yourself to write, determining your audience and message, and publishing options.  She weaves in some good stories about herself and others who have gone through her system.  Throughout, there is encouragement for the writer in you to go for it.
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Descriptions written in away to easily visualize the story .
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I'm a librarian, and I want to give a shout-out for this book, for business, nonprofits and for public library purchase, but also for individuals with a cause, be they artists, activists or advocates. The authors' main point is that to advocate for anything, you need to know how to tell your story, in support of your cause or position. Why is this important? Think about all the times on TV, Facebook, YouTube, the news, and in entertainment where people tell their stories. We glaze over when we hear dry facts; but when the story begins, our ears perk up. It's part of how humans are wired; we connect deeply to stories. They're one of the fundamental ways of communicating, which makes them essential for success in fundraising, promotion and business.

But where can you get trained in how to tell your story? And how do you make sure your story conveys the message you want your audience to hear? That's what this book does for you. What I liked was that it covers both how to hone your story, (building it up from the message it tells), while also coaching you on the skills you need to present your story- everything from how to dress for media to public speaking tips.

As non-profits, businesses and small businesses are forced to re-image themselves for a virtual world, telling their stories is of prime importance. Whether you turn to this volume for some quick advice, or use it to coach you through the entire process, you'll come away smarter at how your story can help you advocate towards your goal.
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This was an easy read with attainable goals and clever tips for adding humor to presentations. We are starting to do a ton of presentations for our business so this came at a good time. I don't see myself as a funny person, and I am often presenting to a corporate audience, but the ebook helped me realize that story telling is a great way of connecting. Story telling is something I am comfortable with (and can be a great way to add humor), so I have incorporated more of it in to my presentations. I think anyone who gives presentations will find the ebook useful.
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Sometimes the best stories come from people without a major publisher backing them.  There are quite a few of those stories here.
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Framed in a story of the authors creation, Philip Martin sets off to do what all good mentors teachshow, not tellin this case, authors, how to create a good story that enchants.

Story should rise above narrative, Martin writes; more than groups of words, more than a series of events. It is also an art form. Quoting liberally from ancient to modern works, Martin employs his background as a professional gatherer of stories and histories to show how story works across culture and time to draw listeners in to a communal experience. Writers are more than purveyors of phrases. Writers offer a promise and provide the worthwhile payoff.

As an experienced editor of writers advice books, a former editor for best-selling mainstream authors, and the director of Great Lakes Literary, Martin shares his advice and technique for creating memorable works that hopefully attract an agent or editor. He takes a three-pronged approach, and so this book is divided into sections: start with a quirky hook; keep the middle more than readable by using delicious details, and finally, provide a satisfying ending.

Martin is not a fan of Plot. Plot, as a mechanism for writing a book, will make your workmechanical. Contrived. Agenda-driven. Unimaginative. I believe his emphatic dissing of the term throughout the book is more a rebellion of the idea of plot, an issue of interpretation. After all, experienced authors are familiar with the idea of a novel being plot-driven, as in genre work, or character-driven, as more often describes non-specified fiction, aka literary work. No real matter, as Martin does make allowance for necessary underpinning of a story, whether compared to a sensual meal or a spider web. Plot is simply structure, whether an author uses it for a flexible framework, or discovers it after the story is complete. Structure works to create a commonly understood or shared experience. Too many authors use plot as a controlled formula, which Martin insists must be avoided.

Whether cyclic or arced or linear, a story has a beginning, middle, and an end. Its the promise of a fine meal promised and fulfilled. Start with a desire or a want. Bait your hook with enticing morsels. Help the reader invest, establish resonating characters in intriguing environments. Give them a problem to work on. Create anticipation; offer satisfying surprises. Delightful details keep the readers interest and should build upon the premise. Detail should triumph plot, Martin says. Even while he dismisses Plot, Martin embraces Theme. Theme should tell you what the ending should deal with, he writes. Dont try to find it until you're well into your story. Theme is a message that answers why the story is important. The end of your tale should let the reader know this journey has been worthwhile, that he has returned better for having taken it with you, the story teller.

The book is well written with an easy-to-appreciate style. As mentioned above, he spins a story to show us how to create interesting characters with interesting problems who need interesting solutions to achieve desired outcomes. Martin also shares examples from well-known work to exemplify his points. While geared specifically with writers in mind, those who practice verbal story-telling would certainly benefit from reading and studying Writing Your Best Story. The premises and examples Martin lays out in the book apply to all kinds of writing from short story to full length novel, even on a certain level to non-fiction.