(2023-05-31) Rothman How To Start A Nonfiction Book To Educate Inspire Or Influence Your Ideal Reader To Act

Johanna Rothman: How to Start a Nonfiction Book to Educate, Inspire, or Influence Your Ideal Reader to Act. Some writers (raises hand) are prone to put everything she ever learned about this topic into one book. Either of those problems make it difficult to finish a book before the writer dies. Worse, those tangents and the “everything” problem make it difficult for readers to consume the book. The book does not fulfill its promise to educate, inspire, or influence the reader. (Writing a Book)

Instead, think of a book as a product

I write nonfiction books to help change my ideal readers and what they do—their actions. (Hero's Journey)

Many nonfiction books might appeal to various readers. But books are more successful when writers focus this book on one ideal reader.

What About the “Everyone” Problem?

No book appeals to everyone. Not one.

One ideal reader (ideal customer) makes it possible to define a user journey for that book

Book User Journeys Support the Ideal Reader's Learning

The user journey for a software product is what the user can do at any given point. Book user journeys are about what the reader needs to learn at a given point.

So instead of user actions, the writer identifies what the user can learn right now. Then, successive chapters build on that learning.

My advice: ditch the outline. Define an ideal reader. Write down the user journey for that reader.