A Story is a Deal

How to use the science of story to motivate and persuade

By: Will Storr

Narrated by: Will Storr

A fascinating exploration of how to use the power of storytelling to create irresistible pitches, build passionate brand loyalty, motivate teams and lead with charisma.

'Will Storr is a genius' Rory Sutherland
'A captivating and enlightening read . . Will Storr is an unusually talented and insightful writer' Adam Grant
'Storr shares profound insights' Seth Godin
'Whip smart, insightful and ridiculously entertaining' Jimmy Carr
'Shows how storytelling is the key to success in business, politics and even personal relationships.' The Times
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Using the latest findings from social psychology, evolutionary psychology, organisational psychology and neuroscience, A Story is a Deal argues that we won't unlock the true power of story if we treat it merely as something we read on a page, see on a screen or hear in a speech. Storr shows how successful stories shape identities, which changes beliefs, drives action and achieves extraordinary results.

With examples ranging from Aztec rituals to Apple's legendary advertising successes (and long-forgotten fails), A Story is a Deal lays out a revolutionary new method for creating the most persuasive messaging: by harnessing the power of our storytelling brains.
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'Intensely original and powerfully practical' Jonah Berger
'A fascinating insight into the human mind' Levinson Wood
'A very clever book that makes the reader feel cleverer with every page' Daniel Finkelstein
'Powerfully persuasive and urgently practical' Bruce Daisley
'Will Storr has a unique ability to explain our social world in ways that would never otherwise occur' Jack Dee©2025 Will Storr

Critic reviews

We are hardwired to be attracted to, grabbed by and influenced to act by stories. More effectively than anyone before, Storr shows us how to install and sequence the crucial narrative elements of stories into our persuasive appeals (Robert Cialdini, author of Influence and Pre-Suasion)

A Story is a Deal is a fascinating insight into the human mind. A brilliant and essential manual for anyone wanting to understand the craft of storytelling and the role of status in negotiation (Levison Wood, explorer and author)

People like us do things like this. Storr shares profound insights into the nature of identity and how it interacts with culture and the change we seek to make (Seth Godin, author of All Marketers Are Liars)

The indispensable guide to influencing and persuading others. Storr practices what he preaches in this brilliant, up-to-date and practical book. Join him as he takes you on a journey of how to expertly craft your messages, conversations, presentations and pitches so they resonate every time (Scott Walker, Sunday Times bestselling author of Order Out of Chaos)

Intensely original and powerfully practical, Storr brilliantly lays out how to use stories to change minds and behaviour (Jonah Berger, bestselling author of Contagious and The Catalyst)

Will Storr connects two of the key ideas of our time, story and identity, in one compact, compelling and practical book. Vital reading for anyone whose business is communication: which, as he argues, is everyone (Timandra Harkness, author of Technology is Not the Problem)

Will Storr is one of my favourite writers. He's whip smart, insightful and ridiculously entertaining (Jimmy Carr)

Will Storr is a genius. I would happily read a shopping list by him (Rory Sutherland, Vice Chairman of Ogilvy UK and bestselling author of Alchemy)

This is a book packed with insights that will change your thinking about why storytelling is as effective in business as it is in politics and in life (Linda Yueh, author of The Great Economists and The Great Crashes)

A very clever book that makes the reader feel cleverer with every page. Storr really gets what makes storymaking work its magic (Daniel Finkelstein)

A Story is a Deal is hugely impactful. Powerfully persuasive and urgently practical - it leaves the reader plotting the immediate use of Will Storr's genius insight. No one writes business books like Will Storr (Bruce Daisley, Sunday Times bestselling author)

Will Storr has a unique ability to explain our social world in ways that would never otherwise occur (Jack Dee)

A captivating and enlightening read about the power of stories. Will Storr is an unusually talented and insightful writer, and his book is about to change the way you communicate (Adam Grant, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Hidden Potential and Think Again, and host of the podcast Re:Thinking)

Good for marketing strategy and related

Nice concepts of power and social mechanics. Narration a bit difficult for non-native english speakers.

It is the story.

I really enjoyed Will’s book however, his accent is so strong I had to listen to parts several times and turn up the volume to understand him.

Amazing and deep book poorly read

I’ve been practicing storytelling in business as a consultant for 6 years now and held 5 international conferences on story. Yet this book had lots to offer, Will did an amazing job as always! The only comment is the reading style, some words are mispronounced and said only partly which really makes the reading a more difficult task. The content is gold though!

Good book- ruined by terrible narration

The narrator starts off well enough. Narrative is engaging and insightful. But then quickly devolves into excessive slurring of words and overlapping of one word with the next. By the middle of the book the narrator is well and truly intoxicated. His speech is incomprehensible. I had to give up and will probably buy the paperback and read it myself.

Interesting topic

Very smart author, later chapters be come
Hard to follow, and accent becomes heavier for an American audience.