Howdy Modern Authors!

When I ask new writers whose career they admire, whose voice, reach, and longevity they’d love to emulate... one name comes up constantly.

Elizabeth Gilbert.

She's easily is one of the most name-dropped authors in my world.

But here’s the funny part:

When I ask which book of hers they actually love?

It’s always a split decision.

Half say Eat, Pray, Love changed their life.
The other half say Big Magic unlocked their creativity.

Two wildly different books. Two wildly different styles.
And yet... same author.

So before you start writing like Liz, you need to ask yourself one simple question:

Which Liz do you want to be?

Let’s dive into this week’s Write Like a Thought Leader with a deep, practical breakdown of one of the rarest feats in modern authorship:

Elizabeth Gilbert pulled off something few authors ever manage: she wrote a megahit in creative nonfiction (Eat, Pray, Love)… and another in thought leadership (Big Magic).

And she has a lot to teach us. In last week's Modern Author post, I spoke about the trap of trying to write three different books in one book.

Several people asked me for some examples to help them choose. And immediately I thought about Liz Gilbert.

Let's dive in...

Two Genres, Two Masterpieces, One Author

Elizabeth Gilbert is a unicorn. While most writers struggle to master one type of nonfiction, she has published bestsellers across genres:

• Eat, Pray, Love sold over 12 million copies and redefined a generation of memoir writing. It’s a spiritual travel memoir laced with emotional honesty, humor, and discovery.
• Big Magic is a punchy, no-fluff guide to creativity and the inner life of artists. It’s a category-defining book in the world of thought leadership, without ever calling itself that.

Same author.
Huge books.

But the two books have... very different playbooks.

The Trap That Stops Most Writers

Many aspiring authors get stuck because they haven’t made the decision Gilbert made... twice.

They want to write:

• A book about their life (memoir)
• That has lessons for others (thought leadership)
• And still reads like a novel (creative nonfiction)

And so they start writing all three at once. I did the same thing when I started writing Super Mentors.

And Liz easily could have done the same.

• What if she tried to tell women how they should Eat Pray Love?
• What if she tried to tell her entire life story, rather than just that intense travel experience?
• What if she tried to make Big Magic another movie-like books?

Rather than try to do everything in one book, she made choices.

And you'll need to do the same.

What Makes Big Magic Thought Leadership

Let’s start with Gilbert’s second act: Big Magic. On the surface, it’s a series of meditations on creativity. But make no mistake—it’s thought leadership at its finest.

Structure: The Blueprint of Thought Leadership

Thought leadership books tend to follow this format:

1. A reframe of a common problem. Gilbert: “Fear is boring. Stop letting it run your creative life.”
2. Gilbert’s central belief: Creativity is not magic, but you must treat it like it is.
3. Big Magic is divided into six parts: Courage, Enchantment, Permission, Persistence, Trust, and Divinity. These aren’t steps. They’re principles, each powerful on its own.
4. Not full memoir. But Gilbert includes personal stories that show rather than tell.
5. What makes it sticky: every chapter contains something you can try immediately, like naming your fear or writing a letter to your inspiration.
6. The book doesn’t say “here’s what I did.” It says, “here’s what you can do.”

Thought leadership writing is transformational, not just descriptive.

It gives people a new lens, then teaches them how to use it.

And for Gilbert it serves as a large piece of her business empire today serving as the foundation for her training, workshops, and community.

What Makes Eat, Pray, Love Creative Nonfiction

Now let’s rewind to Eat, Pray, Love, the book that made Gilbert a household name.

This isn’t a memoir in the traditional “life story” sense. It’s a creative nonfiction masterclass:

Structure: The Blueprint of Creative Nonfiction

Creative nonfiction isn’t prescriptive; it’s immersive. Here’s how Eat, Pray, Love works:

1. Gilbert doesn’t dump her whole life on the page. She tells the story of one year, split into three distinct chapters: Italy (Pleasure), India (Devotion), and Indonesia (Balance).
2. The engine of great CNF is this balance:
   • Scene: What happened?
   • Reflection: What does it mean?
3. Readers didn’t just like Gilbert. They felt her. The heartbreak, shame, awkwardness, joy.
4. She shows, not tells. The pizza in Naples. The silence in the ashram. The mosquito in Bali.
5. The drama is internal. Will she heal? Will she believe in herself again?

Creative nonfiction is cinematic, vulnerable, and resonant.

It’s not designed to teach. It’s designed to connect.

And for Gilbert this book was quickly optioned for the screen, and made movie magic staring Julia Roberts.

Gilbert’s Genius: She Built Two Very Different Offers

Here’s where Gilbert really earns her place as a model for modern authors.

She didn’t just write two styles of books.
She created two different businesses around them.

Eat, Pray, Love → Connection

• Adapted into a major film
• Global media exposure
• Travel memoir genre boom
• Personal healing retreats and live events

This book built a brand around her story. People wanted to follow in her footsteps, retrace her journey, and meet the woman behind the narrative.

Big Magic → Community

• Workshops on creativity
• Speaking gigs about the creative process
• Group experiences and coaching
• An evergreen “personal development” product that still sells a decade later

This book built a brand around her framework. People wanted her insight, not just her life.

Who You Write For Shapes What You Can Build

This is the key takeaway for modern authors:

Creative Nonfiction leads to:

• Media opportunities
• Book clubs and live storytelling
• Film/TV options
• Personal coaching

Focus: Emotion and resonance

Thought Leadership leads to:

• Courses and workshops
• Corporate speaking
• Consulting and certification
• Evergreen frameworks

Focus: Clarity and application

Neither is “better.”
But one is likely better for you.

Try This: A Framework to Choose Your Framework

I recently caught up with Steve Fredlund, a professional keynote speaker and best selling author of Do The Unright Thing. "I knew the big idea, but it took me several months to make sure I wrote it in a way that felt authentic."

Steve wrestled through a decision many authors face: am I famous enough to write a story about my life or do I have a big enough belief in something to teach it others?

So he spend five months writing a book about his life philosophy sharing how he and others had found happiness and success by constantly doing the 'unright' thing. He pushed through and finished a draft. His editors and early readers loved the draft, felt personally connected to his framework, and enjoyed how he'd woven in his stories and others.

But it didn't feel right to Steve.

So he did the 'unright thing.'

"I needed the book to be authentic, so I made it my story. I turned it to a memoir."

And if you're like Steve, wrestling between the two, here’s a diagnostic tool I use with authors when they’re stuck:

1. What’s Your Goal?

• Want to spark a movement? → Thought leadership
• Want to explore your own journey? → Creative nonfiction

2. What Will People Say After Reading?

• “That book changed how I think.” → Thought leadership
• “That book made me feel seen.” → Creative nonfiction

3. What Do You Want to Sell After?

• Speaking, consulting, courses? → Thought leadership
• Coaching, community, retreats? → Creative nonfiction

4. What’s Your Superpower?

• Explaining big ideas simply? → Thought leadership
• Evoking emotion and detail? → Creative nonfiction

Remember: You can blend styles. But your core engine must be clear.

What Next?

Writing a book today is a lesson in focus. It's not easy, but it's critical.

What Elizabeth Gilbert teaches us is you can build a following for your thought leadership and your storytelling. But most importantly, you'll likely need to choose a path.

For Liz, she didn’t build her books by asking, “What do I want to say?”

She asked, “What do they need to hear, and how do I deliver it in the most powerful way possible?”

That’s what modern authors do.
And you can too.

Good luck with you own writing Modern Authors, whether its your story or your lessons.

Eric