Write Your Non-Fiction Book

Writing a non-fiction book takes time, dedication, and an awful lot of planning. When I outline my books, I spend at least a few months playing with my idea and jiggling the content list until it feels right.

Many of my writing mentor clients have been dreaming about their business book for years, but without any knowledge of how to get started, that idea remains a thought in their heads.

The bones of a book

If you think of your book as a skeleton it can help you picture how all the ideas (bones) fit together. You wouldn’t attach a fibula to your elbow!

When I work with my clients we always start with an overview. I get them to tell me everything they can about their book. Sometimes, this is the first time they have talked about their idea out loud which can be exciting. Having a summary is a great way to see all the topics and themes you want to include.

Writing out a summary (or synopsis) works for both fiction and non-fiction.

Once the summary is written (the skeleton as a whole) you can start to break it down into arms, legs, ribs, etc. This is where outlining or plotting your chapters can help.

The benefits of outlining your book

Your book outline is, in basic terms, a list of your themes (non-fiction) or events (if fiction). Think of it as detailed instructions for putting your skeleton together if you picked it up from IKEA!

Many years ago I attempted to write novels without a plan. I knew my characters and had an idea of the beginning, middle, and end, but beyond that was flying by the seat of my pants (affectionately known as being a ‘pantser’). I never finished anything. Once I discovered outlining it changed my life and turned me into a ‘plotter’ and a productive writer.

My outlines now turn my brain dumps into an organised plan of action and help me establish the purpose of the book.

With my non-fiction titles, outlining was a must to help me ensure the book flowed and made sense for the reader.

The outline allowed me to dig deep into my main topics and themes, and ensure I wasn’t overloading some chapters and leaving gaps in others.

I often explain this using a 50,000-word book as a guide for my clients.

Most non-fiction books are around 50,000-60,000 words and broken down into 10–15 chapters. Each chapter covers a specific topic/pain point*.

*Pain points are a phrase I use to refer to a challenge, issue, or problem my clients are trying to solve for their readers. For example; brain fog in a menopausal woman is a pain point. My client could write a book about menopause symptoms and offer guidance/solutions to ease each pain point/issue.

In your outline, you would jot down all the points you want to cover in the book, any sub-sections that are relevant, conclusions, a call to action, etc. At a glance, you can see what each chapter contains and check that it flows in a logical order.

For example:

• Introduction
• Chapter one (main theme)
• – Sub-section
• – Sub-section
• Chapter two (main theme)
• – Sub-section
• – Sub-section
• – Sub-section
• Chapter three (main theme)
• – Sub-section
• Chapter four (main theme)
• – Sub-section
• – Sub-section
• Conclusion/Summary
• Bibliography

Why bother with a book outline?

Most non-fiction books require some degree of research. When you create your book outline it helps you recognise what research you need to complete and where it goes in your chapters.

It might seem strange to think about writing out so much planning content instead of jumping straight into writing the book, but in truth, an outline saves you so much time. You essentially have a plan or a tick list of tasks to follow as you begin writing.

The outline will not only focus your themes and content, but it also focuses your mind. Writing a book can feel overwhelming at the best of times, but with a well-drafted outline, you will know what to write, why it’s important, and how to expand (sub-sections) to offer your reader as much value as possible.

Techniques to create your book outline

As a huge stationery fan, I love to use my magic whiteboard, coloured pens, and a large stack of multi-coloured post-it notes. I mind map my entire book into core themes and sub-sections and then add each theme to a post-it note with sub-sections in a row underneath.

From my wall of post-it notes, I then create a chapter-by-chapter outline where I flesh out the content of each chapter with main themes/ideas, sub-sections, and segues into the next chapter.

I have free resources on my website shop to help you with your outlining. Feel free to pop over and download the tools you need.

What comes after outlining your book?

Plotting out my novels and outlining my non-fiction titles is something I adore doing, which is probably why I specialise in this area with my writing mentor work.

However, once that outline is complete then the next step is yours and yours alone. There’s no getting away from it, you have your book skeleton mapped out, you are focused and motivated, and now it’s time to sit your bum in the chair and write!

You are welcome to join my Facebook Group and engage with fellow writers, engage in the weekly writing prompts, and use the accountability threads to help you write.

If you need more help and support with writing your book then why not book a 1:1 Power Hour session so we can work out your book outline together? Alternatively, you may need accountability as you outline and write which is where my monthly 1:1 mentoring might help. For £49 a month, you get a monthly Zoom call and a monthly co-writing session as well as honest feedback on your work, and full support. You also get access to my extensive network of editors, illustrators, publishers, book designers, etc.

Drop me an email at authorshelleywilson@gmail.com to arrange a date and time suitable for you and let me help you become a published author.

If you prefer to learn at your own pace then check out my 6-week online course, How to Write a Self-Help Book.

EXCITING NEWS! I have a new product launch coming up for my first Write Your Non-Fiction Book Planner – follow my Facebook page or connect on LinkedIn to find out more.