The concept of transmedia and Digital Storytelling is the new Social Media.
You can't throw a Digital Marketing Strategist without hearing the words "transmedia" or "digital storytelling" before they plunk against the ground. It's an exciting time to be in Marketing, Communications and Media. It's no longer just about the big idea in advertising (more on that here: Maybe It Is Time For Marketing To Move Away From "The Big Idea"). As Henry Jenkins explained so beautifully in the brilliant book, Convergence Culture, there is a new "flow of content across multiple media platforms, the cooperation between multiple media industries, and the migratory behavior of media audiences who would go almost anywhere in search of the kinds of entertainment experiences they wanted."
Marketing needs to up its game.
The brands that win are the brands that tell a great story. When it comes to transmedia storytelling, the brands that win are the brands that tell many great stories and are able to connect them all together. One way to get better at telling great stories, comes from understanding the structure, form and ingredients of a great story.
Here are 15 books on how to create a great story (in alphabetical order and compiled with the help of friends on Facebook and Twitter):
- Accidental Genius by Mark Levy.
- A Million Miles In A Thousand Years by Donald Miller.
- A Whole New Mind by Dan Pink.
- Bird By Bird by Anne Lamott.
- Convergence Culture by Henry Jenkins.
- The Creative Habit - Twyla Tharp.
- The Elements of Persuasion: Use Storytelling to Pitch Better, Sell Faster & Win More Business by Robert Dickman and Richard Maxwell.
- Give Your Speech, Change The World by Nick Morgan.
- Made To Stick by Chip and Dan Heath.
- On Writing by Stephen King.
- The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell.
- Presentation Zen by Garr Reynolds.
- Slide:ology by Nancy Duarte.
- Story by Robert McKee.
- The Story Factor: Inspiration, Influence, and Persuasion Through the Art of Storytelling by Annette Simmons.
Which great books about storytelling are missing? Please add them below...
By
After writing this post, a couple of additional suggestions flowed in via Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. Here there are, but please feel free to keep adding to the list:
- Conversation Capital by Bertrand Cesvet, Tony Babinski & Eric Alper.
- Hamlet on the Holodeck - The Future of Narrative in Cyberspace by Janet Murray.
- The Leader's Guide to Storytelling by Stephen Denning.
Also mentioned was the classic George Orwell essay, Why I Write, which you can read online here: http://bit.ly/bPmUsF
this is the first time I have seen a prominent digital marketer quote henry jenkins -his book convergence culture was published in 2007 and is a relevant today as it was then
I consider him one of the pioneers of the digital revolution across media today his blog www.henryjenkins.org is light years ahead of any other I have read in terms of the studies of participatory and fan culture that has helped shape our modern digital media society today.good to see he is getting some of the attention he deserves at long last in different circles.transmedia story telling has been going on for a while now the matrix and lost being two classic modern examples where the story is played on many different levels across different media and together make up a whole.the future of entertainment and the story telling that is interwoven into int is a fascinating area that has implications throughout all walks of business especially digital marketing and social media today.
I read Convergence Culture right before it came out (I had an advance copy) and it simply highlighted many thoughts I had about Marketing and Advertising in such a practical and strategic way. I always questioned the concept of the "big idea" versus telling many different stories, with many big ideas, but making them appropriate for the channel in which they reside. Jenkins' book is already a classic (as far as I am concerned).
I really appreciate that you've included books (like those by Don Miller and Ann Lamott, both of whom I love) that aren't about story telling in a business context but rather about story-telling in general (and are simply excellent books to boot). To be perfectly frank I get rather tired of most business writing, so it's nice to have a few oases.
If that's the case, you can always learn more than you need to learn about storytelling from Dr. Seuss as well (not even joking). Check out, Oh, The Thinks You Can Think!
For business story telling, i love "Presenting to Win; the art of storytelling" by Jerry Weissman. Straightforward with lots of examples.
I'm a huge fan of using books on speaking and presenting as a way to learn how to tell better stories. I even Blogged a little bit about it here a while ago:
http://www.twistimage.com/blog/archives/how-to-market-yourself-as-a-speaker/
Great list, Mitch. A few late additions: John Gardner's "The Art of Fiction" and "On Becoming a Novelist" still hold up; Campbell's "The Hero With a Thousand Faces" (which informs the whole series with Bill Moyer); David Mamet's "On Directing Film"; "Show Sold Separately" by Jonathan Gray; and the entire Paris Review "Writers at Work" interview series, now available in its entirety online.
I loved that Writers At Work series. I own the paperback versions. Admittedly, it depressed me when I realized how structured and interesting most of these authors were compared to me banging out the words in my boxer shorts on the couch. Different strokes for different folks, or does that explain why they're in a book like that and why I'm still grappling with the book proposal for my next work?
All Marketers Are Liar's, which is now called All Marketers Tell Stories by Seth Godin
Great list Mitch! Here's a few more.
The Dream Society - Rolf Jensen
Power of Story - Jim Loehr
What's Your Story - Ryan Matthews and Watts Wacker
Whoever Tells the Best Story Wins - Annette Simmons (along w/the one you listed)
Storytelling for User Experience - Whitney Quesenbery and Kevin Brooks
Elements of Story - Francis Flaherty
I think I'd put Alan Weber's Rules of Thumb in there along with Seth Godin's All Marketers Are Liars (maybe most of his books?).
Also, Carl Jung's Man and His Symbols probably belongs on the list too.
Ilana and you bring up an interesting point. Authors like Seth Godin are so good at telling stories, that sometimes you don't need a book about how to tell a great story, when you can just read an author who knows how to tell a great story and get value from taking in their style, flow and content.
Both On Writing and Bird by Bird changed the way I write and construct stories and posts. I was happy to see them on your list. I've printed this out and highlighted the ones I've read and I now plan to have finished the list by the end of the year.
Thanks for this post. Maybe I'll write one of my own chronicling my journey through them.
If you come across any books to add to this list on your journey, always feel free to come back here. I tend to discover swaths of new books when reading a book on a topic I am not as familiar with.
I was too quick with the Enter key! :-)
Believe Me - Michael Margolis
Tell Me About Yourself: Storytelling to get a Job and Propel Your Career - Kathy Hansen
I just looked over at my bookshelf and can't believe I didn't list Doug Lipman's Improving Your Storytelling in those lists! If you're going to study and work with applied (organizational/business) storytelling, digital or otherwise, Doug is the one who laid the breadcrumbs for us all to follow.
Never heard of Improving Your Storytelling or Doug Lipman... heading over to check it out right now...
You won't be sorry. He's a wonderful man and it's a terrific book. Darndest thing too. His book is sitting right next to yours on my bookshelf!
Apparently, I am in fine company.
Diving into A Million Miles now, thanks for the recommendations all.
As for personal and business story telling, I've always drawn inspiration for better stories from Seth Godin's works. Particularly All Marketers are Liars.
Also on the dusting off and reading list:
Bird-by-Bird and Made to Stick.
I smell a future Blog post about Seth Godin. Something about how his ability to tell a story is also a lesson in how to tell a story. Sounds very meta when I write it down, but it feels warm in my brain.
Look forward to that possibility for sure, thanks.
"Narrative Impact: Social and Cognitive Foundations" is one of few books dealing with the nature of storytelling as a social and psychological phenomenon. It is an important book for anyone who wants to understand the uses of narrative. Somewhat uneven, not exactly a page-turner or thriller, I found it pretty riveting for a collection of academic essays. http://bit.ly/dgkztn
That's interesting: I never considered what academic books might exist (or are being used) by university, career colleges, etc... in relation to storytelling. Any other additions from that side of the fence?
Over on the Facebook page (www.facebook.com/mitchjoel), Heath Row recommended:
Digital Storytelling: Capturing Lives Creating Community by Joe Lambert.
Check out 'Squirrel Inc. - A Fable of Leadership Through Storytelling' by Stephen Denning. An interesting book that illustrates leadership through the use of stories- about squirrels!
Never heard of that one either... wow, now I have a ton to read...
I find the two Lovemarks books by Saatchi & Saatchi intriguing. They touch on brands that have managed to transcend transaction to form relationships. I think the these exceptional brand stories are told not through the edicts of their respective brand managers, but rather through the experiences of their consumers.
Martin Lindstrom said we develop affinity for a brand through our collective sensory experiences and I believe that's true. Coke isn't a replaceable 12oz of beverage; it's my high school escapades with my best friend Kirsten.
The stories I associate with the Coke brand are mine.
No argument: great brands tell great stories. I would say that these "stories" are really changing now (watch the video above). It's no longer just about a brand promise or how a brand makes you feel... it's about telling stories in various different ways and in different media.
First, I'm honored my book, "Accidental Genius," made your list. Thanks so much, Mitch (and thanks, too, to your Twitter and Facebook friends).
Second, I'd like to contribute to the list. One of the books that helped shape my storytelling abilities is Barry Tarshis's "How to Write Like a Pro." The book taught me dozens of vivid storytelling tactics. Two pop to mind:
1. If a sentence seems fuzzy, rewrite it so its most important concept appears at the end.
2. If you want readers to remember an idea, consider prefacing that idea with a sentence that primes them to pay attention. (Example: "A lot of myths surround the subject, but the one thing we can be certain about is this . . . ")
Reading these two points in the abstract might not sound inspiring. But, believe me, through the years tips like those from Barry's book have saved me countless times when I was sweating over a piece of writing.
I'm in the middle of reading your book right now. It's a really good primer for those who struggle to write and tell stories. Thanks for writing it and thanks for taking part here too.
Three more suggestions for you - the first from within the world of marketing, the other two from a different perspective, which is often a useful vantage point:
The Invisible Grail, by John Simmons - if only for the help wanted ad
On Writing Well, by William Zinsser - the classic guide to writing nonfiction
10 Rules of Writing, by Elmore Leonard.
So many books, so little time.
I'm a big Elmore Leonard fan... going to have to check that one out. Thanks for contributing.