9.6 hOW MUCh Of yOUr STOry ShOUlD BE iN yOUr BOOk? Every author struggles with how much of their personal story should be in their book. Some want to put a lot of their story in their book. Others don’t want to put any of their story in. So how much is correct? The basic answer: Your book should have enough of your story to help the reader get what they want out of the book, but nothing more. Let’s examine both mistakes authors make with their story inde- pendently, and that should make the balance clear. DON’T PUT IN TOO MUCH OF YOUR STORY This is going to sound harsh, but it’s the most important thing you’ll learn from this book (and I will repeat this many times): Your readers don’t care about you, your story, or your book. hOW MUCh Of yOUr STOry ShOUlD BE iN yOUr BOOk? · 415