I'm Writing a Book!
Here's what you can learn from my process
👋, I’m Kimberly. I’ve been creating obsession-worthy brands for the past fifteen years. And now, I’m giving away my secrets every week in this newsletter.
It’s true—all of these months of weekly newsletters have been leading up to an even bigger project… my first book.
Writing a book is something I’ve been wanting to do forever. I tried it once before. I made it through three chapters of a young adult novel ten years ago.
But, because so much of my day-to-day job involved writing, I couldn’t quite get into writing as a side gig too.
This time is different.
It’s a different kind of book (a business book!)
It has a different purpose (it’s very connected to my day-to-day job!)
And I’ve been following a very strict process (more on that later!)
Earlier this year, I got inspired by one of my brilliant friends who has been blogging for years.
Her name is Heidi Isern—and she writes beautifully, intelligently, and candidly about her career, life hack, mamahood and relationships.
And in 2020/21, she had a LOT going on.
She cared for and schooled her toddler
She worked at her big job as head of UX at Gap
She went through a breakup with her daughter’s father
And… she finished her novel!
The last bit stuck out. How in the world, with so much happening, had she managed to write a book?
The answer:
She got up super early everyday to write—here’s the blog she wrote about it.
When I first read this, I cringed. I had always been a night person.
And although that had forcibly changed somewhat with the birth of my son, which threw every semblance of a sleeping schedule for a loop, I still tried to get every bit of sleep he would allow me to have in the morning, as if wringing a towel to let every minute trickle out.
But writing this book was important to me. And if it worked for Heidi, it could work for me.
So, I set out to get up and write at 5AM everyday. And I have to say, after the first week, it got easy.
The trick is to do it every damn day.
Oh, and to go to bed early. I’m in bed by 10—and according to my husband, I hit the point of “useless” at 9PM (meaning that if I have to try and finish up any work-work at night, it’s bad news bears).
The 5AM method has been working great for me (thank you Heidi!).
And this week, I’m rounding the bend on fully finishing the outline for my book—and I’m about to embark on a “100 Days to Draft 1” writing schedule.
Follow along here on TikTok @unbland, where I’ll be posting daily about the writing process… and releasing one sentence a day!
My Process
Not all types of writing are the same. And just because I’d been writing brand stories for clients all these years doesn’t mean I can just jump right in and (poof!) write a book.
So, I found a proven process to follow.
I followed The Scribe Method—created by Scribe Media, the world’s #1 professional publishing company. They’ve worked with over 2,000 authors in the past seven years, including 18 New York Times and Wall Street Journal Bestsellers.
And working through their process, I found a lot of similarities to the types of things I have my brands work through.
So today, I’m giving you all a breakdown of the method, plus a peek behind my curtain (and a preview of what I’m working on!).
My Objectives
The first thing the Scribe Method has you dig into is the goals for your book, starting with a series of questions.
QUESTION #1:
How do you want your book to serve your readers? What will they get out of it?
My book will help brand founders and marketers authentically connect with today’s culturally conscious consumers and meet their raised expectations. If founders and marketers follow the framework I set out, they’ll be able to build a tribe of fiercely loyal supporters.
QUESTION #2
Imagine it’s a few years after your book had been published. What has the book helped you accomplish that made the effort worthwhile?
I’ll be making money from the thought leadership side of my business—writing books, writing my newsletter, writing for other publications, holding workshops, and speaking at events.
QUESTION #3
What’s the single event that will happen because of the book that will cause you to say, “This was all worth it!” This is the thing that will make you break out the champagne and celebrate?
The first time someone who I don’t know personally tells me that they read my book and that it changed the trajectory of their brand.
My Audience
Next, the Scribe Method has you dig into who you’re writing this book for exactly.
QUESTION #1
Who is your primary audience? Who do you want to be the hero for? Who must know about my book in order for me to get the results I want?
Brand founders and brand marketers.
QUESTION #2
Describe a typical person in your primary audience (an avatar). Who are they, what are they like, where are they in their lives?
Angela is a woman in her mid thirties. She is smart, always on top of things, and very creative. She went to Stanford undergrad and Harvard Business School, after which she started a successful career working in tech at a few of the big names in Silicon Valley (all while having a toddler!).
She’s always wanted to be an entrepreneur, and she started with a side hustle. Now, she’s gone all in—developing her own product line and starting a new brand with a mission she’s passionate about.
She wants her brand to stand out, and to grow a fiercely loyal following. She will do whatever it takes to make her brand the very best it can be.
QUESTION #3
What kinds of pains is this person experiencing because she has not read your book?
Angela hears more and more demands from her customers every day. She feels a lot of pressure to do more, to be better, and to jump into conversations about social and political issues. The weight of these high expectations is bearing down on her, and she feels unsure of how to engage.
QUESTION #4
What is the transformation this person will experience because she read my book?
She will feel confident that she knows exactly how to engage with the new consumer expectations—and fired up to take bold actions with her brand.
My Book Idea
Now, you describe the book you’re writing for this audience.
QUESTION #1
In 200 words or less, describe your book.
Will conscious consumers champion you—or cancel you?
As a brand, your instinct may be to appease conscious consumers by being soothing, amiable, and inoffensive—aka “bland.” But that would be the exact wrong strategy.
My book gives brand founders and marketers a play-by-play framework for authentically engaging with today's conscious consumers by being Unbland—nurturing meaningful conflict, having controversial conversations, and taking decisive actions.
This Unbland approach will help you differentiate your brand in the most crowded markets, create content that genuinely connects with consumers, and rally a community of value-building brand evangelists who will be loyal for life.
QUESTION #2
What’s the cocktail party pitch for your book? This is how someone who has read your book should describe it to other people.
Unbland taught me how to engage with conscious consumers. It inspired me to embrace conflict and take bold, decisive actions. I was able to create a community that not only buys my products, but advocates for my brand.
My North Star
Lastly, the Scribe Method has you connect the dots with a fill in the blank statement:
My book will attract _______ by teaching them _______, which will lead to my ultimate goal of ______.
Here is my statement:
Unbland will attract founders and brand marketers by teaching them how to authentically engage today's conscious consumers, which will lead to my ultimate goal of establishing myself as a thought leader in the branding world.
How All of This Applies to Your Brand
As I was working my way through the Scribe Method exercises above, I was struck by how similar most of them are to the exercises we go through when we’re creating your brands.
Understanding your objectives
Narrowing in on your audience and their problems
Describing your company in as few words as possible
Connecting it all in a positioning statement
Even if you’ve gone through a traditional branding process in the past, it’s worth taking a few minutes to answer all of the questions noted above now—to make sure you have all of your bases covered, and see if anything has changed.
Where to Follow My Book Journey
If you’re interested in following along as I write my book—I’ll be posting daily on TikTok @unbland about the process, and posting a new sentence everyday as I embark on a 100 day writing schedule for the first draft.
Hope to see you there!
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About Me
I help early stage founders create the kind of brands that get customers so obsessed, they’ll do your advertising for you.
Based on my experience founding my own consumer brand, I developed The Branding Sprint—a uniquely collaborative, streamlined, and agile approach to brand creation.
Click here to learn more about The Branding Sprint, or schedule a call with me.