A Reading Experiment: The Pipeline I’m Playing With to Add Interactivity and Intention to Non-Fiction Books
Problems I Want to Solve — Fear of Book Commitment
How to test if a book will resonate before spending any money?
How to make relevant information stickier?
Overall Prediction — Intention to Retention
By identifying an author’s core ideas I can identify exactly what problem they’re trying to solve, whether it’s a problem that I should prioritize over other areas of my life right now, and whether the author’s approach and voice resonate with me.
And by interacting with their ideas through multiple mediums and activities, I can increase their real estate in my brain. Which will strengthen the information I absorb.
1. Interviews | TED Talks
Do a quick deep dive into their podcast conversations, TED Talks, written interviews, etc.
By starting off with a non-committal interest assessment, I predict I’ll be able to quickly assess whether a book is likely to currently resonate with me.
2. 50 Questions
Brainstorm 50 questions you’d want to ask the author or that you’d hope to find answers to in their book.
Usually, I enter books with a treasure hunt mentality — I allow the author to draw a map and I make it my goal to find the gold nuggets of information.
By asking 50 questions, I’ll be adopting a scavenger hunt mentality — I enter with intention by having a list of items I hope to uncover. Intention to hone awareness.
3. Book Summaries
Check out some book summaries. Usually my goal when reading non-fiction is to come out the other side new and improved. I predict that by using book summaries, I’ll be able to assess the likelihood that the book will answer my burning questions.
4. Audiobook | E-Book
Buy the audiobook or e-book. By this point, I’ve already vetted that the book’s ideas are relevant to my current life, that its tone resonates, and that it will likely satisfy my main goals. So time for a full deep dive.
5. Physical Book
If it turns out to be one of the best books I’ve read, then I’ll consider buying the physical copy.