I often speak with would-be authors who have been through harrowing real life experiences and want to share them with others in a bid to perhaps steer them away from falling into the same trap. While the intention to tell their story is a very noble one and often brave too, they do not wish to offend or upset people close to them who may not have been aware of their ordeal. That STOPS you from being authentic, open, and vulnerable for your audience, which are all the qualities that make a book great. It’s the best marketing tool you could ever use, not just to build your brand, but to attract clients. Think about it—how many times have you had a problem and tried to solve it by finding a book about it?

Purple Parrot Press FRIEND I Wrote This Book About YOU: Prompted Fill In The Blank Journal For What I Love About my FRIEND. Fun to complete ( in under an hour), this book becomes a truly meaningful gift once your words are added. It was me and my partners 2 year anniversary a week ago and I bought him this alongside some other bits. At the time there was a climate where if you published too often, your work was considered to be subpar because you were obviously writing too fast. You can (and should) go through a self-editing step, but you need a professional editor to give it that final polish.Khalil Rafati, now the owner of SunLife Organics in Malibu, California, wrote a memoir, titled I Forgot to Die, about his experience with drug addiction. It sucks because the book was actually doing really well until the Red Wedding killed its momentum, and that really bums me out. If you were to sit down today and start writing randomly, without a plan, without outlining, without knowing what you’re in for, I’m telling you right now, you won’t finish that book. Inside, there’s a page for a gift message, and then the rest of the book is made up of a collection of set pages personalised with your friend’s name and your words, together with additional pages chosen by you, especially for your friend.

I would certainly recommend that anyone considering writing anonymously considers the full implications before deciding to do so. Here’s the thing: glamour doesn’t come from writing with a fancy pen, or wearing high-tech gym shorts, or designing a fun logo for your new startup. Thanks to social media, it is easier to connect the dots and when the juggernaut of a media hunt for someone begins, it is hard to get ahead of it. Be wary of anything that can even imply the identity of someone who is being accused of a wrong-doing.

The list of books that have sold 10 million copies in history is so small there’s a Wikipedia page about them. The book ended up being profiled by The New York Times and is now required reading at several addiction recovery centers.