How to Start Writing a Book the Joshua Lisec Way — Daily Persuasion with Joshua Lisec Ep. 298

Would you like to write a persuasive BOOK? One that changes minds and influencers behavior for years to come? Start with a GOLDEN book idea. Let NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Joshua Lisec teach you: https://lisecghostwriting.com/golden

ABOUT TODAY'S EPISODE:

What if the reason most books fail isn’t because the author can’t write—but because the author never understood why people actually buy books in the first place?

In Episode 298 of Daily Persuasion with Joshua Lisec, “How to Start Writing a Book the Joshua Lisec Way,” Lisec breaks down the surprising truth behind successful authorship. Featured recently in The Observer and The Guardian, Lisec is not only a New York Times bestselling ghostwriter of more than 100 books—he’s also a professional hypnotist and persuasion expert. In this episode, he shares the exact method he uses to teach clients how to start writing a book that both honors their legacy and resonates with readers.

The starting point is deceptively simple: ask not why do writers write, but why do readers buy. Most aspiring authors focus only on self-expression, while neglecting what Lisec calls the jobs to be done theory (JTBD). Readers buy books to get jobs done—functional jobs (to solve a problem), emotional value (to feel or stop feeling something), and financial value (to save or make money, or save time). If you want to know how to start writing a book that truly sells, you must align your story with the jobs readers already need to accomplish.

Lisec introduces the memoir mashup, a model that fuses personal storytelling with practical guidance. It’s not enough to write “here’s my life story.” Instead, successful self-help books combine memoir with “how-to” elements, showing readers here’s how I did it, and here’s how you can too.
This memoir mashup delivers a value stack that blends functional, emotional, and financial results. As Lisec emphasizes, people don’t just want to read your story; they want to know how your experience helps them achieve their own goals.

Drawing on The Guardian and The Observer profiles about his ghostwriting career, Lisec explains that every book is really two products: the one the author writes for themselves, and the one readers buy for their needs.
Understanding this duality is key to mastering how to start writing a book that matters. By applying the jobs to be done theory, you’ll uncover exactly how to position your book so it attracts readers, agents, and publishers alike.

Lisec also connects this lesson to the world of persuasion. Just as advertisers use persuasion techniques and examples of persuasion in advertising to influence consumer behavior, writers can use persuasive techniques and techniques of persuasion in writing to guide readers into engaging with their story. These tools aren’t manipulative—they’re ethical strategies rooted in persuasion psychology. Understanding how to frame your book’s functional value, emotional value, and financial value is essentially learning how to persuade someone to do something—in this case, choosing your book over countless others.

To illustrate, Lisec references author Thomas J. Miller and his book Call Your Shots. Miller’s framework highlights how to design a book around a clear value stack, ensuring that each promise made to readers connects with a tangible outcome. Combined with Lisec’s memoir mashup approach, this strategy transforms personal narratives into commercially viable books that satisfy readers’ deepest motivations.

Throughout Daily Persuasion with Joshua Lisec Ep. 298, you’ll discover:
• Why asking why do writers write is less important than asking why readers buy.
• How the jobs to be done theory explains the success of best-selling self-help books.
• What a memoir mashup is and why it’s essential for anyone who wants their story to be read.
• How to craft a compelling value stack with functional value, emotional value, and financial value.
• Real-world persuasion examples and persuasion techniques you can borrow to make your writing unforgettable.

By the end of this episode, you’ll not only know how to start writing a book the Joshua Lisec way, but you’ll also understand the deeper psychology that makes people turn pages, recommend your work, and keep coming back for more.

📖 Watch Daily Persuasion with Joshua Lisec Ep. 298: “How to Start Writing a Book the Joshua Lisec Way.” If you’ve ever dreamed of telling your story, leaving a legacy, and reaching readers who care, this is the blueprint you’ve been waiting for.