The Bleeding Neck Play: Why Polite Books Don’t Sell
Hello there,
If There’s No Blood, There’s No Buy
If your book opens with “In today’s fast-paced world…”
…I’m sorry to say: you’re writing a mapping book for mildly curious people.
They’ll read it.
They’ll nod politely.
They’ll do absolutely nothing.
Books that sell start with urgency.
Books that convert solve bleeding neck problems.
THE BLEEDING NECK PLAY: HOW TO USE IT
Here’s how to make your book a triage tool instead of a paperweight:
- Name the wound: Call out the painful, pressing, urgent problem they’re avoiding.
- Show the consequence: Make it real: money lost, teams burned out, reputations eroded.
- Position the book: This is the field dressing – direct, fast, specific. Not a memoir.
- Use the book: Lead them to your real offer – keynote, course, diagnostic, consulting.
📌 If someone finishes your book and says, “That was interesting,” you’ve failed.
If they say, “Oh sh*t, I need to sort this now,” — you’ve won.
STRATEGY IN ACTION
One of our clients wrote a beautiful book on resilience in the workplace.
Polite. Well-structured. Completely ignorable.
We reframed it from:
“How to foster resilience”
To:
“Why your team is burning out and quitting – and how to stop the bloodbath”
Same ideas. Different wound.
Tripled advanced readers & their Book Lovers Team sign-ups.
ASSET TO BUILD: Bleeding Neck Positioning Slide
Next time you’re building a book, workshop, or sales deck, start with this 3-part slide:
This is your pitch.
This is your book intro.
This is the real reason someone hires you.
Make them feel the wound.
Then offer the bandage.
🐓 DISASTER FARM UPDATE
Spent two hours chasing a chicken out of the feed shed with a broom and a stern tone.
She didn’t need the food. She just wanted the thrill.
Reminded me of most B2B buyers.
They’re not ready because they’re comfortable – until you show them the problem they didn’t realise was bleeding all over their revenue.
🏆 AUTHOR NOTE
The authors who get shortlisted (and booked) don’t write vaguely.
They write vital.
Changing a single chapter title can unlock new corporate keynotes.
Yes! It’s that important.
COME TALK TO US ON LINKEDIN
We’re sharing exactly how to turn clever ideas into strategic assets:
- If AI does all the thinking… what happens to your brain? → https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/mental-fitness-age-ai-we-becoming-cognitive-couch-potatoes-jenkins-xpmgf/
- Drowning in great ideas? You might be in idea debt → https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/your-idea-debt-getting-worse-ai-making-faster-debbie-jenkins-qq8bf/
Pop in, say hello, or just forward them to someone who needs a book bandage.
TL;DR
- Bleeding neck problems create urgency
- Your book should be a triage tool, not just a trust exercise
- Polite books get ignored. Problem-solving books get booked
- Don’t write to be liked. Write to be needed
Next week, we’ll look at the Landmark Play. Until next time,
– Debs
Helping clever people get strategic about their books (and their chickens)
PS: Not sure if your book solves a bleeding neck problem? Send me the title and the first chapter summary. I’ll tell you if it’s triage or toast. Gently.
