Hey There Modern Authors,
“People keep telling me I should write a book.”
It’s one of the most common things I hear.
And just as often, it’s followed by the same hesitation: But I’m not sure what kind of book I should write.
memoir? A business book? A personal growth manifesto? Something funny? Deep? Poetic?
They’re stuck. Not because they have no ideas, but because they have too many.
This week, in office hours, I spoke with a thoughtful new author facing that exact crossroads. We talked about the three core book types most Modern Authors consider:
- Thought Leadership (like Start With Why, Grit, Dare to Lead)
- Creative Nonfiction (like Eat Pray Love, Wild, The Orchid Thief)
- Memoir (like Greenlights, Becoming, Educated)
Each of those approaches works. Each has landed books on bestseller lists, launched careers, and reshaped culture.
But not all of them will work for you.
Because the goal isn’t to write a book you like.
It’s to write a book your readers love, and recommend.
If you've been told, "you should write a book," but struggle to figure out how to make it matter... then this article is for you.
The Hidden Danger of the “Me-First” Book
This challenge is something I describe as the "Me-First" book. It's not necessarily written from ego (although it can be). These books start from the author's lived experiences.
And so most people start by asking the wrong question:
“What do I want to say?”
This is the wrong question, because it makes the book about you.
The real question that unlocks traction is:
“What do my people need to hear, and how am I uniquely qualified to say it?”
This distinction is subtle. But crucial.
You can write a compelling book for yourself, and struggle to get it noticed.
Or you can write a book that solves a problem, names a feeling, or articulates an idea your readers already care about… and watch them share it, post it, and pass it around like a secret code.
Readers don’t want a book. They want a mirror. A flashlight. A roadmap.
And the best books give them just that, while still delivering your voice, your stories, and your perspective.
Candidly this is what kills more "Me-First" books before they ever finish... it reads like a gigantic manifesto or sounds like one huge humble-brag.
So how do you avoid that?
You ensure you're writing the book your readers need to read (not what you think you should write).
The 3 Core Types of Books You Could Write
Let’s unpack the three approaches. And more importantly, let’s talk about how to choose the right one for you.
1. Thought Leadership Books
Think: Adam Grant, Simon Sinek, Brene Brown
These are books built around an idea. A thesis. A clear, often repeatable framework or lens.
They’re designed to answer one big question or solve one meaningful problem, usually in a way that feels refreshing or counterintuitive.
And for the author, it usually starts out as a question they are obsessed with answering.
- Start With Why — Why some leaders inspire and others don’t.
- Give and Take — Why givers succeed more than takers.
- Atomic Habits — How tiny changes yield massive results.
- The War of Art — Why creative resistance must be overcome like a war.
These books work because:
- They’re easy to recommend
- They introduce repeatable phrases (“start with why,” “giver,” “2-minute rule”)
- They solve a defined problem with a specific philosophy or system
✅ Write this if:
- You want to coach, speak, consult, or build products
- You can clearly name the transformation you help others go through
- You like clarity, data, principles, and frameworks
- You're using this book to grow an idea to people who are open-minded, but likely never thought of this approach, idea, or system
And most importantly, if you feel like you finally figured out an approach, a system, or an answer an want to shout about it from the rooftops.
❌ Avoid this if:
- You have a winding, story-driven journey that resists distillation
- You don’t yet have a defined POV or pattern to teach
Example: Hilary DeCesare started her book as a memoir detailing her story of discovering a ponzi scheme at the company she worked at. She realized it didn't help her grow her coaching, so she pivoted into a Thought Leadership book.
2. Creative Nonfiction
Think: Cheryl Strayed, Elizabeth Gilbert, John Berendt
This genre is personal and story-driven, but rooted in fact. It uses narrative and emotion to deliver meaning, often indirectly. And the good news about it: it's been the fastest growing genre of books and the most common path from book to movie.
But it's also littered with books that readers couldn't get past page 10.
- Eat Pray Love — A travel memoir woven into personal healing
- Wild — One woman’s hike becomes a metaphor for survival
- Into the Wild — A story of one man’s search for truth
- The Devil in the White City — A braided narrative of architecture and murder
These books work because:
- They’re immersive, emotional, and memorable
- They reveal something real through the lens of personal experience
- They combine great writing with deep reflection
Write this if:
- You want to tell your story in a way that feels literary or poetic
- You’re comfortable letting the audience interpret meaning
- You want to move people emotionally as much as inform them
- And you're targeting an audience of believers (not trying to grow into a new audience or space)
❌ Avoid this if:
- You want to use the book as a business or brand-building asset
- You struggle to create a narrative arc
Example: John Savage set out to write a memoir telling his life story growing up, becoming a commercial fisherman, and finding Christ. But it was a singular moment -- the story of being lost at sea and rescued as a miracle -- was so inspiring, rich, and emotional, that it needed to be the centerpiece of the book. He pivoted from a Memoir to Creative Nonfiction and his book has since gone on to become a documentary and be featured dozens of times on the 700 Club.
3. Memoir
Think: Matthew McConaughey, Michelle Obama, Viola Davis
Memoirs are the most misunderstood genre.
They’re not just “my life story.” They’re “my story with a through-line that teaches you something.”
- Greenlights — A chaotic journey filled with surprising wisdom
- Becoming — From South Side of Chicago to the White House
- I’m Glad My Mom Died — Dark, honest, hilarious revelations from child stardom
These books work because:
- They’re vulnerable, unfiltered, and deeply personal
- They connect common emotions to uncommon experiences
- They create identity mirrors for readers who feel unseen
- They are often driven by existing fame or notoriety, and they usually require that "cult of personality" to break out
Write this if:
- You’ve lived something extraordinary and can frame it with insight
- You’re comfortable going deep and raw
- You’re not trying to sell something, but share something
- Your story or journey already has some notoriety, and bonus if you've already built an audience around that.
❌ Avoid this if:
- You’re not ready to open up fully
- You haven’t figured out the “so what?” of your story
Example: Cole Brown set out to write a series of essays about race in America. After the first four essays all centered around key moments in his live as a young black man growing up in suburban New Jersey, it was clear that his clear narrative and ability to go deep and get raw with these moments sprinkled throughout his life made it the perfect Memoir. His book would become an NAACP finalist for new author of the year, Steph Curry would make it his book of the month in his book club, and the story would be optioned as a movie.
What I Tell Every Aspiring Author
While each has their pluses and minuses, the reality is books really fail if you try to do them all or aspects of them all. You can't write a memoir for the first half of the book, then make the second half thought leadership.
The reality is you’re not writing a book about your life.
You’re writing a book that uses your life to teach, connect, or entertain others.
That’s why before you pick your category, you have to answer this:
Not what will they learn.
Not what will they feel.
What will they say?
Because that’s the thing that spreads.
The Story That Shifted It for Me
I didn’t set out to write Super Mentors.
At the time, I was teaching entrepreneurship at Georgetown, and I did something a little wild.
I hijacked the class.
Instead of startups, I had everyone write a book.
No syllabus. No textbook. Just a wild hypothesis that projects create opportunity. That by doing something visible and collaborative, students might build more than résumés—they might build relationships that change their lives.
And the strangest thing happened.
It worked.
Student after student began landing mentors, internships, investors, and book deals. Not because they were asking for help, but because the work attracted people. Because they had something to invite others into.
People kept saying, "when are you going to write the book about this?"
It was an ego stroke.
And it sent me off on a winding, confused journey.
I started documenting it. It was personal, so I wrote it like a memoir. It had data, so I added thought leadership. The stories were wild, so I leaned into creative nonfiction.
But the result?
It wasn’t clear.
It wasn’t any one thing, and so it wasn’t recommendable. Readers couldn’t tell someone what the book was about in a sentence.
It was a messy "Me-First" book and I essentially iced the book because the early feedback was rough.
Until one night I was talking with my brother Mark.
He listened. Asked questions. And finally said:
That was the lightbulb moment.
I scrapped the bits about me, added stories about others (outside of the class), focused on teaching people how they could do the same (without my class or the book), and voila, I had something not for me, but for my readers.
Each principle worked on its own. Together, they unlocked something far greater.
That’s when the book clicked.
It stopped being about my story.. Me-First.
It became a playbook for their transformation.
And that shift, from storytelling to story-sharing, is what made it spread. It turned a blurry narrative into a usable, repeatable, recommendable framework.
Could the book have been a memoir or creative nonfiction? Perhaps. But the reader didn't want to be entertained... they wanted to learn to apply this to their own life.
I figured out how to shift it from a Me-First book to a book others needed to read.
And the truth is… most great books go through that same painful pivot.
They start with you.
But they only succeed when they shift to them.
How to Figure Out What Kind of Book You Should Write
My first lesson is don't try to be all of these. You wind up with a muddled mess. (I should know).
If you’re stuck between categories, use this quick diagnostic:
1. Who is this book for?
- Executives? Creatives? Parents? Students?
- Is there a clear outcome they want?
2. How do you want this book to serve you?
- As a calling card for coaching or consulting? → Thought Leadership
- As a legacy document to capture your journey? → Memoir
- As a breakout piece of literary creativity? → Creative Nonfiction
3. Are you teaching, sharing, or reflecting?
- Teaching? → Thought Leadership
- Sharing? → Memoir
- Reflecting? → Creative Nonfiction
4. Can you test it?
- Share your idea with one person.
- 24 hours later, ask them: “What stuck?”
- That’s the seed of the version they’ll recommend to others.
Your Story Matters. But Your Positioning Matters More.
Anyone can write a book.
But not everyone writes a book that sticks.
That gets under someone’s skin.
That makes them DM a friend or highlight a page or reread the final chapter again and again.
The ones that do? They’re not just written from the author. They’re written for the reader.
So don’t obsess about style.
Don’t fixate on clever acronyms.
Get clear on:
- The problem your book solves
- The type of reader you’re serving
- The transformation you’re helping them achieve
Then choose the book type that delivers that best.
Not for you. For them.
That’s what Modern Authors do.
And that’s how you write a book that doesn’t just exist, but spreads.
Happy writing my friends, and may all of us be so fortunate that someone in our lives tell us "you need to write a book!"
Eric
Originally published in The Modern Author newsletter.
