Tyler WagnerFounder, Authorsunite.com · Authorsunite.com and Partnerprofits.io Founder - #1 WSJ Bestselling Author - Book Publisher - Book Marketer - 4,000+ Authors Served - Millions Of Books Sold By Clients - Investor

B. Jeffrey Madoff: Tactical or Story? | The Tyler Wagner Show

Name: B. Jeffrey Madoff: Tactical or Story? | The Tyler Wagner Show
Uploaded: 2022-08-16T16:45:15+00:00
Duration: 55 s
Channel: Tyler Wagner
Description: In this interview segment from The Tyler Wagner Show, host (Speaker A) asks B. Jeffrey Madoff about the ideal balance between storytelling and tactical…

16 Aug 2022 · 1 min

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In this interview segment from The Tyler Wagner Show, host (Speaker A) asks B. Jeffrey Madoff about the ideal balance between storytelling and tactical guidance in nonfiction business writing. Madoff argues that story and tactics are not separate; effective stories naturally embed tactical choices. He illustrates his point with classic tales like The Three Little Pigs, Goldilocks, and James Bond movies, showing how each narrative contains strategic decisions (e.g., building materials, temperature preferences, defeating villains). Madoff emphasizes that a nonfiction business book should prioritize story—about 95%—with tactics woven in, making the content engaging rather than a dry instruction manual. The host concurs, noting that pure tactics feel boring while pure story lacks actionable steps, and agrees that focusing on story inevitably includes tactics.

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how much of it should be like tactical and then how much of it should be story? And my response is always like, I think it should really be like 95% story with like tactics, like, or like, or values sprinkled in. And I like the way you said your book set up with like action steps, like at the end of each chapter, like journal. So like, what are your, what are your thoughts on that? Like, do you think story above all, or in some cases like tactic before story, if that makes— you see what I'm trying to ask?
I do, and I don't see them as two separate things. Okay, yeah. You know, so let's take a really simple story, you know, uh, you take the Three Little Pigs, okay? So there was a tactical approach to ward off the wolf, right?
You know, pardon? Beautiful example, I said. Go ahead.
Sorry, you know, uh, and well, I think because— and again, by the way, I'm I'm using a story to explain a tactic. And the Three Little Pigs, you know, one builds a house out of hay, the other one builds it out of I don't remember what, and the other one builds it out of bricks, which is the one that stands up to it. So there were three different kinds of things that were done. And if you look at stories of that, or like Goldilocks, where this is too cold, this is too hot, this is just right, these are all tactical choices. So I think that, you know, a James Bond movie is all great story with the tactics of how do they defeat the bad guy who's going to take over the world. So I think that good stories and tactics are hand in glove. So if you're writing a nonfiction book about business and you can illustrate it with a good story, and so it becomes tactical because otherwise, it's dry and boring. You're not writing an instruction manual. You know, you're trying to engage people and you engage them with story. And if you are effective in your writing, those strategies, those tactics are embedded in it. That makes sense?
It does, 100%. Yeah, I think because the opposite, or not the opposite, but I had always separated them because in my mind, like if it's only tactic, that's boring. And then if it's only story, that's not boring, but then there's no necessarily actionable step. But essentially what you're saying, in fact, in most cases, I'd say if you focus on story, inevitably tactic is within the story. Exactly.