The Ultimate Guide to Outlining Your Book
Feb 25, 2020
There are dozens of books (and online courses) on the market today that contain overwhelming amounts of information on self-publishing…Where do you begin? This is the advice I give to my clients:
I’ve written before about researching competitive titles, locating exemplary book models, and how to work with beta readers and professional editors. Today’s article will cover the most important points to include when creating your book outline. You may remember outlines from your school days, maybe when writing a report or taking an English class (along with conjugating verbs). I prefer to call it “planning ahead” and like all my coaching advice, outlining will save you time—and ultimately money. How? Your outline does two things: 1. Gives your book structure and focus. 2. Saves you from rewriting the whole dang thing when your editor sends you back to the drawing board. In my previous article, What All Authors Aught to Know About Editors and Editing, I suggest first creating a table of contents as a structure to guide and support the book. I encourage authors to make sure their chapter titles are meaningful as they work to connect the different ideas, concepts, and topics as you move your readers along. Now on to the outline: Introduction
You want to give your readers the perspective of what’s possible for them if they read your book, what your readers can expect if they implement your information, how the book is organized, how to use the book, and potential outcomes for your readers. Include the parts of your personal story here if it helps the reader understand why they should read it, what it could do for them, and to make you more relatable. First Chapter
Think beyond your own personal memories and feelings and begin to craft a journey of transformation that you can offer your readers:
Second Chapter
Third Chapter
Fourth Chapter
Subsequent Chapters
Conclusion/Last Chapter
Your conclusion should clearly support the chapters preceding it. Make sure the lessons are tied together at the end, and offer suggestions of a bigger picture, or more steps your readers can take from here. Once you have a solid outline, you can start writing sections or chapters. You can also use "free writing" or other right-brain exercises to bring more creativity and unexpected material to your work. Do your revisions on a chapter-by-chapter basis. To come back to a chapter months later is almost like starting over, and not very effective. Try using your own customized outline following the structure I’ve suggested for your nonfiction manuscript to bring it up to the benchmarks of commercially published work. And your editor will breathe a sigh of relief when s/he opens up your document to find a well-structured, well-organized draft that s/he can continue to help you polish to a high shine! Plan for Success, Lindsay If you'd like to know more about self-publishing, get my FREE GUIDE. If you'd like to discuss your book project, schedule a call with me HERE. |