nonfiction essay outline

How To Outline A Nonfiction Book: A Step-By-Step Guide

Do you dread taking the time to write an outline for a book? Would you rather just put pen to paper and start to write and see where it takes you?

Does it feel like a waste of time to begin with the “extra” work of writing an outline?

It’s possible to write a nonfiction book by the seat of your pants,  but having an outline helps you know where you are going with your message  so you are able to write in a straight line instead of taking time-wasting detours.

Without an outline, you will likely spend extra time cutting, revising, and rewriting your original work.

Outlining your book gives you a solid plan that will keep you on track so you can write your book efficiently and with confidence.

Why You Need An Outline for Your Nonfiction Book

Benefits of outlining a book, how to outline a nonfiction book step-by-step, another nonfiction book outline formula, how to outline a chapter of a book, don’t forget the front and back matter pages.

Whenever you want to get something done, it’s so much easier if you can follow a set of steps that are clear and simple, if not exactly easy. 

This is where you remind yourself of why this book is worth the work you’ll put into it.  Think of the smiling faces of your readers. Think of their gratitude for a book that finally answers a nagging question or solves a thorny problem of theirs. 

Take this one step at a time. You’ll get there. And your readers will be glad you did.

There are big benefits to outlining your book before you start writing it.  Here are four benefits that I’ll go into more detail on later:

1) You can write your book quickly once your outline is complete. 2) You have a high word count, which will keep your production high. 3) It prevents writer’s block. 4) It does not take a long time to create a good outline.

Also, with an outline, you can avoid the “cursor of death” and writer’s block because you’ve mapped out what you will write about. This will help plow through your first draft with a clear path of what content should go in each section.

Here are the steps to creating an outline for your nonfiction book in a way that gives you the structure you need to create the map to your manuscript.

With the above benefits in mind, there are four steps to creating a really effective outline for your book that you will thank yourself for later.

Starting your book out with the knowledge that you already know what direction you are heading in will help you be more confident as a writer and feel like you know your goals and are ready to achieve them.

Step 1: Get clear on your book’s main idea or main question. 

Before you write a book, you should know why you’re writing it and what problem you want to solve for your reader — or what questions you want to answer. 

In other words, what is your book’s main idea? Once you know this, you can break it down into all its supporting ideas and arrange them in an order that makes sense and will give your reader clear, effective answers or solutions right from the beginning. 

As for getting those ideas out, there are three popular and effective ways to do that. 

Step 2: Find your hook for your book.

The hook is simply a quick elevator pitch that best describes your book. This provides an overall direction for where you to take the narrative and how you will solve the reader’s problem.

The sooner you can identify your hook, the more time you will give your subconscious time to surface more quality content that you can add to the book.

Sitting on your idea for a week or two can give you more clarity before you begin outlining. You may also want to get input from other people and do additional research on the topic to see if you want to change your hook in any way before you get started with your outline.

Step 3: Use the big brain dump.

The next step is to sit down and write everything you can think of about your topic. Steve Scott’s technique is to start writing with a pen and paper.

Next step is to write fast. Your goal here is to get everything in your head out and written down. During this brain dump, don’t worry about grammar, punctuation, or how ordered everything looks. In fact, if you want to draw images or use arrows go ahead and do it.

Do anything you have to do to record your thoughts and ideas. Don’t stop to analyze your thoughts or think too hard about the next thing that will come to mind. Instead, you want to try to unlock your subconscious thoughts in a free flowing way that you can clean up later on in the writing process.

It is important to spend at least 1-2 hours on the brain dump process. Don’t rush through it to get it over with. You do want to write quickly, but don’t be in a rush to complete it.

You may feel like you are running out of ideas about your topic, but if you pause for a few minutes, something else important will likely come to mind.

Step 3a: Create a mind map for your book (expanding on the main idea) .

Start with a posterboard or something you’ll find easy to keep on hand (for reference) and put your book’s title (idea) at the center. Then add title ideas for your chapters in their own bubbles surrounding the title and connect them to the hub with a line. 

From there, you can add supporting ideas for each chapter title/idea until you run out of room (or ideas). 

Step 3b: Create a list of your supporting ideas or sub-questions. 

The second option is for those who prefer making lists — bulleted or otherwise. 

The great thing about bulleted lists (or numbered) on Google Docs, et al, is you can add supporting ideas by inserting a carriage return and tabbing to create an indented sub-list. 

Once you’ve got your list of chapter titles (or ideas for them), brainstorm as many supporting ideas as you can think of. 

Step 3c: Try the index card method .

Steve Scott uses index cards to begin organizing his key ideas from the brain dump session.

When writing your index cards, you don’t need to go into great detail. Just write enough on each card to remind yourself of the point you want to make or refer yourself back to a resource that you will need to reference.

The index card method will allow you to easily move your ideas around and restructure your book. Steve uses this tactile approach to help create a solid backbone for his outline that will be turned into the first draft.

Once you write your idea on the index card, you simply cross it off your brain dump page.

Begin the process by writing down 10-12 chapter names on individual index cards (use the blank side, not lined). After that you’ll do the same process for sub-chapters.

When you finish this process you’ll end up with 3-5 sub-chapter index cards for each chapter (total index cards of 40-60). 

You’ll continue to add web links, stories, research, quotes and resources to these cards. These index cards will serve as prompts so you’ll always know what you need to write next in completing your book.

Step 4: Tweak the index card content.

Last, go through your index cards and get rid of anything that either is not relevant or does not help solve a problem for the reader.

Hopefully, your brain dump produced more ideas than you needed, and some of them are probably not beneficial to your message.

This is the time to delete those and toss those index cards. This will help to better structure your framework and give you a good order for your book that makes sense.

One additional step you can take is to type all of the information from your index cards into a document to create an actual digital outline. The process of typing it out will further clean up your thoughts and allow you to see them all together. It will give you another angle to view the structure of your book before you begin writing it.

Step 5: Create your book outline.

Once you’ve got your finished mind map, list, or pile of index cards, you can transfer all your information to the book outline. But this is not where it ends. 

You’ll work on this as you go, adding and subtracting information and details until you have something that you cannot wait to turn into a book. 

And it won’t get there until you really get to know your chapters. 

Barrie follows a pretty traditional outline formula that she learned in her college days as an English major writing term papers.

She pulls up a blank page on the computer and types in the working title for a book. Since she write self-improvement books, she creates a working title that relates to the ultimate benefit of the reader.

For example, with Barrie’s book, Peace of Mindfulness: Everyday Rituals to Conquer Anxiety and Claim Unlimited Inner Peace ,  the how-to part is what kept her focused on the goal of the book.

• Then she can flesh out how to get readers from Point A , which is where they are now, to Point B , which is where they want to be.
• She thinks about how to lead the reader to understand more about the problem or challenge they’re facing, as well as the benefits of dealing with the problem and how the problem is impacting their lives.
• And finally, she offers solutions and actions to help change or correct the problem.

Breaking it down this way allows you to see a clear path in your outline to move the content from problem to solution if you are working on a nonfiction book that provides solutions.

Outline Chapter Topics

She outlines the different chapters and makes bullet points on any ideas that fit into each of the chapters. The first chapter almost always is an in-depth explanation of what the topic is about. (See below for more info on outlining a book chapter.)

Gather Data

During the outline process, she gathers any relevant statistics, research, and quotes that she might use as gets into the meat of the writing process, and plugs these into different chapters in the outline.

Reconfigure

All of this can be moved around or changed during the writing and editing process, but thinking about the topic in this linear way gives you some structure to work from as you dive into writing your book.

Once you have a rough outline of your entire book, it’s time to get better acquainted with each of your chapters. To create an outline for each one, answer these questions: 

• What question or idea is the main driver of this chapter?
• How do you want to start each chapter (an anecdote, a meaningful bit of research, a definition…)
• How can you keep your reader entertained as you share what you know? 
• How do you want to end each chapter? 
• What do you want your reader to gain by reading this chapter? 

Make a list of the questions your book will answer for your readers. The more value you add to their lives, the more likely they are to finish and recommend it. If this is a book you wish had existed for you, what questions would it answer?

Then, for each chapter, you’ll want to include the following in your outline: 

• Hook — gets their attention, and leads to the…
• Thesis — your main argument, followed by your…
• Supporting content — which can include…
• Stories and examples — eventually leading to a…
• Recap or summary of your main points, which should reinforce the…
• Reader’s #1 takeaway — which should…
• Segue to the next chapter — to keep the reader engaged.

Phew! Keep these essentials in mind, and your readers will love every chapter in your book. That kind of magic starts with an outline. 

Having said that, we don’t mean you should rigidly impose an outline structure for each and every chapter you write. Your inner pantser wouldn’t like that. And it’s best not to give your inner plotter too much power. It goes right to its head. 

So, here’s a short list of ideas for getting started on your chapter outline: 

• Create a bulleted list of your chapter titles and flesh them out with sub-bulleted and sub-sub-bulleted supporting ideas. Go crazy! 
• Freewrite some content for each chapter (just some), and summarize the highlights on your outline. 
• Google your chapter title idea and see how many related questions and topics come up. How many of those could you use in your chapter as subheadings?

The pages before your first chapter also deserve to be included in your book’s outline. Consider what you’ll want to include in the following: 

• Testimonials page/s (optional)
• Title page 
• Copyright page 
• Page with an epigram, quote, or message (optional)
• Dedication page (optional)
• Table of Contents (a streamlined version of your outline)
• Foreword (optional — written by an authority in your chosen field)
• Preface (optional — written by you)
• Acknowledgments (optional)
• Introduction — written by you

The pages after your last chapter ends are worth planning, too. If nothing else, you can make it easier for your readers to learn more about you and to leave a review. 

Don’t forget the following: 

• Conclusion — written by you to wrap things up. 
• Afterword (optional — to share final thoughts about the book)
• Appendices (optional)
• Glossary (optional)
• Index (optional)
• About the Author page (give your readers a way to get a hold of you)
• Books by [Author name] page (optional)
• “Thanks for reading” page (with a politely-worded request for a review)

Do you feel prepared to outline a nonfiction book?

Outlining your book is like creating your daily “to-do” list. You could get things done without the list, but you’re much more productive when you have it.

Your outline helps you remember what want to include in the book. It keeps you focused and moving along in a logical direction. And it gives you some visual goals for your writing as you see clearly what you need to work on to complete your book.

More Related Articles:

How To Write A Book For Kindle About Your Expertise Or Passion

13 Proven Tools for Discovering Bestselling Book Ideas

9 Creative Writing Exercises To Awaken Your Inner Author

As comedian, actor, director, writer and producer, Michael Showalter, says, “I am a big proponent of writing a great outline. That way you can avoid hitting a roadblock. There is no worse feeling than writing yourself into a corner but if you’ve figured it all out in the outline then you won’t have that problem.”

2 thoughts on “How To Outline A Nonfiction Book: A Step-By-Step Guide”

Hey Steve can you answer me that Question which popped up during scrolling your awesome site: With all the great free Content on your site, why should i sign up for the Authority Pub Academy anyways? Best wishes, André

Hi Andre, Thanks for the compliment about our blog. That’s a good question. The Authority Pub Academy goes deep with more than 90 video tutorials. Of course, it is not for every writer is helping both new and seasoned authors to build a business around writing books. If you want more detail you can have a look at the sales page here: https://authority.pub/sp-15/ or contact us at [email protected]

Thanks! Ron Authority Pub Academy Partner

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Table of Contents

• Book Outline Template

Step 1: Brainstorm the Chapters for Your Book

Step 2: create a table of contents, step 3: fill in the outline structure, the simple way to outline a nonfiction book [with free template].

Your book outline is the structure of your book, and thus incredibly important. If you start writing without a good outline template, the writing process will take forever and your book will be haphazard and incomplete.

Worse, having no outline often leads to not finishing your book at all.

The outline is also your best defense against fear , anxiety, procrastination, and writer’s block . With good positioning and a good outline , the actual writing of the book becomes fairly easy.

What I am about to teach is not the outline template you learned about in school. It’s an unconventional approach. But it’s the process we developed to give our authors the best chance of actually getting their book done.

Download the free non-fiction book outline template here, and then let’s get started.

Download Non-Fiction Book Outline Template

You can download in Google Docs or Microsoft Word.

Why You Should Use Our Book Outline Template

Start with the numbers: at Scribe we’ve helped outline (and write) more than 1400 books. That number includes some of the biggest and best selling authors in the world (like David Goggins, Tiffany Haddish, and Nassim Taleb).

But the deeper reason is that this outline process is superior to anything else we’ve ever seen. The outline process you know was developed for school. The school outline method is about showing your work. It’s about grades. We don’t care about grades–we care about writing a great book .

What makes our book outline different is it’s designed to help you write your book. After working with all those authors, we know what successful authors need in their outline to get their book written. The basic idea is to use the book outline as a roadmap to help you know what to write in each chapter .

I know, this is simple, but it’s different than most book outlines. We don’t focus on story structure, there’s no mention of turning points or character arcs or subplots for a main character or any of the typical devices that are used primarily in novel writing. It’s not that this is wrong.

This book outline is just designed for non-fiction books only.

If you want a novel outline template, I recommend this post .

Ready to write your book but need more support? Scribe’s proven process provides everything you need to write, self-publish, and market your book. Schedule a consultation with one of our Author Strategists to learn more.

How To Outline A Book In 3 Steps

The first step to create your outline is to brainstorm what the chapters are for your book.

What’s a chapter? It’s basically a single cohesive idea, fully explored. Depending on how you organized your book, it can be a step in the process, or one of several principles, or anything like that.

Keep working your list of chapters—adding, subtracting, moving—until you have the major points you want to explain, in the basic order you want to explain them.

Don’t worry too much about the order at this point, they will probably change in the next step. All you want to do here is figure out exactly what your chapters are.

If you have trouble brainstorming, here are the frameworks that we’ve found work best:

Brainstorm Framework 1: “Workshop Presentation”

This framework works very well for people used to formally presenting their knowledge. Just imagine that you are giving a speech , presentation, or workshop to go over your material.

What would be part 1?

What would be part 2?

How would you break up the days?

Basically the structure of the workshop or presentation becomes the chapters of the book.

Brainstorm Framework 2: “Teach Your Book”

For this model, begin with your ideal reader, someone who is in your primary audience that you described in your positioning. Now, imagine teaching them everything in your book.

What are the major lessons?

What is step one?

Step two? Write it all down.

If you get stuck in this model, your ideal reader is your motivator. Picture your ideal client, friend, or student in your mind: how would you explain your process to them?

• What would they get confused about?
• What points do they struggle with?
• What lessons have you conveyed to them?
• What did they find particularly helpful?
• What questions do they ask you?

The beauty of “teaching your book” is that it’s an excellent frame to articulate the knowledge you have that you may take for granted.

Brainstorm Framework 3: “What Needs to Be Said?”

Write down the main ideas, concepts, arguments, and principles that you want to make in your book. Don’t get too granular—this is not about fleshing out every detail. This is about getting down the major points.

Warning: We’ve seen authors begin to write the book at this stage, producing pages and pages and getting frustrated.

Don’t go down that rabbit hole. Your brainstorm list of key points and arguments shouldn’t run longer than a couple of pages.

If you’re writing a bunch, you’re getting in too deep too soon. Keep your descriptions to short phrases or single sentences so you’re forced to stick to main points.

Don’t worry about capturing all the details that come to mind. You won’t forget what you know. Instead, this is about clarifying what you know, down to the basics that you want to describe to your reader. The point here is to find the major ideas and themes—the chapters. You can always come back and change things later if necessary.

Helpful Note: When you are brainstorming your chapters, have a section of your page called the “parking lot.”

Put all the good ideas you have that don’t seem to fit, into the parking lot. It’s a place for you to keep those ideas without having to throw them away. This also helps you free your mind and keeps you focused on the main idea of your book, while still retaining the seeds of your future books.

Once you have what you think are your chapters, then put it in your Table of Contents. Then write the key takeaway for each chapter, which is called a thesis statement.

A thesis statement is a short summation of the main point you want to make in the chapter. It should be one or two sentences, that’s it.

Example Table Of Contents:

How Many Chapters Should There Be?

If there are at least 5, and no more than 15, that’s normal. If you have less than 5, or more than 15, that is not necessarily wrong, but it is very unusual.

If you do that, you’d better have a good reason, one that makes a lot of sense to the reader.

Using the Table of Contents you created, now fill in the template for each chapter outline.

Remember: Don’t write the book in the outline, the outline is to tell you what to write.

Below is the outline structure we recommend. It lays out the various elements you’ll need for each chapter. Just fill in the information, which you will use as your guide to write the book. Below this, we show you two chapter summary examples.

Chapter X: [INSERT WORKING TITLE]

• This should be a personal story, historical anecdote, question to reader, shocking statement, or anything that draws in the attention of the reader and sets up what is about to come in the chapter.
• Do not be intimidated by this—all you really need to do here is tell a good short story or anecdote or introduce a fact that is engaging. It might not even be longer than a great tweet.
• The best chapter hooks tend to be emotionally intense, or some sort of mistake (which is usually emotionally intense).
• The best way to start a chapter is by “coming in late.” Begin with a scene or a quote or something that jumps right into the point you are making.
• I talk more about hooks in the post on Introductions .
• Once you have a chapter hook, then you plainly state what will be taught/discussed in this chapter.
• Essentially, you tell them what you’re going to tell them.
• This should be the same as the key takeaway in the Table of Contents.
• List all the key points/evidence for argument/factual content/plot points.
• This is the bulk of the section. You can do this quickly and succinctly, but the outline of the chapter should be laid out fairly well.
• Don’t go too in-depth by writing every detail, but do be specific and thorough. You are creating an outline, after all. If you see you’ve written paragraphs, you’re getting ahead of yourself.
• Make sure these are ordered in a logical way so that they’re building their point or argument like a pyramid, providing the basic foundational information first, then building up from there.
• Make sure you look at this section from the vantage point of your reader, rather than your own. Your reader is not the expert, you are, so this section needs to be tailored to them.
• This is where you list the stories you think you want to tell in this chapter. Effective stories are crucial to the success of a book. They are a great way to make the book and its specific takeaway points more memorable. Many readers forget facts after they read a book, but anecdotes and stories stay with them. They’re often more “sticky.”
• Make sure your stories are specific and highly relevant. You are not looking for a generic story in these points; rather, this should be a story that fits precisely here and demonstrates the message you want to convey.
• This does NOT mean that in your book, you write your supporting evidence, and THEN your stories. Of course you will integrate stories and supporting content.
• We recommend separating them in the outline, simply because it’s not always clear which stories you want to use and where. Listing these separately allows you to figure this out as you go. This gets you writing faster, which is the optimal way to outline.
• This should be the summary at the end of the chapter. It clearly lays out what the reader needs to know from this chapter.
• Essentially, you tell them what you just told them.
• This is an optional section, but most books benefit from tying the end of the chapter back to the hook, and then giving some sort of segue to the next chapter.

Chapter Examples:

Question: Why Not Structure Chapters Like You’ll Write Them?

Like we told you, we don’t structure our outline in the traditional way, like this:

There are a few reasons we don’t recommend this style of outline:

1. It doesn’t work well

We’ve found that the traditional outline style doesn’t work well with most authors. There are several reasons we think it doesn’t work that well (the main one is detailed below), but why it doesn’t work almost doesn’t matter.

The fact is, it does NOT work. We developed our style of outlining after testing dozens of different iterations and realizing what actually produced the best books in the shortest time.

2. Most authors can’t get to that level of detail until they start writing

For most authors, they have problems actually understanding ahead of time precisely how to lay their books out. This is understandable; writing and structuring an entire book is hard and very foreign to people who haven’t done it before.

We find that the traditional outline structure gets people lost in the outline, and that the best way to actually get people to writing is to chunk up the chapter into sections. Then have authors write down enough so they understand what they are trying to say and what they need to write, and then figure out the details as they write.

Basically, what they need is a road map, not a detailed excel spreadsheet.

3. This style keeps the author moving forward, instead of getting stuck

The conventional way of outlining forces the author to get very deep into their knowledge at a stage where some of the ideas may not be worked out yet. Most people do not do well with a long detailed outline, but do better by writing their way to understanding.

This process allows for either approach—you can go detailed if you really want, or you can just get the bullets down that you need, and then figure the rest out as you write.

Should I Use Special Outlining Software?

If you already use and love Scrivener , then great, keep using it. But in our experience, for most first time authors, it is a huge waste of time to learn and use.

The Scrivener templates are fine, but nothing you can’t do in Google Docs or Microsoft Word . Scrivener is really good for fiction writers.

Completed your outline but need help taking the next steps? Consider joining the Scribe Guided Author Program. We’ve designed a proven process that provides everything you need to write, self-publish, and market your book with the help of expert coaches.  Click here for more details . Or,  schedule a consult  with our one of our Author Strategists. 

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Guides • Perfecting your Craft

Last updated on Apr 23, 2021

How to Write a Nonfiction Book in 6 Steps

About the author.

Reedsy's editorial team is a diverse group of industry experts devoted to helping authors write and publish beautiful books.

About Savannah Cordova

Savannah is a senior editor with Reedsy and a published writer whose work has appeared on Slate, Kirkus, and BookTrib. Her short fiction has appeared in the Owl Canyon Press anthology, "No Bars and a Dead Battery". 

About Rebecca van Laer

Rebecca van Laer is a writer, editor, and the author of two books, including the novella How to Adjust to the Dark. Her work has been featured in literary magazines such as AGNI, Breadcrumbs, and TriQuarterly.

Writing a nonfiction book is a good way to share your story, impart your wisdom, or even build your business. And while you may not have thought about becoming an author before, it’s not as far-fetched a goal as you might think. In this post, we'll show you a simple process for becoming a nonfiction author. Hold onto that book idea of yours, and let’s see how we can turn it into something that readers will love.

How to write a nonfiction book:

1. Determine what problem your book will solve

2. outline your book with a logical structure, 3. choose a style guide to remain consistent, 4. blast through your messy first draft, 5. revise your manuscript and check your facts, 6. choose to publish traditionally or independently.

When you start out, your idea is likely to be nebulous or vague, e.g. “It’s a self-help book for new parents.” Before you put pen to paper, you need to crystallize and tighten your original idea, as well as think about your target audience and  how to reach readers . Using that information and the tips below, you can validate your book idea, find a sense of direction in your writing, and prepare for when you  try to get a book deal , if you want to traditionally publish. 

FREE RESOURCE

Book Proposal Template

Craft a professional pitch for your nonfiction book with our handy template.

Nail down your book idea

A key part of figuring out how to write a nonfiction book is being able to answer the three important "W" questions:

• What is it about?
• Why does it matter, and why should you write it?
• Who will want to read it — or rather, who are your ideal readers ?

Once you can answer these questions, you can fill in the blanks below:

[The who] will read my book about [the what] because [the why].

For example: "CEOs will read my book about workplace culture because it offers insights into the practices of the top ten companies voted 'best places' to work in the USA."

Being able to distill your book down in this way is a good sign you have a solid concept, and that your book will ultimately be marketable. If you can’t answer one of those questions, it may be time to return to the drawing board and tighten up your book’s main idea.

Research your topic

Once you’ve pinned down your idea, you’ll want to dig a bit into the topic or the nonfiction genre of your book to find the leads to develop this idea. Research is very important, and it can come in many shapes and sizes depending on the project. Here are a few of the different types of research that are suitable for certain genres.

💭 If you’re writing a memoir

We’ve got a whole guide on writing memoirs  with more research tips, but if there’s one thing we recommend you do, it’s to interview yourself. Ask yourself questions that strangers might ask you. A simple interview like this can help you reassess your memories and pull out the important bits of your story. (And of course, you can always have someone else interview you too!) 

🔧 If you’re writing a how-to 

Your research may involve collecting all sorts of existing material on the subject — such as blog posts and previously published essays. You might want to test some of the methods out in order to home in on the most effective instructions. 

☯ If you’re writing self-help

When writing a book about helping yourself , you might want to reach out to experts, such as psychologists and inspirational speakers, who can provide more evidence and insight to what you already know. If you're an expert yourself, you can interview yourself as you would for a memoir. It also doesn’t hurt to check out some of the best self-help books for inspiration!

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⏳ If you’re writing a history or biography

You’ll be gathering resources in libraries and archives, looking at primary and secondary sources on the matter. And if you’re writing about someone who’s still alive, you’ll probably need access to said person, or at least have their consent before forging on with the research. 

💼 If you’re writing a business book 

This requires a lot of understanding of the market that you’re writing about, be it the one concerning stocks or houseplants (see more of what we mean in our guide on how to write an ebook). You have to find out who might be interested in the products you're talking about, what their habits are like, where they usually go to for advice on matters related to the product — the list goes on. If you really want to dive into this route, perhaps this free course of ours can be of some help… 

Free course: How to write a business book

How can writing a book revolutionize your business? Only one way to find out.

Like fiction, where story structure can make or break a narrative , nonfiction relies on the reader being able to follow the writer’s leaps of logic. Since nonfiction is all about utility, structure is of the utmost importance in guiding the reader toward the information they need. You want your structure to be coherent but also gripping, so that readers want to read on and remember what they’ve read.  

Typically, if your book is about a process, or is a how-to, a linear structure makes sense. To make things more exciting for readers, you can also choose to disrupt the linear flow and follow a list or essay structure. Not sure what these structures are? Head on to our guide on how to outline a nonfiction book to find the answers (and more planning tips). 

Before you start writing, pick a style guide to follow throughout your book. What’s a style guide, you ask? It’s a set of guidelines to help keep your writing consistent. If you’ve worked with both US English and UK English, you might notice that certain things get spelled differently, i.e. ‘color’ versus ‘colour’. You should choose the variation that best suits your target audience, depending on where they’re based. A manual of style would help ensure you keep to one of those versions, along with some other details like whether you use the Oxford or serial comma, single or double quotation marks, or how to list your references. A popular guide that you might find useful is the Chicago Manual of Style . 

Why do things like this matter? Firstly, a proper guide matters to a nonfiction book because this book is supposed to be factual and accurate. Whether you’re writing popular self-help or more academic pieces, referencing will be a crucial part of your credibility, so you’ll want to nail it from the moment you start. Secondly, being consistent as you write will only help you in the editing process, preventing you from having to correct the same mistakes over and over again. 

Now the planning’s out of the way, there’s nowhere left to run: it’s time to actually sit down and write your first draft. Luckily, we've got plenty of tips for writing to help you out!

Use storytelling techniques 

Almost anything is more comprehensible and memorable when told as a story. Stories are easier to follow along, they get readers invested in the topic and curious about what happens next, and they tend to be more memorable than just hard facts. Which is why you should think about the stories that you can tell through your nonfiction book, and how to get the most out of them. 

So when you use anecdotal evidence, think about the person (a.k.a. character) involved, what their motivations and feelings are. How can those motives and sensations be linked to your main point? If you can, the fact that you’re sharing will be that much more meaningful to the reader because they've associated it with a story. Of course, you shouldn’t embellish facts and end up in the realm of fiction, but an eye for narrative detail is a big asset for a nonfiction author.

Hear it from another author: Harry Freedman shared his process with us in this Reedsy Live! 

Include dialogue 

Continuing on from the previous point, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t use dialogue in your nonfiction writing. It’s a given that you’d use it in creative nonfiction, but it’s also a great way to break up dense texts and add a human voice to your book. If you have a transcript or a record of a direct quote, you can write it as dialogue . If not, feel free to refer to what was being said as something you’ve been told, rather than something someone said. The difference is subtle (as you can see in the example below), but either way, including conversations make the writing more accessible and interesting to read. 

“I bought a lot of ice cream that week where there was a heatwave,” Joe said.  Hot weather makes people crave ice cream — I remember my neighbor, Joe, stocking up in preparation for a heatwave. 

Of course, it goes without saying that in academic writing this might not be the most conventional or professional option. But if you have a clear recording of the conversation, and you see the value of including it in your book, then you can do it. Note, however, that the formatting for dialogues in academic writing especially may be different from the ones you see in fiction writing (this is why we cannot emphasize enough the need to find an appropriate editor). 

Avoid jargon 

This just might be the most important piece of advice we can give you: keep your use of jargon and complicated language to a minimum. This does not mean that you have to cut away every expert term you have in your vocabulary, it just means you should use them mindfully. Remember that you may be writing for a quite a big audience, many of whom might not know what you’re talking about. Not only will they need you to explain the term when you first introduce it, they’ll also be less likely to remember these terms if they’ve only just met them. 

As such, you want to minimize the use of jargon in your writing. If there’s a simpler way to express something, use it. It might feel like you’re killing story elements you love , but it will most likely be appreciated by your readers.If you must use specialist vocab, be sure to define it and add refreshers where necessary.

Have a writing schedule 

Our final tip is one for your process: create a writing schedule for yourself, whichever fits your own timetable and writing habits the most. Perhaps you have a day job and work best when you have a specific time to write at the end of the day. Or maybe you work better with a monthly goal of finishing certain sections and chapters in mind. Either way, setting out time to write regularly will help you progress and keep you from losing motivation.  

If you think learning how to write a nonfiction book is all about the actual writing, you’re forgetting another crucial dimension of the book business: editing. Most manuscripts go through several rounds of revisions before they reach their final form, and the first round should always be a self-edit. So don’t hold back: it’s time for you to ruthlessly edit your book . Here are some of our best tips for you. 

Double-check your facts 

It should go without saying, but this is probably the most important part of editing your nonfiction book. Whenever you refer to a fact, a historical event, or an argument that another academic has previously made, you have to make sure that it’s accurate. On top of that, you’ll have to add a footnote and reference at the end, listing your sources. You don’t want to be sharing false facts or accused of paraphrasing other’s works! 

As such, combing through and checking your facts is essential. It can be quite a tedious task, and you can never be too careful, so having a second pair of eyes on your manuscript is always a good idea.

Perfect your manuscript with professional help

The top nonfiction editors are on Reedsy, and you can meet them for free

Learn how Reedsy can help you craft a beautiful book.

Cut down on excessive information 

While we’re on the topic of facts, let’s talk about being overly informative. Can a book that’s supposed to educate ever be provide too much information? Turns out too much of anything can be bad. 

Everything in your book should link back to the main problem that you’re addressing. Sometimes it’s tempting to drop in a fun fact or anecdote that you think readers might find entertaining, but it’s important to balance that with the coherence of your book. So as you reread your first draft, think about the purpose behind the pieces of information you lay out, and remove those that don’t aid in answering the main question of your book. 

Shorten your sentences

The style guide you picked at the beginning will probably have you covered in terms of punctuation and grammar. What it can’t cover is your sentence length. Most sentences in first drafts err on the longer side — we tend to use more conjunctions than necessary to connect phrases and ideas that are interlinked. However, it’s often easier for readers to take in the details bit by bit. 

Aim for 20-30 words sentences, which should max out at about two lines in the standard Times New Roman, 12-point font. Anything longer than 50 words should be avoided as much as possible. 

Looking for more tips to refine your nonfiction writing? Reedsy editor Jenn Lien shared plenty in this seminar! 

Self-edits all done? That means you’re ready for the next steps of your publishing journey. The next question to ask yourself is how you’ll be putting this book of yours into the world: will it be through a publisher, or will you produce the book independently? There’s a lot to consider when debating the pros and cons of traditional and self-publishing , but as a nonfiction writer, you might find doing it yourself beneficial, because:

• Publishing is much faster without having to go through agents and publishers;
• You probably have or are building an online presence already and can use that to effectively get your book out there ;
• You get most of the royalties. 

That said, we’ll share some tips to get you ready for either pathway below. And if you’re still on the fence about the next steps, maybe this little quiz can help you out! 

Is self-publishing or traditional publishing right for you?

Takes one minute!

Self-publishing 

If you’ve decided to become an indie author , here are some things you might want to do once you finish your manuscript. (Remember that although you’re self-publishing, you won’t have to do everything by yourself! Professional help is at hand.) 

✍ Hire an editor (if you haven’t already). At the risk of sounding like a broken record, we can’t recommend hiring a professional editor enough. A fresh perspective will always help when it comes to the nitty gritty details. 

🎨 Work with a professional cover designer. In the digital age, the decision to buy a book is arguably more heavily influenced by the appeal of the cover — it’s the thumbnails on Amazon that do much of the work! Artistic book covers like these are guaranteed to catch the eye of browsers, which is why you should definitely work with a designer. 

🌐 Get to know Amazon. We know, its influence on our lives is uncanny, but there’s hardly a better place to reach your audience than Amazon. From printing the books to promoting it, there are all the tools you need on this platform to achieve self-publishing success. This guide on Amazon self-publishing will shed some light on how that can be done. 

Traditional publishing 

Going down the traditional route means that the publisher will take care of most areas of finishing up the product, from the edit to cover design. However, to get to that point, you’ll need to follow some pretty standard steps. 

📬 Query an agent. Most large publishers don’t accept unsolicited submissions from authors, meaning they require representation from a literary agent. Some resources we have for those looking to query are:

• How to Write a Nonfiction Query Letter (blog post)
• The Best Nonfiction Literary Agents to Submit to (directory) 

📖 Submit a book proposal. Together with an agent, you’ll have to pitch a publisher with a book proposal. This proposal includes your book’s synopsis, its target audience and competitive titles, as well as a sample of one or two of the chapters. So while you don’t need a complete manuscript before you submit, a rough draft will no doubt be helpful. For a bit more detail on the process, check out our free course on how to submit a nonfiction proposal. 

Free course: How to submit a book proposal

Get publishers excited about your nonfiction book in this 10-day online course.

Now that you know how to write a nonfiction book, the publishing world is your oyster! Whatever path you take, we wish you the best of luck. And if you do decide to publish, we can’t wait to see what you’ve created. 

David Irvine says:

05/12/2019 – 16:58

I self-published all my books for free using the Amazon KDP software. It was a bit of a high learning curve but worth the time and effort. You can also create a really nice front cover using their cover creator. Anyway, nice write up with plenty of good tips for writers seeking to get published.

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Outlining a Nonfiction Book: A Writer’s Tips and Strategies for Drafting an Effective Outline

June 15, 2021

Writing a book is an exciting journey. And, as with any journey, it contains both ups and downs. However, experienced writers simplify their journey by having an accurate roadmap.

When writing nonfiction content, outlining becomes the roadmap that leads a writer from point A to point B as efficiently as possible.

Often, inexperienced writers go about their projects without a clear idea of what they intend to communicate. As a result, they struggle to finish their endeavors. However, a solid outline can provide writers with the clear path they need to produce high-quality works without wasting precious time and effort.

In this article, we will explore the importance of writing an outline for nonfiction books and will discuss the tips and strategies that successful writers use to produce effective outlines.

Why Writing Outlines are a Must

Writing a book is meant to be a finite activity. It has a beginning and an end.

This assumption is true so long as the writer completes their task. However, most aspiring authors find themselves struggling to finish what they start.

Many factors hinder a writer’s ability to complete a project.

To begin with, some writers lack the expertise needed to complete a full book. Many would-be writers neglect to develop a system that aids them in producing a finished draft.

Other times, first-time authors do not have a clear idea of the message they wish to convey.

Therein lies the importance of outlining.

Suzannah Windsor Freeman, founder of Write It Sideways , offers this insight into the importance of outlining a writing project, “ The reason I believe in the benefits of outlining is that it simply gives you less room for failure .”

The idea of “failure” pertains specifically to leaving the writing project incomplete. An outline can drastically reduce the odds of leaving a writing project undone because it limits the project’s scope and helps the writer focus on specific points within the general topic.

One of the foundational elements of nonfiction writing is research. After all, nonfiction content should stem from relevant information.

As such, research helps the writer concentrate on detailed information that will allow them to develop their narrative.

Without an outline, a writing project can progressively degenerate into a compendium of facts and data that do not lead anywhere. Ultimately, the project may become a vast information dump if it ever comes to fruition.

The most significant benefit derived from outlining pertains to creating a constant thread throughout the finished project. Even though nonfiction books contain facts and data, that does not mean they should not have a storyline.

A storyline is a consistent narrative that enables readers to follow the author’s main points as they navigate the content.

Outlining helps writers maintain that constant thread throughout the writing project. Without an outline, writers may diverge from their main storyline. Therefore, the book may fall into rambling or become altogether pointless.

Creating an effective outline entails having a clear picture of what the book aims to cover and the message it looks to contain.

Therefore, authors should avoid writing a nonfiction book without one. Regardless of skill level and experience, using outlines helps maintain focus while drastically improving the odds of seeing a writing project through to the end.

Organizing an Outline

An outline is essentially a list of items that will make up the final draft. As such, this list provides writers with a roadmap, leading them to the desired outcome.

Most outlines work in a list format. This format allows authors to visualize what they intend to cover in each section. Consequently, the list of items provides a structure to follow throughout the book.

The purpose of an outline is to arrange and develop ideas formally. While an outline should not be immutable, writers should nonetheless adhere to it as much as possible.

Deviating from the outline’s contents may lead to losing the project’s scope and message. Therefore, a solid outline should incorporate flexibility whenever possible. By doing so, it allows authors to ad-lib without risking a major divergence from the book’s original concept.

Also, an outline should organize content by linking ideas to one another. Moreover, an outline should reflect which points need more support to develop fully. This decision boils down to the book’s overall scope.

For instance, an author may feel that certain points warrant more attention than others. In consequence, the outline should reflect this decision.

It is worth noting that there is no “right” or “wrong” way to craft an outline. However, there are best practices to keep in mind. These practices contain the guidelines to follow when producing an effective outline.

Outline Best Practices

First, the outline should clearly establish the topic. Broad topics such as “The French Revolution” are too vast to develop in a single volume adequately. Therefore, the outline should delineate the topic as specifically as possible.

Second, an outline must contain the points to cover in the book. As a general rule of thumb, a 60,000-word nonfiction volume should contain 12 to 15 chapters.  Thus, this implies outlining 12 to 15 main points.

While the book could certainly have less than 12 chapters, authors must avoid cramming large amounts of information into a single chapter.

Third, chapters must flow in a logical sequence. Ideally, each chapter should build on the previous one. By the time the reader reaches the final one, they have a full picture of the author’s message. The entire discussion builds the writer’s thesis thoroughly.

Fourth, sub-points help breakdown main ideas into manageable chunks. Sub-points provide the reader with a pathway through each of the main points. This sequence provides readers with a clear roadmap. Generally speaking, each main point should have at least two significant sub-points. Otherwise, that main point might best become a sub-point in another chapter.

Lastly, a thorough review of the outline should ensure all main points receive adequate coverage. Also, it is crucial to eliminate unnecessary information. To maximize space, only items that contribute to the book’s overall thesis should comprise the content.

Here is a sample look at what a run-of-the-mill outline would look like:

• Introduction
• Sub-point one
• Sub-point two

The proposed outline structure shows a standard way of organizing an outline. Please bear in mind that each chapter represents the main idea. Every sub-point represents a specific concept for that chapter. The number of chapters hinges on the proposed word count and overall scope of the project. As such, larger projects would have more chapters than smaller ones.

Details of an Outline

Generally speaking, writers ought to produce an outline before writing. Nevertheless, creating an outline can happen at any stage of the writing process.

Some writers create their outlines after conducting research. As such, they can organize their main and sub-points based on the compiled information. Others prefer to write and then create an outline to serve as a checklist during the review process.

The first step in the outlining process is to establish the overarching theme and thesis. These two elements will lead to determining the book’s title and subtitle.

Moreover, the thesis should determine the number of main and subpoints that will support the book’s overall scope. These elements must appear in the introduction. The introduction is where authors present their case and state their thesis. Additionally, the introduction serves to outline what contents readers can expect throughout the book.

The next step involves determining the book’s size. This decision largely depends on time constraints or publishing space.

If space is unlimited, then anything goes. A typical nonfiction book ranges around 50,000 to 60,000 words. Nonfiction eBooks often range between 25,000 to 30,000 words.

The final decision on word count should keep the target audience in mind. A target audience comprised of avid readers could easily consume 50,000 words. In contrast, a quick how-to guide should take up around 10,000 to 15,000 words.

Outline Structures

One system both fiction and nonfiction writers use frequently is to outline their ideas using the Index Card Method.

Successful nonfiction author Steve Scott uses a specific Index Card system to manage ideas during the outlining process. In his system, index cards represent chapters and sub-chapters. Three to five index cards full of notes represent one chapter’s worth of notes. One full chapter should contain roughly 10 to 12 cards.

In total, a finished book should contain about 30 to 60 index cards. Naturally, a larger book would have more cards. Nevertheless, the ratio described in this system provides a ballpark figure.

It is also worth formulating a specific structure for individual chapters. The following structure offers a suggested guideline for every chapter, regardless of specific content.

• Hook . A hook is an opening statement or paragraph employed to capture the reader’s attention.
• Thesis . This is the main argument the chapter will discuss.
• Supporting details . Supporting details is specific information utilized to give credibility to the main argument.
• Examples . Often, abstract information requires specific examples to illustrate its application. Also, additional examples provide the reader with a practical sense of the content.
• Summary . The summary should encapsulate the chapter’s message.
• Takeaways . The chapter’s main takeaway(s) should leave the reader with a recommendation, reflection, or even a call to action.
• Segue . A segue is a statement or short paragraph that entices the reader to move forward in the book.

This structure enables writers to create a rhythm, enabling them to produce quality chapters consistently. It is worth reiterating that the outline process intends to reduce the likelihood of failure. A chapter structure such as the one described above would greatly reduce any incidence of failure to complete a writing project.

Five Mistakes to Avoid When Writing an Outline

There are several pitfalls to keep in mind to make the outlining process as beneficial as possible. In particular, these pitfalls represent mistakes during the conceptualization process of the book’s content. As a result, it is worth taking a closer look at these issues.

Mistake #1: Not telling a story

The biggest mistake a writer can make is not telling a real story. This mistake can quickly derail a book.

Even when the writing is fantastic and the research appropriate, not conveying a message will leave the reader without a clear path. Therefore, nonfiction writers should always strive to tell a story.

This story represents the message the author wishes to convey.

Mistake #2: No logical starting point

Lacking a logical starting point may confuse readers from the start. For instance, assuming that readers are already familiar with the topic is often a mistake.

Unless the book specifically caters to a well-versed group of readers, authors must assume that readers are not familiar with the topic. Thus, writers must build knowledge from fundamental concepts up to larger, more complex ones.

The outline’s organization needs to reflect a logical progression in its chapter organization. Failing to do so may leave readers confused and uninterested.

Mistake #3: Not taking the target audience into account

A huge mistake novice writers make is not writing for their target audience. This mistake is evident in the writing style.

Writing style must match the target audience’s knowledge level, experience, and background.

For example, using highly complex language for a general audience may alienate some readers. In contrast, using an informal, conversational tone would be inappropriate for an academic subject.

Therefore, the outlining process should reveal the most appropriate writing tone and style.

Mistake #4: Producing an “information dump”

Producing an information dump can lead readers to lose interest.

Books loaded with vast amounts of data can lead readers to question the book’s message. The book must have a message in order to keep the reader hooked on the subject.

Books with a clear message use data, even when voluminous, to support it. Doing so keeps readers engaged. However, citing facts and figures for the sake of sounding smart does a disservice to readers.

Consequently, using the suggested chapter structure should aid writers in producing captivating and informational content.

Mistake #5: Lack of emotion

Nonfiction writers may lack an emotional element to their content. While emotion is a staple of fiction writing, in the nonfiction domain, emotion is crucial.

Regardless of the topic, writers can use their emotions to convey their passion, enthusiasm, or perception. Hence, the outlining process can reflect these emotions. A simple note such as “Chapter One: My Personal Journey into Gardening” serves to remind the writer they intend to take their readers through the journey that lead them to their love of gardening.

Ultimately, the outlining process allows writers to plan as many details as they wish. For some writers, a broader outline may suffice. For others, a highly detailed outline would better serve their needs.

Therefore, writers should tinker with their outlining process until they find the one that suits their needs best.

The outlining process is crucial to the success of a nonfiction book. And producing an effective outline can drastically reduce the likelihood of a book remaining unfinished.

Most importantly, the outlining process enables writers to plan the details related to their content. Without it, a writer may lack direction. Lacking a clear direction may cause the content to appear disjointed and incoherent to the reader.

While the research and writing may be high-quality, an incoherent message can derail great work. Ultimately, writers must strive to communicate their overarching theme and thesis across their content. Each chapter serves to gradually build their argument, thereby taking readers through a journey of discovery.

In the end, the reader will take away the pearls of wisdom the writer intends to share with them. All of this is valuable work that begins with writing an effective outline.

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How to Outline a Nonfiction Book in 5 Steps

There’s no way around it. You need a book outline if you’re writing nonfiction .

For a novel, if you’re a Pantser (one who writes by the seat of your pants—like I do) as opposed to an Outliner, you can get away with having a rough idea where you’re going and how to get there.

But for nonfiction, a book outline is non-negotiable.

Potential agents and publishers’ acquisitions editors require it in a proposal. They want to know you know where you’re going, chapter by chapter.

Over the past nearly 50 years, I’ve written 200 books, 21 of them New York Times bestsellers—a third of them nonfiction. I’ve come to appreciate the discipline of outlining, though that doesn’t work for me with fiction.

I’ve developed an easy-to-use book outline process I believe will help you organize your manuscript.

But first, a word about your topic…

Don’t make the mistake of trying to make a book of something that could—and should—be covered in an article or blog post.

You need a topic worthy of a book. Can it bear at least 12 chapters?

• What is a Book Outline?

If you’ve forgotten the basics of classic outlining or have never felt comfortable with the concept, you can still manage this. Your book outline must serve you, not the other way around.

You don’t have to think in terms of 20+ pages of Roman numerals and capital and lowercase letters followed by Arabic numerals—unless that best serves your project. For me a bullet point list of sentences that synopsize my idea works fine.

Don’t even call it an outline if that offends your sensibilities. But fashion some sort of a document that provides direction and structure—which will also serve as a safety net to keep you on track.

• A Winning Strategy for Outlining a Book

If you lose interest in your manuscript somewhere in what I call the Marathon of the Middle, you likely didn’t begin with enough ideas. A book outline will reveal such a weakness in advance. You want confidence your structure will carry you through to the end.

I recommend the novel structure illustration below for fiction, but with only slight adaptations it can work for nonfiction as well.

The same structure can turn mediocre nonfiction to something special. Arrange your points and evidence to set up a huge payoff, then make sure to deliver.

If you’re writing a memoir , an autobiography, or a biography, you or your biographical subject becomes the main character. Craft a sequence of life events like a novel, and watch the true story come to life.

But even if you’re writing a straightforward how-to or self-help book, stay as close to this structure as possible.

Make promises early, triggering readers to anticipate fresh ideas, secrets, inside information—something major that will thrill them with the finished product.

While you may not have as much action or dialogue or character development as your novelist counterpart, your crises and tension can come from showing where people have failed before and how you’re going to ensure your readers will succeed.

You can even make a how-to project look impossible until you pay off that setup with your unique solution.

• How to Outline a Book in 5 Steps

Always view your outline as fluid. You can expand or condense it as you go, and of course move things around.

Your outline should answer:

• What’s my ultimate goal—my message?
• About what am I trying to convince, inform, educate, entertain, or move my readership?
• What progression sequence, chapter by chapter, best serves my purpose?

Begin with a one-page road map that gives you a bird’s eye view of what you intend your book to become.

What to include:

1. Your Message in One Sentence

This can also serve as your Elevator Pitch —what you’d share with a publishing professional between the time you meet him on the elevator and the time he gets off.

Think big. This is not your book, but the idea behind it.

What message can you communicate with the potential to change lives? It should be one you’re passionate about, because it changed your life.

People love to be educated and entertained, but they never forget if you move them emotionally.

I wrote As You Leave Home: Parting Thoughts from a Loving Parent to our eldest son when he left home for college.

My elevator pitch: “I want to express my unconditional love for my child as he leaves the nest.”

Gift books for grads are a dime a dozen, so what made mine stand out and be excerpted in the in-flight magazines of United and American Airlines, and land a guest spot on James Dobson’s Focus on the Family radio program?

Why did this book resonate with tens of thousands of parents facing the same season?

The emotional nature of the message.

By declaring my love for my son, I connected with the hearts of parents during this same bittersweet season.

Without contriving, by letting it bubble up through true passion, aim for the heart.

2. Your Target Readership

Resist the temptation to say it’s for everyone . We all like to think our message is for both genders and all ages, but that’s unrealistic and viewed as naïve by agents and publishers.

Three of the bestselling nonfiction books of all time eventually landed in the everyone category but were originally aimed at specific readerships:

• How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie, released in 1936, has sold more than 30 million copies and still sells roughly a quarter million a year. Target: business people.
• The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey, released in 1989, and has sold more than 25 million copies in 40 languages. Target: business people.
• Written as the sequel to The Purpose Driven Church, The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren, released in 2002, has sold more than 50 million copies in 85 languages. Target: adult Christians.

One way to determine your target readership is to imagine a single reader.

• What’s their problem (felt need)?
• What takeaway value can you offer?
• What’s the most compelling approach you can use to reach them?

I used to imagine my mother as my target reader when she was in the demographic most likely to buy inspirational books. If I could make sense to her, I’d hit the mark.

If you’re still fuzzy on your readership, look in the mirror. Write the book you’d read.

And, be specific. If your book is about your life as a veterinary surgeon, its primary target would be aspiring vets, then practicing vets, and finally animal lovers.

Research the numbers of people who populate these categories so you can give agents and publishers an idea of the potential market.

3. How You’ll Convey Your Message

Imagine you’ve confided to two friends about a personal problem.

The first says, “Here’s what you need to do…”

The second drapes an arm around your shoulder and says, “I was in your place once. Let me tell you what I learned and how I got out of it.”

Which are you more likely to listen to?

I call that second approach the Come-Alongside Method . It avoids preachiness and allows readers to get and apply the point on their own.

A story well told drives home a point much more powerfully than narrative summary.

Think reader first.

4. A One-Sentence Synopsis of Each Chapter

Think in stages, so your chapters flow logically.

Begin with a promise—a setup you’ll pay off in the end.

For example, with a how-to topic like Time Management, your first few chapters should dangle a carrot, either with a story about a chronic time waster who became a consummate success, or by simply implying, Stick with me and you’ll be a time management pro by the time you finish this book .

Then list chapters that:

• cover the background of your topic
• analyze current theories and opinions
• review case histories
• present innovations and experiments
• feature interviews with experts

Now summarize your chapters to help divide your research into categories.

Example Chapters:

• One: In Time, You Can Be a Pro
• Two: Time Management Since Bible Times
• Three: What the Experts Say
• Four: Technology and Time Management

5. Your Research and Stories

Getting every fact right adds polish to your finished product.

Even a small mistake due to a lack of research can cause your reader to lose confidence—and interest—in your book.

Research Tips

Essential tools:

• Atlases and World Almanacs to confirm geography and cultural norms.
• Online Encyclopedias.
• YouTube and online search engines can yield tens of thousands of results. (Just be careful to avoid getting drawn into endless clickbait videos)
• A Thesaurus , but not to find the most exotic word. Look for that normal word on the tip of your tongue.
• In-person, online, or even email interviews with experts. People love to talk about their work, and often such lead to more anecdotes to support your message.

When choosing anecdotes, remember:

• A memoir, autobiography, or biography doesn’t need to be in chronological order. Sequence your stories to best serve your theme.
• For how-to and self-help, include only stories that support your points.

Readers love stories.

If you don’t have a story to support a point, get creative! Feel free to invent stories, but always clearly differentiate between which are true and which are imagined.

If you begin a story, “A friend of mine…,” the reader will assume it’s true.

If you begin with something like, “Consider a mother of preschoolers…,” the reader understands you’re suggesting a scenario.

Now expand each chapter summary into a synopsis of a few sentences.

Under each, list the stories you’ll use and tell how each supports your theme and message

Next, for self-help, psychology, business, or other non-character driven nonfiction books: examine the primary message of each chapter. Note whether it meets the needs of your readers.

For chapters in memoirs, biographies, historical fiction, or any other character-driven nonfiction, examine:

• Your POV character
• What’s happening
• When it’s happening
• Where it’s happening
• Its contribution to your main character’s terrible trouble
• You Can Do It

Outlining a book is crucial to your success. Carefully follow the steps above to give you the structure you need to write the nonfiction book you’ve always dreamed of writing.

Click here for additional resources, like help with writing your memoir, a devotional, or my start-to-finish book writing process.

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Learn How to Outline Your Nonfiction Book in 10 Easy Steps Like the Pros

by Bennett R. Coles

You’ve decided to write a nonfiction book so you search for “how to outline a book,” only you find that virtually every article posted is addressed to fiction writers who want to outline their novels.

I wanted to write this article specifically for nonfiction writers like you, so that you can learn the necessary roadmap to go from the idea stage to a completed book outline, including a table of contents.

I’ll share below ten easy steps to get you from A to Z in the most direct way. However, you have to keep in mind that easy does not mean effortless; it means clear and straightforward (you’ll still have to put in the hard work).

What you won’t have to do is to spend hours trying to figure out what the right steps are. The methodology shown in the steps below has been fine-tuned and time-tested by thousands of nonfiction writers over decades and you’ll be able to put it to use in order to produce immediate results. Let’s get started…

How Do You Write an Effective Outline?

There are many ways to write a book outline, and it varies according to genre. In this article I’ll be focusing on an outline process for nonfiction books, but not just any kind of nonfiction.

I’ll be focusing specifically on problem-solving nonfiction. That is, books written by entrepreneurial authors, professionals, people with a practice, consultants and coaches who want to offer a unique solution to a big problem that their target audience is experiencing .

If this is you, then you’ll have a key advantage over most other authors in that your book is already inside of you – it’s made up of your many years of experience and skill-building in your field, your time in business, your time solving problems for clients, etc.

The task ,then, is to help you get the book that’s sitting in your brain onto the written page in a way that it can be easily structured.

To create an effective outline for your nonfiction book, you’ll have to begin with a main idea and then go though a series of steps that allow you to map out the book out of your brain into a diagram that you can then manipulate, organize and structure to turn it into an outline and a table of contents.

Here Are the Ten Steps:

Step 1: define your book’s main idea.

Before you can begin the process of creating your book outline, you need to hone into the main idea behind your book. As someone who’s in business for yourself, you probably cater to a number of different clients who experience different problems.

Perhaps you offer a suite of solutions to address different sets of circumstances. However, when it comes to writing nonfiction you’ll have to focus on a single problem and a unique solution.

Why? Because nonfiction readers have two expectations:

• They have a big problem to solve and are looking for a unique solution . They don’t want to deal with a business through a book, they want to deal directly with you as the expert, someone who gets them and knows how to help them solve their problem.
• They want your book to be written just for them. They want you to address them as if you were a friend trying to help. They want your book to read as if it was written especially for them.

Now it’s time to define your main idea. What’s your audience’s most significant problem for which you’ve created a unique solution? What single problem are you helping your audience solve?

Here are some famous examples from the book trade for your reference:

Title: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People / Problem: I’m a procrastinator and I’m paying dearly for it.

Title: The 4-Hour Workweek / Problem: I’m tired of the rat race and I want freedom.

Title: The Mindfulness Code / Problem: I’m constantly anxious and don’t know how to quiet my mind.

For a more in-depth article about how to define your main book idea, click here to read How to Come Up With Great Book Ideas For Business Owners .

Step 2: Create Your Book’s Mind Map

Once you’ve chosen your book’s main idea, which clearly reflects how your unique solution solves a big problem for your target audience, it’s time to generate your book outline.

The technique that you’re going to use is called “ Mind Mapping .” It was developed in the 1970’s by British author Tony Buzan, and it’s the most effective means of creating an outline for a problem-solving nonfiction book.

This technique is effective because it mimics the way your brain stores and retrieves information. In essence, a “mind map” is a pictorial representation of all the information related to your book that’s sitting in your brain.

First, you place your main idea at the center of the mind map diagram, and then you expand out radially by drawing a number of main branches. These branches represent the key topics that your main idea will be broken into.

Coming out of each key topic you now draw a set of sub-branches that make up all the sub-topics that your key topic will be broken into. Finally, you repeat this process to further break down your sub-topics.

Here’s an example of the mind map for one of Tony Buzan’s popular nonfiction books:

Step 3: Group Mind Map Branches Together

Once you have your mind map captured on paper, it’s time to begin the process of structuring it in order to turn it into a book outline.

As you can probably sense by now, your main branches will eventually become your book’s chapters, the sub-branches your sub-chapters, and so on.

The first step in structuring your book is to group together main branches that fit thematically and turn them into a book part with a part title.

Here’s an Example:

If you were writing a book about how to alter your audience’s beliefs to achieve goals, you could assign main branches for topics such as the belief system, the power of perception and how the mind works. These could be grouped together as a theme that deals with the inner working of the mind.

Then, let’s say that you also have branches related to the role of their minds in causing procrastination, setting goals, dealing with strengths and weaknesses, etc. These could be grouped as a theme that deals with how their minds can affect their career, and so on.

When you’re done grouping branches into themes, you can begin to create the flow of your book by numbering these top sections. So, in the above example you’ll have: Part 1 – How Your Mind Works; Part 2 – How Your Mind Influences Your Career, etc.

Step 4: Rearrange Key Topics Within a Part

Next, you’re going to choose each part and rearrange all the key topics in it to create your desired flow. Each key topic will eventually be turned into a chapter number and a chapter title.

Step 5: Re-arrange the Sub-Topics Within a Topic

You’re now going to repeat this process for each chapter. You’re going to take all the sub-topics that the key-topic branches into and you’re going to order them in the way the best fits the flow you want that chapter to have.

If you have a third level of sub-sub-topics, you might combine two or more and turn them into a new sub-topic. Or you may want to retain it as a part of an existing sub-topic.

Your sub-topics will eventually be turned into your sub-chapters.

Step 6: Generate the Book Outline

When you’re done with Steps 3-5, you can begin to piece together your book outline.

Just enter the information into your favorite word processor as a numbered list, with your part numbers being the top level, then tabbing to enter each chapter in the second level, and tabbing once more to enter the sub-chapters under each chapter.

Repeat this process for each sub-chapter if you have sub-subchapters.

How Is an Outline Supposed to Look?

Here’s an example:.

• The conscious and subconscious mind
• Where thoughts originate
• Beliefs from your upbringing
• Beliefs and your emotions

Step 7: Choose Your Front-Matter Sections

With the book outline out of the way, it’s now time to build it up into a full table of contents. To do that you need to add the front matter before the book outline.

The front matter is composed of some or all of the following sections. It’s entirely up to you what to include from the list below:

• Testimonials page or pages (optional)
• Title page (mandatory)
• Copyright page (mandatory, placed on the back of the title page)
• Page with a quotation or a messag e (optional)
• Dedication page (optional)
• Table of contents (not mandatory but highly recommended)
• Foreword (optional) – this is written by an authority in your field
• Preface (optional) – this is written by you
• Acknowledgements (optional)

Step 8: Add Your Book’s Introduction

Next, it’s time to introduce readers to your book. The introduction is not a summary of your book’s content; instead, it’s a sales letter to convince readers to buy your book.

Its goal is to hook readers by teasing them with the results that they can expect to achieve, but without revealing any of your secrets – those will be contained in the body of the book.

This is the most important page of text in your book and as such, it should be written last, once your manuscript is completed with no further editing to be done.

The structure of this “sales letter” is contained in my companion article How to Write a Compelling Book Introduction That Will Move the Needle, so I won’t repeat it here, this is the page that’s going to close the deal for your book and you should take great care when you write it.

The last paragraph of your introduction will transition into your first chapter.

Step 9: Choose Your Back-Matter Sections

The final piece in your book outline is to add any required back matter pages after your body ends. Here are some of your choices:

• Afterword (optional) – this can be used as a closing statement for your book; your parting words.
• Appendices (optional) – these can be used for additional information that didn’t fit or didn’t work in the body of the book.
• Glossary (optional)
• Index (optional)
• References or bibliography (optional)
• About the author (highly recommended) – this is where you tell your readers how to reach out to you.

Step 10: Create Your Book’s Table of Contents

Finally, it’s time to put together your table of contents. The first thing you need to do is to go through your book outline and create a title for every part, topic, subtopic and sub-subtopic.

Although only your chapter titles will be shown in your table of contents, all titles need to be written in a clear and inviting way. Unlike the body book outline, which is meant as your roadmap for writing your book, the table of contents is meant for your readers as a navigational tool and also as a secondary sales tool (more on this later).

So, on top of creating the logical flow of your book, your table of contents entries need to be written with the intent of enticing the reader to read each section.

In addition, you need to create chapter titles with an economy of words in mind because they’ll also appear in the heading of each left-hand page, where space is limited.

As I mentioned before, your table of content entries will also act as a secondary sales tool. Your readers will first be drawn by your book’s cover and title. They’ll then pick it up and read the marketing copy in the back cover. Next, they’ll quickly scan your table of contents and perhaps browse some pages randomly.

But if your table of contents intrigues them, they’ll next turn to your introduction. That’s why it’s so important that your section titles be engaging – readers love to discover new information in books!

Finally, here’s an example of a table of contents:

Note: all front matter before the table of contents is not numbered and therefore not listed in it.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Foreword …viii

Acknowledgments …xi

Introduction …1

Part 1: How Your Mind Works

How The Mind Works …3

Your Belief System …11

The Power of Perception …23

…………………………

Part 2: How Your Mind Influences Your Career

The Role of Your Mind in Procrastination …63

The Role of Your Mind in Setting Goals …75

Dealing With Strengths and Weaknesses …83

Part 3: How Your Mind Influences Your Relationships

Afterword …197

I’m glad you made it all the way! Now it’s time to start crafting the outline of your book. Follow these ten steps and you’ll create a great non-fiction book without having to spin your wheels. If you’d like to learn about my steps for creating great nonfiction that solves a problem for your target audience, read my article: How to Write a Compelling Book in 12 Steps: A Must-Read Guide for Nonfiction Authors .

If you enjoyed this article and are in the process of writing a nonfiction book, be sure to check out my free nonfiction success guide , drawn from years of experience editing books for bestselling authors (including a New York Times bestseller) and ghostwriting for CEOs and politicians. Simply click here to get instant access .

Leave me a comment below if you have any questions or a specific need that I can help you address – I operate an author services firm that specializes in helping entrepreneurs, professionals and business owners who want to publish books as a calling card for prospects, to establish their status as an expert or to just to generate additional leads for their businesses.

Here are some related articles I highly recommend:

How to Find the Perfect Writing Coach for Your Nonfiction Book

The 10 Must-Have Writing Skills for Nonfiction Authors

The 7 Key Rules for Writers of Outstanding Nonfiction Books

How Long Does it Take to Write a Book to Help Grow Your Business

The Most Effective Writing Exercises for Busy Business People

2 responses to “Learn How to Outline Your Nonfiction Book in 10 Easy Steps Like the Pros”

Sir, I am writing a book titled “Turn around your creative instincts”. This is my own story and the narration of my life’s journey with creative instinct. Your tips are valuable. I am already through around 35 pages ( A4 size). I have created around 15 topics and I am now writing under each topic whenever I get motivated. Hope it the right method. Your advise please. Franklyn

Thank you so much for your clear & concise instructions! This helps me a lot.

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