Write a Must-Read: Craft a Book That Changes Lives—Including Your Own

| Author : AJ Harper, May 2020

What’s It All About?

What makes a book a “must-read?” Whenever I read a new book, this is a question I like to ask myself. Oftentimes, I take notes as I read. I write down my biggest takeaways, what I enjoyed about the book, and if I thought reading it was a valuable use of my time. I love to share my insights through my book reports and videos and enjoy spreading the word about books that have helped me find new ways to grow.

That’s why I was so excited to check out AJ Harper’s Write a Must Read and find out what really goes into creating the books I love. After a decade of experience as a ghostwriter for best-selling books, Harper has developed a practical system that breaks down the steps aspiring authors can follow to get started on writing their very own “must-read.”

This book is for non-fiction writers who are serious about committing to the process. If you’re looking to get a book written and published in under a year, this probably isn’t the read for you. But if you’re willing to be curious and put in the work, Harper offers fascinating, step-by-step insights on how to craft an engaging, impactful book people will want to read again and again!

Favorite Quote

“A book is not about something. A book is for someone”

Biggest Takeaway

In every moment we have with others, the greatest gift we can give is our full presence and our best attempt to connect. This is true when writing a book, too. If you want someone to read and enjoy your book, you have to put them first. One more to practice this “reader first” mindset is to really focus on creating a book that other will benefit from. To read your book, they’ll be giving up valuable time, attention, and energy. In exchange, you need to give them something they want to read.

Bonus information

As I read her book, AJ Harper’s writing helped me challenge my own thoughts and beliefs in a deep, meaningful way. If you read this book and go on your own journey to starting the process of writing a must-read, I’d love to know your thoughts!

Reviewed by: Trevor Blondeel, February 13, 2023

At Manufacturing Greatness, Trevor Blondeel works with manufacturers to connect the top to the shop floor. If you’re ready to improve your own organization, contact Trevor to learn how Manufacturing Greatness can help you build stronger leaders and develop a dynamic, high-performing workplace.

Mindfulness Manufacturing

Our show is about providing listeners with real stories that come from a place of experience, transparency, and authenticity. Most importantly it’s about what we learn from these stories and applying Mindfulness in our everyday work and personal lives.
Our intention is to create an environment where people can learn through open honest discussions on how we apply Mindfulness. Although our experiences and stories come from time in a manufacturing environment hence the title “Mindfulness Manufacturing”, we still see our discussions and topics relatable to any organization or profession.

When a mistake occurs on the plant floor, your mind might jump to one question: who caused this issue, and should I write them up for their mistake? But there’s a more productive approach you could be taking—and in this episode of Mindfulness Manufacturing, guest Dr. Jake Mazulewicz breaks it all down!

With a background as a firefighter, EMT, and military paratrooper, Jake knows the challenges of high-hazard industries, and works with organizations to reduce errors and create safer, more reliable workplace environments. In this episode, Jake shares why you can’t procedularize everything, including the way you handle errors and accidents, and offers great insights and stories about how to use connection and curiosity to improve safety, address errors, and strengthen your organization.

3:35 – Procedures and policies are the work that is imagined, and on the floor is how the work actually gets done

4:19 – The work as-done is almost always radically different than the work as-imagined

5:20 – Even when you have standards and people show up wanting to do a good job, you can still see issues that need to be addressed

6:44 – There will always be areas that absolutely need to have procedures in place

8:02 – There are also adaptive jobs, which leans less into procedures and more intro troubleshooting and tacit human knowledge

10:56 – In an ideal environment, both mechanistic and adaptive models are used and respected and needed

12:11 – There are four levels, ranging from strict procedurals to looser guidelines that show what to do, but not how to do it

15:36 – Tacit knowledge gets shared through conversations

16:22 – A way to share important information is to have frontline experts record videos sharing their insights to problems, especially those that are not covered in procedures

19:44 – Through conversation and connection, more knowledge is shared

21:58 – Debriefing also plays a central role

23:45 – If you have strong discipline, you’ll find more freedom

25:31 – In most situations, errors are signals, not defects

27:07 – When an error occurs, be curious and find the deeper cause of the problem

Connect with Jake Mazulewicz

Find him on Linkedin

Visit his website