How To Make Someone Actually Want to Read Your Book

It Isn't What You Think

Hey, Revenue Writers,

How do you make someone want to read your book?

We spend so much energy on the cover, the blurb, the categories… all to win the click or the sale. But none of that matters if the reader opens the book and never makes it past page one. I was reading through some books this weekend. Books from smart friends with valuable ideas.

And I didn’t want to read them.

And that made me pause and ask…

“Why?” Because I opened the book and got hit with a massive wall of text. It was like the Berlin Wall had landed in my lap.

This is formatting gone wrong.

And yes, I’m using “formatting” in a deeper way here.

It’s not just aesthetics.

It’s strategy.
It’s copywriting.
It’s hospitality.

You’re inviting someone into your world.

The moment they walk in, they should feel like you’ve saved them a seat and poured them a drink. Instead, what they usually get is a ten-sentence paragraph shouting at them before they’ve even taken off their shoes.

Let me say this as clearly as I can… long blocks of uninterrupted text are a silent killer of good ideas.

If you want someone to read your book, not just buy it, you need to reformat how you think about the reader’s experience.

Give them space to breathe. Make your sentences snackable. Build rhythm into your writing that’s easy on the eyes and easy on the mind.

Because even though your book is a one-way conversation on the surface, the reader is talking back with every page.

The format should make space for that internal dialogue.

That’s why I teach and use a structure I learned called 1-3-1 formatting.

One sentence to open.
A bold hook.
Your appetizer.

It’s the “welcome to my thought” moment.

Then a short paragraph of three connected sentences.

That’s the main dish. The meat and two sides. Here is where you fill in the guest with your details.

They should understand your point by the end of these senteces.

Then one final sentence that leaves them with a taste to remember.

That’s the dessert.
It’s tight.
It’s respectful.

It’s how you take a reader by the hand and keep them turning pages.

And if you’re telling a fast-paced story?

\You can take those three middle lines and space them out even more.

Like I’ve been doing or like it is below.

The car exploded.
The dog bolted.
The sirens wailed.

That is still a 1-3-1

Now the rhythm does the work for you.

It builds momentum. It feels like motion. The visual cadence sets the tone of your writing.

So the next time you sit down to write or revise, ask yourself: am I building a wall or opening a door?

Because formatting isn’t about decoration. It’s about creating an experience someone wants to stay in. You want your reader to get through your book and enjoy the experience.

That’s how you get reviews and die hard fans.

Talk soon,
Chris Stanley

P.S. If you want to see a masterful book full of easy to read formatting that has other cadences and formatting than 1-3-1, check out the Exsting Market Trap by Al Ramadan & Chris Lochhead of Category Pirates 🏴‍☠️.

While I helped them with the production of that book they were obsessed with it being easy to read.

Welcoming, inviting, and although I already knew that seeing it in action at a world class level changed me forever.

See how welcome their book is!?!?