Your story is important. It’s your opportunity to captivate readers and deliver a message that will change their lives forever. But somehow, it's just not working. You’ve written multiple drafts and tried lots of “tips and tricks.” But time and again, readers aren’t connecting with your characters and the ideas you want to share. You want readers to care deeply about your story. You want to capture their hearts and change their minds. Whether you’re writing a mystery, romance, epic fantasy, or coming-of-age memoir, Story Grid Certified Editor Danielle Kiowski has what you need: a proven approach to construct a story arc that connects readers with your characters to deliver the message at the heart of your story. This approach is called The Five Commandments of Storytelling. And just what are the Five Commandments? Inciting Incident Turning Point Progressive Complication Crisis Climax Resolution Each commandment works with the others to create an arc that reveals character and elicits empathy. Through that connection, readers will find themselves transformed by the power of your story long after they’ve turned the final page. Kiowski doesn’t simply define the Five Commandments, she shows you precisely how they work in classic novels—including Pride and Prejudice, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and The Silence of the Lambs—and in the beloved film, It’s a Wonderful Life. “To tell your story well, you need to know what makes a story work,” says Kiowski. The Five Commandments of Storytelling is your guide to what makes a great story work. Isn’t it time to take your story to the next level and change some lives?

WHAT IS THE STORY GRID? The Story Grid is a tool developed by editor Shawn Coyne to analyze stories and provide helpful editorial comments. It's like a CT Scan that takes a photo of the global story and tells the editor or writer what is working, what is not, and what must be done to make what works better and fix what's not. The Story Grid breaks down the component parts of stories to identify the problems. And finding the problems in a story is almost as difficult as the writing of the story itself (maybe even more difficult). The Story Grid is a tool with many applications: 1. It will tell a writer if a Story ?works? or ?doesn't work. 2. It pinpoints story problems but does not emotionally abuse the writer, revealing exactly where a Story (not the person creating the Story'the Story) has failed. 3. It will tell the writer the specific work necessary to fix that Story's problems. 4. It is a tool to re-envision and resuscitate a seemingly irredeemable pile of paper stuck in an attic drawer. 5. It is a tool that can inspire an original creation.

"The Story Engine provides your with everything you need to reap the benefits of content marketing. You'll learn how to plan content marketing success early, and how to avoid common pitfalls. We will explore how to build a team to handle time-consuming parts of creation and still feel secure knowing that your content fits your unique brand. All this without breaking your budget"--Back cover.

The foolproof guide to damage control from the "masters of disaster" Whether you're a politician caught with his pants down, a publicly traded company accused of accounting improprieties, a family-owned restaurant with a lousy Yelp review or just the guy in the corner cubicle who inadvertently pushed "reply all," a crisis doesn't have to be the make-or-break moment of your career. For those of us that aren't natural spin doctors, it's hard to resist the impulse to cover your tracks, lie, or act like nothing happened. But resist you must! In Masters of Disaster, Christopher Lehane and Mark Fabiani, reveal the magic formula you need to take control when it's your turn to be sucked into the vortex of the modern spin cycle. Covering the ten commandments of damage control, and based on their work for clients like Bill Clinton, Goldman Sachs and Hollywood studios, the authors outline the strategies that can make real time news alerts, Twitter trend lines and viral videos work for you rather against you. Full of both lively personal anecdotes and hard-knuckled straight talk, this is a must-read for anyone who wants to emerge with their reputation intact.

When all has been lost, we find ourselves… Out of the ashes of destruction, a new world has arisen. The plagues of the past—the worship of greed and pursuit of power—are gone. Now, the communities that remain in this post-apocalyptic world focus on creating connections, on forging futures filled with family and love. And all with the help of hard work, hope… and a little bit of magic. Artist Matthew Sugiyama knows this well. Traveling the countryside in search of the family he lost as a child, he trades his art for supplies—and uses his honed magic to re-draw the boundaries of reality, to fashion a world that is better for those he meets. Following glimpses of visions half-seen, Matthew—and the friends he encounters along the way—will travel a path from light to darkness and back again. A road where things lost in the past can only be found in the love of the present, and the hope for the future. And he will travel this path wherever it leads. From joy to sorrow, from tears to laughter. Because Matthew is the Elemental Artist, and he knows that though dangers arise, humanity will always triumph… in a world he has painted in shades of Oil and Dust. Author Jami Farleigh invites you to meet a rich tapestry of characters, and to travel through a world that blends fantasy, laughter, coming of age, and evocative literary stylings to create a perfect escape. Fans of The Goblin Emperor, The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, The Language of Flowers, and Quarter Share will delight in this tale of humor, humanity, and the power of hope. Click “Buy Now,” to curl up with your copy of Oil and Dust today!

"A terrific and timely book that makes a compelling case for fundamentally rethinking how your business communicates. Recommended!" —Jay Baer, founder of Convince & Convert and author of Hug Your Haters "Once upon a time, storytelling was confused with talking at people. Not anymore. Shane and Joe are your narrators in a journey that will transform how you talk to other human beings to be more believable, relevant, compelling and unforgettable." —Brian Solis, experience architect, digital anthropologist, best-selling author "Shane Snow and Joe Lazauskas spend the overwhelming majority of their time thinking, writing, and theorizing about brand storytelling - so you don't have to. They're smart and they know this topic inside out (and sideways). Read their book. While I can't guarantee you'll rise to Shane and Joe's ridiculously obsessive level, you will be infinitely better prepared to tell your own brand's story. Promise!" —Rebecca Lieb, Analyst, Author & Advisor "The Contently team understands the power of story, and how to craft and spread a great narrative, like no other. In an era where brand, design, and mission are a competitive advantage for every business, Contently underscores the importance of stories and how they transform companies and industries." —Scott Belsky, Entrepreneur, Investor, & Author (Founder of Behance, bestselling author of Making Ideas Happen) "I can't think of a better way to illustrate the power of story telling than by telling great stories. This book should be required reading not just by those with content in their titles, but by anyone in Marketing AND Sales. Then, when you're done, give it to your CEO to read... but make sure you get it back, because I guarantee you'll refer to it more than once." —Shawna Dennis, Senior Marketing Leader "Neuroscience, algorithms, illustrations, personal anecdotes and good, old-fashioned empathy: This entertaining and informative tome journeys to the core of how we communicate and pushes us, as marketers and humans, to do it better, "speeding the reader through and leaving us wanting more." —Ann Hynek, VP of global content marketing at Morgan Stanley Transform your business through the power of storytelling. Content strategists Joe Lazauskas and Shane Snow offer an insider's guide to transforming your business—and all the relationships that matter to it—through the art and science of telling great stories. Smart businesses today understand the need to use stories to better connect with the people they care about. But few know how to do it well. In The Storytelling Edge, the strategy minds behind Contently, the world renowned content marketing technology company, reveal their secrets that have helped award-winning brands to build relationships with millions of advocates and customers. Join as they dive into the neuroscience of storytelling, the elements of powerful stories, and methodologies to grow businesses through engaging and accountable content. With The Storytelling Edge you will discover how leaders and workers can craft the powerful stories that not only build brands and engage customers, but also build relationships and make people care—in work and in life.