Here are some common ways books can serve readers: 1. Solve a Problem/Get Something They Want: This is usually the big one, and can vary across a wide range of benefits, but the point is that every reader is buying your book because they anticipate it’s going to get them something they want—so what is that thing your book will help them get? 2. Gain Knowledge/Wisdom/Information: Sometimes the reader wants to learn something from the book. Sometimes this is tied with solving a problem, but not always. Often, a reader will want to learn for many different reasons. 3. Inspire/Motivate/Empower: This is about how the readers will feel coming out of the book. You want to help them change their mindset or their emotional state. 4. New Perspective: This is not as common as the above, but still frequent. Many readers are looking for an entirely new way to see something. These four are not mutually exclusive, and some books can do all of them. In fact, if you really want to help people with your book, all four of these are just different ways to answer one core question: What transformation will the reader get from your book? This is how authors and books help people—they give them the information, skills, motivation, or perspective to change something in their life for the better. One of my favorite examples of this is Jeb White’s book. Even though it added six figures in direct sales to his business, what he’s most excited about is how disadvantaged kids used it to get into the colleges of their dreams. Another great example is Robin Farmanfarmaian. She struggled with her health for years, and her book was instrumental in helping patients in the medical field take control of their health. WhAT’S ThE (iNTANgiBlE) iMPACT Of A BOOk? · 403