Find Your North Star: the book positioning tool
A short guided exercise that turns three hard questions (what is the book for, who is it for, what is it about) into one sentence you can steer the whole book by. It is the interactive version of chapter 9 of The Scribe Method.
- What it is
- A three-step web tool that builds your book's North Star sentence.
- Format
- Interactive, in the browser. Works on a phone.
- Length
- Three steps. Each has three thinking prompts and one line to write. One sitting.
- What it asks
- First name and email before it shows the finished sentence and notes. Phone is optional and only if you want a coach to call.
What it does
Most first-time authors start with a topic. The tool makes you start with a result. It asks you, in order:
- Your objectives. What should the book do for readers, and what should be different in your work a year after launch? You can tick the outcomes that fit (clients, speaking, authority, investment, book sales, a legacy) and then finish the line "my ultimate goal is more..."
- Your audience. Picture one person, not a demographic. What moment are they in when they pick up the book, and what are they afraid of? Then describe that reader in one line.
- Your book idea. What can only you give this reader, how will you share it, and what can they do after reading that they could not do before? Then state the promise in one line.
As you answer, a sentence titled "Your North Star, taking shape" fills in on screen, following the template from the book: "I will use my book to target [audience], by teaching them [idea], which will lead to my ultimate goal of [objectives]." Each step also lets you see a weak answer next to a strong one, which is the most useful part of the tool. Seeing "small business owners who want to grow" next to a sharp, specific reader makes the difference obvious.
Who it is for
Anyone with a book idea who cannot yet say, in one breath, who the book is for and what it is meant to do. That is most people at the start. It is especially useful if you keep describing your book as "my story" or "everything I have learned," because the tool will push back on exactly those phrases.
It is less useful if you already have a clear reader and goal and a working outline. You have done this work; go write.
What you come away with
- One North Star sentence you can copy and keep.
- A fuller snapshot of your answers, which you can also copy.
- Clearer answers to three questions every later decision depends on: what goes in, what gets cut, what the title promises, who you ask for blurbs.
What it asks of you
The thinking is the real cost. Expect to stop and rewrite your audience line more than once. On the last screen, the tool asks for your first name and a valid email before it shows the finished sentence and notes. Phone is optional. Entering your email puts you in touch with Scribe, which sells book coaching and writing services, and the final screen links to Scribe's paid outlining service. If you would rather not give an email, the same exercise is written out in full, free, in chapter 9 of The Scribe Method, with four worked examples.
How to get the most from it
- Read chapters 6 to 8 first. The tool is short; the chapters on objectives, audience and idea give you the reasoning behind each prompt.
- Name a real person. If a specific client or reader comes to mind, describe them. You can generalize later.
- Use the weak and strong examples as a test. If your line sounds more like the weak one, keep going.
- Do it twice. Run it once now and again a week later. If the two sentences differ a lot, your idea is still moving, which is normal and worth knowing before you outline.
- Say it to someone in your audience. If they lean in, you are close. If they nod politely, revise.
Its honest limits
- The feedback is automatic. It looks for vague words (like "everyone," "my journey," "make an impact") and short answers. It does not read for meaning, and it cannot tell you whether your idea is any good, only whether it is specific.
- It covers positioning only. It does not help with an outline, a title or a plan to write.
- The email step comes at the end, after you have done the work, which can feel like a surprise. Now you know.
Before and after
Before: Part 2 of The Scribe Method. If you are still unsure a book makes sense for your work, the Book ROI Calculator or the webinar may come first.
After: chapter 10, Create your book outline. Keep the North Star sentence at the top of your outline document. The plan your book path shows the full order.