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Define a few measures and interpret them alongside reader feedback and uncertainty.
You already explain your best ideas to clients, colleagues, and audiences. Join Mike Giannulis, founder of Dictate, for practical 10- to 15-minute episodes on turning that spoken expertise into a published book through conversations with an AI interviewer. Each episode gives experts, coaches, and business owners one clear step to capture their ideas, shape their message, and move their book forward.
Episodes of this show are narrated by an AI-generated voice.
A sales count, a reader question, and a new inquiry tell you different things. Today we will choose a few measures and learn how to interpret them without jumping to conclusions.
Welcome to Talk Your Book Into Existence with Mike Giannulis, founder of Dictate. Learn how to turn the ideas you already share out loud into a published book, one conversation at a time. Today, you will leave with one practical step you can use on your own book.
A quick note before we begin: this episode is narrated by an AI-generated voice.
Separate Actions, Responses, and Assumptions.
Before tracking results, decide what you want to learn. Early numbers can be useful, but a short observation period gives you only a limited view. A count becomes more meaningful when you know what it counts, where it came from, and which question it helps answer.
Suppose you see an increase in purchases during a launch announcement and fewer purchases the following week. That describes a change. It does not, by itself, tell you whether the book is succeeding or failing. Compare the periods carefully: what did you share, who could see it, and what else changed? Avoid treating one visible number as a complete account of the book’s usefulness.
The reverse problem is just as real. Let's say you land a new consulting client in month two. You assume it was the book. Maybe it was. Or maybe that client found you the same way clients always found you, through a referral or a conversation at an event, and the book had nothing to do with it. If you credit the book for every good thing that happens, you'll eventually run a broken feedback loop. You'll stop asking the harder question, which is whether the book is actually reaching the people it was written for.
Separate your activities from observed responses. Then keep a third space for your interpretation. What you did, what happened afterward, and what you think caused it are related, but they are not interchangeable.
For this review, activity means actions you can record directly. You shared an excerpt, sent an invited copy, pitched a relevant podcast, or held a conversation about the book. Define the unit before counting it. Five messages to one person and five conversations with different readers are different activities, even though both could appear as five in a spreadsheet.
Responses include a reader asking about a chapter, a colleague passing the book along, or a host inviting you to discuss an idea. Record the specific response and what the person actually said. A mention shows awareness. A description of applying an exercise suggests use. Neither automatically establishes a business result or proves that the book was the only influence.
You can schedule an action, but another person’s response remains uncertain. Use goals to guide effort while keeping actual observations separate from hoped-for results. If an activity does not produce the expected response, examine the evidence before concluding that either the book or the reader is the problem.
Imagine a spreadsheet that projects steadily increasing revenue every month after publication. That is a scenario, not an observation. If you use a forecast, label its assumptions and compare them with actual results and costs. Do not credit the book with every new inquiry simply because it arrived after launch. Ask how people found you and allow for several contributing sources.
Start with a short list of observations connected to your purpose. If the goal is reader learning, sales alone will not show what readers understood. If sales are a goal, they still belong in the review. The point is not to dismiss visible numbers as vanity; it is to understand what each number can and cannot tell you.
Record a baseline when you can. If the book is already live, start with what you know today and label any missing history. Do not reconstruct uncertain numbers as though you measured them. Use consistent definitions and time periods so later comparisons are fair. A baseline helps, but it does not turn an observational comparison into proof of causation.
If you want to work through this process in more detail, my book, Talk Your Book Into Existence, is at startdictate.com/talk-your-book. The link is also in the episode notes.
Choose Measures You Can Define and Review.
Let me give you something concrete to work with, because the principle without the structure isn't useful.
A manageable starting point is three measures. That is a practical constraint, not a special number that fits every project. Choose a small set you can maintain and explain. If you add a measure, know which decision it will support. More rows are not necessarily more insight, but an oversimplified count can also hide something important.
Include at least one activity measure and one response measure. Write a definition beside each. Decide what counts, what does not, and how you will record an uncertain case. You can improve those definitions later, but note the change so you do not compare unlike counts without realizing it.
Bad activity measure: I am promoting the book. That tells you nothing. Good activity measure: The number of times I shared something from the book directly with a specific person, in a conversation, an email, or a message. You can count that. You know whether it happened.
Bad outcome measure: The book is getting traction. Good outcome measure: The number of inbound conversations this month where someone mentioned the book or a concept from it before I did. That's a real data point. Either it happened or it didn't.
Your third measure can be a signal specific to your situation. If your primary goal is speaking engagements, track the number of organizers you pitched and how many responded. If your primary goal is warmer prospect conversations, track whether prospects are arriving having read any of the book and note what they reference. If your primary goal is positioning with existing clients, track how often the book comes up in client conversations without you introducing it.
Connect each measure to the intended reader and purpose. A speaking invitation may matter to one author, while another wants evidence that readers can use an exercise. Results can vary with the book, audience, distribution, and other circumstances. Your measures should help you make a decision rather than simply confirm a preferred story.
Leave room for delayed responses without using delay as an excuse to continue indefinitely. A recorded interview may be published later, and someone may read a book weeks after receiving it. Note those timing differences. Set a review date and a reasonable limit on the time or money you are willing to devote to an activity before reassessing it.
Choose a review schedule that fits the activity. A brief weekly log can preserve details, while a monthly or quarterly review can compare a longer period. Neither interval guarantees a reliable pattern. Look at the volume of observations, changes in reach, and other explanations. A small change based on two responses deserves different confidence from a repeated pattern across many comparable attempts.
Use the record to consider what to stop or change. If a channel has no observed downstream response, check whether you could realistically detect one. Missing attribution is not the same as proof of no effect. Even with uncertainty, you may decide the effort is too costly or another channel is a better test. Write down the reason and what would cause you to reconsider.
The measuring system is not a verdict on the book. It's a learning tool. You're trying to understand how this specific book is moving through this specific audience given this specific set of efforts. That understanding is what lets you improve the next round of outreach, not a projection of what should have happened by now.
Ask Readers About Understanding and Use.
Reader conversations can add detail that a numerical report leaves out.
When someone mentions reading the book, you can ask whether they are willing to share a little feedback. They may remember a useful example, a confusing passage, or something they tried. They may also prefer simply to say congratulations. Respect that. A conversation is an invitation, not an obligation created by receiving a book.
Here is what I would ask. Not all at once. Pick one or two depending on the context of the conversation. What was the most useful idea you took from it? Is there anything you tried to use that wasn't clear enough to apply? Was there a question you expected the book to answer that it didn't?
These questions complement reviews and sales information. Reviews can contain substantive detail too, while a conversation may reveal something specific about use or confusion. No single source represents every reader. Keep track of who you have heard from and who may be missing, especially if the feedback comes mainly from friends or existing clients.
Now, what do you do with those answers? You use them in two ways.
First, use feedback to examine the explanation. If several readers independently cannot find the first step in an exercise, revisit the passage. You might clarify it in a supporting article or a future edition. If the issue is a factual error, prioritize correcting it rather than treating it only as a marketing opportunity. Check whether the proposed change actually addresses the reader’s question.
Second, use feedback to form a testable audience hypothesis. If independent consultants respond more often than other readers, ask whether you reached more of them or whether the material genuinely fits their needs better. Try a focused follow-up before concluding that you have found the book’s natural audience. Record the evidence that would support or weaken that conclusion.
In Chapter 1, I distinguish expertise, what you know, from authority, what other people know about you. Reader feedback can show how your ideas are being understood and discussed. If someone says they shared a chapter with a colleague, record that report accurately. It suggests the chapter was worth sharing to that person; it does not establish a universal reputation or guarantee future opportunities.
If you invite feedback, choose timing that fits the reader and ask a neutral question. Have you had a chance to read any of it, and is there anything you would like to comment on? If they have read it, you can ask what was useful or unclear. Do not assume they finished it or applied it. Avoid repeated reminders, and get permission before quoting their response publicly.
At your review, bring the counts and the comments together. What do you know, what remains uncertain, and what is one sensible next test? A useful record may reveal limited reach, an unclear explanation, or an activity worth continuing. It may also show that your current approach is not worth the effort. The value of measuring is having a more honest basis for that choice.
Choose one activity measure and one reader-response measure. Define exactly what each counts, record what you know today, and label the gaps. Put a review date on your calendar. At that review, separate the observations from your explanation of them, then choose one adjustment you can test.
Take the next small step on your book today. For more guidance, find Talk Your Book Into Existence at startdictate.com/talk-your-book.
Visit startdictate dot com slash talk your book.
Next time on Talk Your Book Into Existence: Start Your Next Book Conversation This Week. Bring the season together by choosing one specific action that fits where you are now. Follow the show so the next episode is ready when you are.
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