24 You Have a Book in You more than combinations of letters on a page. If you do your job well, you can really come alive for your audience in a mysterious, magical, memorable, and almost mysti- cal way. You will live as a person in the reader’s mind. 吀栀is has to be done carefully, however. It’s not just a matter of pasting your bio or résumé onto the page. 吀栀e reader should learn about you over the course of the entire book—a little here and a little there. It all adds up to knowing you through the experiences you share, respecting you, and (most importantly) liking you. Look at the advertisements that major publishers run in book reviews for their new releases. What do you notice about the pictures of the authors in the ads? 吀栀ey look like people you’d want to hang out with—people with whom it would be fun to share a meal or a beer. What you feel when you look at those pictures is exactly what you want your readers to feel as they read your book. 吀栀e Fourth Absolute Essential: Action Steps for the Reader 吀栀e word takeaway should be in the forefront of every writer’s mind. What do you want your readers to take with them and use in their everyday lives after they’ve read your book? You want to cause instant behavioral change. One great example is from my friend Je昀昀 Ho昀昀man, serial entrepreneur, author, 昀椀lmmaker, Grammy Award