How to Write a Nonfiction Book

The Proven Process of Writing a Book

The Book Professor^® has a proven, 4-step writing process that will teach you how to write a nonfiction book. Our mission is to help you write your nonfiction book and achieve your dream of becoming a published author. Finishing your book may even propel your career forward as it has for so many of our clients.

1. Create a Purpose Statement for Your Nonfiction Book

To complete your nonfiction book as soon as possible, it seems logical to start at chapter one. But a little pre-writing goes a long way. It keeps you from writing three or four chapters only to discover you’ve “lost the plot.”

Therefore, you want to start with a Purpose Statement, which allows you to make choices that will drive your book forward. It follows this formula:

“The purpose of this book is to action for the audience to get a result.” Let’s break that down.

This strategy works for any nonfiction book. All our published authors have used this formula to focus their writing. However, just because it’s simple doesn’t mean you can rush through it. Take some time. Freewriting will get you a long way. (Try writing with your non-dominant hand as well.)

Also brainstorm some book titles. Once you’ve identified your action, audience, and result, choosing a working title will be easier. The book’s title will shift as the book evolves, so don’t worry too much about getting it prefect at the beginning.

If you want to learn more and see some examples of purpose statements for a wide range of nonfiction books, read this article. 

ASSIGNMENT: Write your purpose statement.

2. Eliminate Writer’s Block with BookMAPs

Wondering how to eliminate writer’s block? This part of the process gives you the structure you need to write quickly and effectively, virtually eliminating writer’s block. If you’re writing a memoir, you’ll base the entire book around the following three points. For most writers, BookMAP 1 will inform your introduction and give you many of the anecdotes you’ll need to fill out the rest of your book.
Start with BookMAP 1, your personal story. Here’s the formula:

1. 1. What life was like before you encountered the problem.
   2. What life was like while you experienced the problem (and worked to overcome it).
   3. What life is like now that you’ve conquered the problem.

As you consider each of these three points above, spend time writing down what life was like during each the following periods of your life. Write all of this down and collect it in a single document.

ASSIGNMENT: Create BookMAP 1.

Next, you’ll work on BookMAP 2, which includes problem/solution sets. Your book is about how you solved one big problem. Still, you’ll break that larger problem down into several individual problems that each had a solution you discovered. Each of those solutions has a list of features, which are the attributes and aspects that your solution provides. And each of those features has a list of benefits. Those benefits are “what you got out of that solution.”

• • Problem/Solution #1: Features, benefits, examples
  • Problem/Solution #2: Features, benefits, examples
  • Problem/Solution #3: Features, benefits, examples

For most business books and how-to books, these problem/solution sets will define your chapters. Collect your problems, solutions, features, and benefits into one document.

ASSIGNMENT: Create BookMAP 2.

3. Write Your Nonfiction Book Without Ruts

With your BookMAPs in place, you know what you’re going to write. Now you just have to do it.

To become a published author, you must set aside time to write your book. Whether you can work on it every day or once a week, make sure you reserve this time for yourself and commit to it. This is probably the hardest step for all of our writers. We all lead busy lives but to accomplish this goal, you need to do whatever you have to do to concentrate and write.

Also, don’t double-back and try to refine what you’ve written. It’s too early to determine what you’re going to keep and what you’re going to throw away. This becomes a distraction. The first draft will not be perfect, but it does have to be complete.
Write the book and be prepared to fix it later.

ASSIGNMENT: Schedule time on your calendar to write for at least the first month (further if you can). Write your first draft, one chapter at a time, from beginning to end.

4. Rewrite Your Nonfiction Book: Polish and Perfect

You’re in the homestretch. You’ve created your Purpose Statement, created your BookMaps, and you’ve taken time to write your book. Now, go back through the entire book and see what you need to do to make every line work and every word sing. This takes time, so don’t rush the process. But as you edit, polish and perfect, ask yourself:

• Does this address my audience?
• Does this help my audience take action that will produce their desired result?

If the answer is no, no matter how much you love it, cut it. Your first draft was for you. You had to get it all on paper. But this draft is for your audience. They need to be able to read without confusion and want to continue reading as they are moved by your message. This draft will make a difference in people’s lives.

ASSIGNMENT: Go back to the beginning and work through your book line by line. Edit/remove what does not need to be there, no matter how much you love it. Keep the book on-point and in your voice.

That’s It! You’ve Written a Book

Four Steps to Writing a Book

Once you’ve polished and perfected, you will have developed, organized, written, and polished a manuscript. You will have written your book! Is that really all there is to it? Four steps to book-writing success? Yes and no. Most writers will need some help writing their books, seeing it through, and finding a professional editor.

Who Edits My Nonfiction Book?

No matter how well-written you feel your book is, it will need a second set of eyes. This is when you hire a professional book editor. Not a college student or someone you work with or a family member. A professional who edits books for a living. If you’re not a very strong writer, your editor will be worth his or her weight in gold. The professional who edits your nonfiction book will help you keep your voice but fix your mistakes.

Don’t think you can bypass this critical step when writing your book. Once it is published, your reputation is on the line, and if you want to establish yourself as an expert in your field, increase your credibility, and attract a following, you must use a professional book editor.

If you choose to work with The Book Professor, we edit it for you.

How Long Does It Take to Write a Book?

Writing a book takes a long time, approximately forty-eight weeks. And this estimation is how long it takes with a writing coach. Going it alone, writing your nonfiction book can take years, and like so many of our now-published authors, may never come to fruition without coaching.

Even with the best intentions, self-imposed book-writing deadlines, and all the desire in the world, writing a book and seeing it published can be extremely frustrating, leaving you to feel like it will never happen. By contrast, when you engage a Book Professor writing coach, participate in a book writing Mastermind Group, or enroll in a self-directed book course, the process moves swiftly along for about a year, with deadlines and accountability until you see a finished manuscript.

Even though it takes a year to finish your nonfiction book, the time goes by fast, and since our programs move you along with accountability, you’re never sitting idle waiting to do the next thing. You’ll be writing like a pro in no time, one day closer to seeing your name on a published book.

How Do I Get Help Writing a Book?

There’s more to a book than just writing. Your book should be visually appealing, grammatically correct, compelling to read, action-oriented, and inspiring. That’s a hard thing to achieve all on your own. The Book Professor is here to help with the entire process of writing your nonfiction book.

Once you start planning and writing on your own, just like our published clients, you will find it doesn’t make sense to work through it alone. Hiring a book writing coach with the best writing tips and tools, such as how to use sensory language, how to choose the best point of view (POV), and the secret to a finished nonfiction book – the time-blocking technique – will not only get you to the finish line, it will help you produce a book of which you can be proud.

The Book Professor guides you through every step of the process and provides a lot of big-picture editing. We help you write your dream book, from planning to publishing, and we’re here along the way when you get lost and don’t know what to do next.

Nancy was truly my BOOK PROFESSOR! She served too many roles to count, from editor and book coach, to teacher and drill sergeant, to publisher and cheerleader. I could not have done this without her! Thanks for guiding me every step of the way.

Joe Fingerhut
Speaker and Author of Permission to Play: How Teens Can Build a Life That is Fun, Fulfilling, and Promising

Further, we ensure your book’s cover and layout are professional and inviting. These elements are essential to your reader’s experience, too. There’s a tangible difference between a professionally designed book and a printed Word document. When it is done correctly and beautifully, you will earn an extra degree of credibility.

How Much Does a Book Writing Coach Cost?

Afraid you can’t afford a writing coach? The Book Professor’s nonfiction book-writing coaches offer several options to work within your budget. We also work with you how you are most comfortable, whether that’s book writing Mastermind Group coaching, personal book coaching, a self-directed book course, or small bite writing seminars.

The Best Writing Coach for Nonfiction

When you want the best nonfiction writing coach, turn to The Book Professor. Whether your book is for business or pleasure, inspirational or motivational, there are no other book-writing professionals with our proven process to help you get your book published and promoted.

In addition to a fully published book, the way we help you structure the book allows you to lift out any chapter and expand it into a workshop, seminar, keynote, podcast, vlog, or whitepaper. It’s the book that keeps giving to you and to your audience.

How to Become an Author: The Book Professor is Your Partner in Brainstorming, Writing, Editing, and Publishing Your Nonfiction Book

Nearly anyone who has lived through a problem (and figured out how to solve it) can write a book. In fact, The Book Professor’s founder and lead coach, Nancy Erickson, has written a book that’s an excellent addition to our four-step process and a fairly quick read: Stop Stalling and Start Writing: Kick the Excuses and Jumpstart Your Nonfiction Book. Now it’s time for you to do the same!

When you are ready to write your book with someone who can walk you through the process – from brainstorming, writing, and editing to publishing and promoting – a coach who will cheer you on and get you across the finish line, The Book Professor would love to work with you. Contact us today.

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