Alan Cohen is a very successful public relations and communications consultant based in New York City.

He asked me to help him improve the first draft of his book, The Connection Challenge: How Executives Create Power and Possibility in the Age of Distraction.

On first read, the book showed Alan to be a smart consultant who shared useful information based on science and research.

He clearly was a smart guy.

What was missing?

His personal stories that would show him to be the kind of person you’d want to hire as your communications consultant.

I asked him to write stories that showed how he helped people as a coach.

He fought me.

“I don’t tell stories,” he said.

I used a Tony Robbins technique.

“But if you could tell stories, what story would you tell?”

Good book coaches have a bag of tricks to help clients overcome their own barriers.

Alan then told me the story of when he was head of the public relations department at Scholastic Books.

His boss told him they had just bought the rights to publish a series of books that were popular in England.

He decided to train a staff member to accompany the author on her U.S. book tour.

He could have taken on that job himself, but he was a boss who believed in delegating jobs and helping the next generation of workers move ahead.

In case you didn’t guess it, the book was Harry Potter and the author was J.K. Rowling.

Alan missed out on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to tour with the hottest author of the decade in favor of helping a young employee advance in her career.

What a great story!

What do you think of Alan?

I’d think he was a great boss, a caring individual and the kind of person I’d want to be my coach or consultant.

The fact he was a man who helped a woman probably was a bonus that would appeal to some people.

That story became the introduction to his book.

Now prospects can read a case study that highlights Alan’s best attributes.

I was happy to be Alan’s developmental editor and book coach so he could write the book of his dreams.

If you’d like to write the book of your dreams so you can have more influence and leave a lasting legacy, let’s talk.

You can set up a complimentary, no-obligation “get to know you” session with me.

I’m looking forward to working with you.