“Lisa Cron is authoritative, compelling, and always worth listening to. If storytelling is important to your work in any way, Story or Die is essential reading.”

— ANDY GOODMAN, DIRECTOR, THE GOODMAN CENTER

Story isn’t just one way to persuade, it’s the way.

It’s built into the architecture of the brain, and has been since early humans gathered around the camp fire, trying to figure out how outsmart the lion next door. In Story or Die, story coach Lisa Cron decodes the power of story, first by examining how the brain processes information, translates it into narrative, and then guards it as if your life depends on it. Armed with that insight, she focuses on how to find your real target audience and then pinpoint their hidden resistance. Finally, she takes you, step-by-step, through her method for creating your own story, one that allows your audience to overcome their resistance and take up your call to action, not because you told them to (because honestly, who ever does anything because you told them to?), but because they want to.

That is the power of story. Use it wisely.

“Since ancient times (and childhood bedtime, for that matter), we’ve known that stories are humans’ most compelling force. Now, in Story or Die, Lisa Cron masterfully shows you how to turn your stories into an unstoppable force of persuasion.”

— JAY HEINRICHS, AUTHOR OF THANK YOU FOR ARGUING

“Lisa Cron has studied the science and architecture of powerful stories for decades. In Story or Die, she translates her knowledge into a compelling storytelling guide for anyone with an idea to spread or a cause to advance. If you want to change how others see the world, then this book will show you how.”

—BERNADETTE JIWA, CREATOR OF THE STORY SKILLS WORKSHOP