Choosing appropriate content
To ensure that your book targets the appropriate audience, provides informa-
tion of interest, and stays on target in terms of the content, ask yourself these
questions:
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Specifically, what am I trying to teach the reader?
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Am I writing something that my target audience may be interested in?
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Do my readers find the information useful and/or entertaining?
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Am I taking into account the information or knowledge the reader
already has and then building on it?
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How does my target audience use the information?
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Is the information informative, well written, and entertaining?
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Have I explained key concepts in a way my readers can understand?
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Do the examples, artwork, charts, or graphics I plan to incorporate into
the book help convey the information? (See “What Meets the Eye:
Adding Visual Interest to Your Manuscript,” later in this chapter for
details on graphic elements.)
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If I’m writing fiction, does my reader relate to the characters, plot, and
subplots?
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Does my story tap into the reader’s imagination and entertainment them?
After you become familiar with your audience, you’re in a much better posi-
tion to choose what content is most appropriate.
When it comes to choosing content for your book, consider what the reader
may already know, and then slowly build on that knowledge. As necessary,
provide the background information your readers need to understand fully
whatever it is you’re writing about, even if it’s a novel.
Writing a full-length book is a process. Most writers create multiple drafts of
their manuscript prior to getting it published. As you review each draft,
follow these tips:
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Rewrite sections as needed.
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Delete unnecessary information.
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Fine-tune your approach to cover information.
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Carefully analyze each chapter to ensure that the entire manuscript
flows smoothly and achieves its objectives.Understanding an outline’s importance
An outline provides a detailed overview of your book’s content in just a few
pages. The information gets divided up into sections and subsections, which
ultimately expands into the individual chapters or sections of your book.
Working from a detailed outline forces you to consider every topic you plan
to write about within your book. An outline should be created for any type of
book, whether it’s fiction or nonfiction:
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For a work of fiction, the outline helps ensure that the timeline of your
plot makes sense and that plot twists, subplots, or aspects of each char-
acter’s development happen at the appropriate time in the story.
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For nonfiction, an outline ensures that you first build a foundation of
knowledge for your readers and then with each subsequent chapter,
you appropriately build on that knowledge one concept at a time in an
organized way without jumping ahead or repeating ideas from earlier
chapters.
Creating an outline organizes your thoughts, research, and content, but it
also helps with the following items:
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Assists you in deciding what information to include within your book
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Ensures that the information is placed in appropriate chapters and flows
smoothly from the beginning of the book to the end
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Helps you avoid repetition
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Ensures that you don’t forget to include key content
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Forces you to consider your book’s page count and how much space
you dedicate to each topic within each chapter or section
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Makes sure that you stay focused and take an organized approach to
writing your manuscript
