See, I think I like stories about stories ... and yet the three most recent books that I've read with this particular trope have all irritated me profoundly. I'm not sure if it's just the fact that this type of book also tends to have magical libraries, and often really stereotypical librarian characters (the idea in The Library of the Unwritten that all librarians in Hell were failed authors was particularly irritating).

Thinking further, I think I like that message to be buried very deep down and for me to catch glimpses of it; if it's in a story as an Important Message, I want that message to tell me something new about the power of stories. But a piece of fiction telling me "Stories are powerful" and not going further with that concept is very offputting. It's not an insight. I want an insight.

I think you've hit the nail on the head, here. I want subtlety!

I wish you speedy progress on the auction fic!