Three business books you could write

When it comes to a business or self-help book, in my view there are three main types of book that you could write: interview style, how-to guide or memoir.

These each have different styles, different objectives and will take a different approach.

So if you’ve thought about writing a book, but you’ve not been sure where to start, here are the details of the three different books you could write, and the pros and cons of each option. So now there’s no excuse not to get started!

An interview style book

An interview style book is simply that. It’s usually created from interviews that you have carried out with people who are successful in the topic that you wish to share with your readers.

My first book The Secrets of Successful Coaches is a good example of this type of book. I interviewed 11 successful coaches and interwove their stories and tips throughout the book. The interviews gave me the content; I took everything that I’d gleaned from my interviewees and structured this information logically in the book.

Another option if you’re going down this route is to simply have your interviews transcribed and present them in a book. However, if you do it this way, it may not be so easy to draw conclusions from what people are telling you, and bring all of the information together.

An advantage of an interview style book is that if you already have great content from recorded interviews, you can easily create the framework for your book.  Even if you don’t have interviews in place, you can organise them as part of your research. Another pro is that once you have the recorded interviews, this gives you two ways in which you can present, share and sell the information.

The downsides are that it can take time to find the perfect people who are willing to be interviewed, and then to carry out and transcribe the interviews (or get someone else to do this for you!). Also, when you’re sharing other people’s expertise, you are less likely to shine yourself.

Another good example of this type of book is Steve Preston’s third book, Portfolio Careers: How to Work for Passion, Pleasure & Profit.

A how-to guide or self-help book

A how-to guide is the book that most business authors write. This is where you share your expertise or knowledge with your readers in a step-by-step fashion, usually solving a particular problem that they face. It is also the framework that many self-help books follow.

This is a great format to use when you have a personal success system or process that you teach your clients, and you want to share it in your book. If you don’t have a process, then this is the perfect time to create one.

The advantage of a how-to guide is that you probably have all the information you need already to write the book. You’ll be teaching this to your clients, and have a range of material in many different formats, like webinars, training notes, and blog posts (and you can also create products from the material after publishing). This can also be a downside, as you will need to make sense of this material to turn your ideas into a book that supports your business, and takes your reader through a logical journey.

If you’re looking for another example of a how-to guide, check out my third book Your Book is the Hook, which reflects this style. In this book I take people step-by-step through the process of writing a book from idea to getting their book published.

Other good examples from my clients include Gina Visram’s Happily Ever After for Grown-ups which works through her signature system, and Jenny Phillips’ book Eat to Outsmart Cancer which takes you through her knowledge to help the reader to use nutrition, supplements and exercise to manage and prevent cancer.

A memoir

Writing your memoir (or indeed someone else’s memoir) is another book option. Becoming more popular, this is usually where an author shares their personal story to inspire and educate.  I don’t believe that you have to be famous to write a memoir, as we all have a story, and our journey can change the lives of people who read it.

This is a particularly good thing to do if you’ve got a story that people will resonate with, and is most useful when you help people with the thing that you’ve battled to overcome. Although many people will write a memoir because it’s cathartic to get the information down on paper, or because they feel that they have an important story to share with others.

The advantage of writing a memoir is that, if you are telling your own story, you probably don’t need to do much research – unless you are combining it with a self-help style, like I’ve done in The Mouse That Roars. However, you might need to spend time with those who have been part of your life and ask for permission to share details of certain events.

Personally, I’ve found the most difficult part of writing a memoir is working out how much information to include, and you might also be unsure where to start and where to finish. When I wrote The Mouse That Roars, one of my other stumbling blocks was my memory. Luckily for the last 10 years or so I’ve kept journals, so this has enabled me to remind myself of the key points that were important.

Which style of book will you write?

When deciding which book to write, which one will make the biggest impact with your ideal reader and client? Even if (like me) you have multiple books inside of you, put your business hat on when deciding which book to write first. 

How would you like to inspire your reader to take action?

Which topic are you passionate about the most?

How are you going to get this information to the person who needs to read it?

I’d love to find out which book you’d prefer to write and the ideas that I’ve sparked in you after reading this blog. Please leave your comments below and tell me what you think! And feel free to share it with others who can’t wait to get started with their book.

To get help to write and publish your interview style book, how-to guide or memoir, please contact me for more details and to arrange a chat.