Do I have enough content to write a book?
When it comes to content and ideas, there are a few things that people worry about when they think about writing their book.
- Do I have enough content?
- Do I have too much content?
- Is my content good enough?
It’s all well and good having extensive knowledge on your topic, but you need to be clear on what your reader wants to hear from you, and it helps to know where to start and finish with your writing. If you’re worried about any of these concepts, then here are my thoughts on this topic.
1. Do I have enough content?
One of the things that many people are concerned about is whether they have enough knowledge to write a book.
I was speaking to a client recently who has been working with me for a while on her business strategy. Over the last couple of years she’s found her niche, given up her day job and started to have successes in her work. Now she’s ready to write her book. One of her concerns is whether she has enough content.
With this client, I believe that once she’s started interviewing people for her book and doing her research, she’ll have no problems and may find that the second point in this article is more relevant.
One thing to consider is that there are no hard and fast rules when it comes to size when you’re writing a book. Although a few thousand words isn’t going to get you noticed, you don’t have to write a 80,000 word tome. My first three books are each just under 50,000 words, and my fourth one is only 32,000 words. It still makes it a valuable book and there’s not much point in padding something out just so it looks bigger! Often less is more and it’s better to be concise and to the point rather than waffling on!
2. Do I have too much content?
For other people, they look at all the knowledge and expertise they have, dig out their training notes, webinar content, and the like, and then wonder if they have too much content for one book.
This then leads to conversations about what to include and not include, how to structure their book, where to start and finish it, and should they write multiple books, all areas where I help.
I’ve had a couple of sessions with clients recently who fall into this camp.
For one lady, the main thing we worked on in our first session together was where to start and finish her book and whether it was indeed two books. Three hours later she had a decent detailed plan for the entire book, and a clear way forward. For another client, she knows she needs to nail her title, and then the structure will fall in place. First she needs to feels comfortable with her underlying message.
Another thing that is hard to define is how much should you include in your book. Do you give away everything or do you hold back on some of the information you share?
In my opinion, it’s about taking your reader on a journey and giving them all the content they need to enable them to reach the end point – even if it feels like you’re giving away all your best stuff! But the thing about your book is that you can’t offer a bespoke service, and when you write a good book, it will tell people how they can get more from you, and ideally lead to further engagement and support.
Remember that writing the book is about using it as a business building tool, which is one of the key ways that I help my clients to get greater success from their writing.
3. Is my content good enough?
Lastly, some people wonder whether their ideas are good enough. Although I’m not going to go into this in a huge amount of detail in this post, what you find easy is what you need to share. Never assume that your reader is as knowledgeable and experienced as you are, and if you’re worried about what people might think, then keep reading my blogs as this is a meaty subject that I’ll cover very soon.
How to write your book
Getting clear on your content and message is one of the essential things to get right when you decide to write a book. It’s important to map out your reader’s journey, plan your book before you start to write, and get clear on where you’re taking people. And if there is more than one book, it’s better to know this earlier rather than later!