✍️ How to Write a Nonfiction Book

So you want to write a nonfiction book—amazing! 🎉 Whether you’re here to share your expertise, tell your story, or help others change their lives, you’ve already taken the hardest first step: deciding to do it.

Now let’s walk through the rest. Here’s exactly how to write a nonfiction book step by step—from messy idea scribbled on a thousand post-it notes stuck to your computer to manuscript draft (and maybe even book deal 💅).

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✨ Why Now Is the Best Time to Write Your Book (Yes, Even If You’re “Not Ready”)

If you’re waiting for the perfect time to write your book—when your schedule clears, your confidence magically appears, or Mercury is in a less chaotic mood—I hate to break it to you: that mythical “right time” doesn’t exist.

But you know what does exist?
Your idea. Your experience. Your voice.
And someone out there who needs exactly what you have to share.

📚 Books are long-form trust machines. They’re not just business cards with a spine—they're proof you know your stuff. Your book positions you as the go-to expert, opens doors to speaking, media, and clients… and gives you a megaphone that reaches far beyond your Zoom calls and social posts.

Plus, nonfiction books are booming. We’re living in a golden age of course creators, coaches, and consultants becoming authors—and using their books to explode their brand, impact, and income.

Even if you’re not sure how to start.
Even if you're not totally confident yet.
Even if your inner critic is doing cartwheels in your head.

You don’t have to be ready. You just have to be willing.

(And lucky for you, there’s a post-it-loving book coach who can help with the rest.)

👉 Book coaching services

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🧠 Step 1: Know What Type of Nonfiction You’re Writing

How to write a nonfiction book for beginners? Let’s start by figuring out what kind of nonfiction book you're writing. Different categories require totally different approaches:

• Self-help/Personal Development – Aimed at solving a specific problem for the reader (think: confidence, boundaries, burnout, entrepreneurship, dating and relationships, money, building a business, self-esteem...)
• Business Books – Often about strategy, frameworks, thought leadership, or building a brand
• Memoir – Your personal story, structured like a novel with a three-act structure--beginning, middle, end. (This is for you if you're wondering "How to write a nonfiction book about my life")
• Memoir-Self Help Hybrid – A blend of your personal journey and lessons the reader can apply to their own life

📎 Self-help Tip: Need a proven structure to follow? Download my FREE writing a self-help book template to save time and sanity.

📎 Memoir Tip: Memoir is not your autobiography. It’s a story arc, and it must be structured like a novel—yes, even if it’s true. 

📌 Watch my video on 3-Act Structure Easy as 1-2-3!

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🎯 Step 2: Define Your Ideal Reader

One of the most important things to focus on when you're learning how to write non fiction is your reader. Before you write a word, you need to know who you’re writing for. This helps you make every decision that follows—tone, stories, pacing, even chapter length.

Ask yourself:

• What’s their age, job, lifestyle?
• What do they need?
• What keeps them up at night?
• What books or methods have they already tried (and maybe been disappointed by)?
• What's standing in the way of them achieving their goal or solving their problem?

You’re not writing for everyone. You’re writing for someone specific.

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🌟 Step 3: Pinpoint the Reader Transformation

If your book is a journey, where does the reader start—and where do they end up?

Ask:
👉 “What transformation will my reader experience after reading this book?”

This is the heart of every great nonfiction book. It’s what sets yours apart from the 1,200 other titles they’re scrolling past on Amazon.

• What problem are you solving?
• What new lens are you giving them?
• What change are you promising?

This is why someone will choose your book. Get clear on it now—and everything else gets easier.

💥 Not being clear (or clearly communicating) the transformation the reader can expect is the biggest mistake self-help authors make.

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🧱 Step 4: Choose the Right Structure

Now that you know what your book is about and who it's for, it’s time to decide how to organize it.

📘 You’ll find these (and how to use them) inside How to Write a Self-Help Book in 14 Days

💡 Feeling overwhelmed? A book coach (👋) or our Bestseller Academy course can help you map it out, fast.

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🧾 Step 5: Outline Your Book

Before you dive into drafting, take time to outline. (You’ll thank me later.)

A great outline:

• Keeps you focused and on message
• Helps prevent writer’s block
• Makes it way easier to get back into your project after breaks (or bouts of insecurity)

Outlining isn’t just for planners—it’s a gift to your future self. Here's how:

➡️ First, download my "writing a nonfiction book template" if you want a shortcut. We love shortcuts around here.

⬇️ Second, watch my video below which explains how to structure your nonfiction book, step-by-step.

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🖋️ Step 6: Write Your Book

Set realistic word count goals. Don’t try to write your entire book in a weekend (unless you're Taylor Swift on a heartbreak bender).

Try:

• Writing 500–1,000 words a day
• Using voice-to-text if you talk better than you type (I like Dictate!)
• Blocking off short, focused time slots (Pomodoro method, anyone?)
• Join us over on YouTube pretty much every Wednesday from 11 am - 1 pm ET for writing sprints. Be sure to subscribe and ding that little notifications bell 🔔 so you won't miss anything! Enjoy the camaraderie and feel free to ask your writing questions!

Most importantly: don’t edit while you write. This is a first draft, it doesn't have to be perfect. Editing while you write interrupts your creative flow (two different processes in your brain) -- so write first and edit after.

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✂️ Step 7: Revise, Edit, Repeat

You’ve got a draft! Now what?

Time to:

• Do a developmental edit (big picture stuff like structure, flow, and clarity)
  🚩Note: If you worked with a great book coach to structure your book, you likely won't need developmental editing.
• Do a line edit (word choice, tone, pacing)
• Finish with a proofread (grammar, spelling, typos)

Yes, all three matter. Yes, you can get help. My book publishing services cover everything from editing to formatting and launch support.

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💼 Step 8: How to Write a Non-Fiction Book Proposal

If you want to land a traditional publishing deal—or pitch your book to an agent—you’ll need a killer nonfiction book proposal.

Your proposal will include:

• Overview and hook
• Competitive title analysis
• Target audience
• Author platform
• Marketing plan
• Chapter breakdown
• Sample chapters

📥 Download my FREE nonfiction book proposal template
🎥 Watch my YouTube walkthrough on writing a proposal that sells

Even if you're planning to self-publish, a strong proposal forces you to think strategically about your book—which is never a bad thing.

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📈 What Makes a Nonfiction Book Actually Sell?

Spoiler: it’s not just your credentials, your clever chapter titles, or that one time you went viral on LinkedIn.

A nonfiction book sells when it clearly answers this question for the reader:

“What’s in it for me?”

Here’s what sets a high-performing nonfiction book apart from one that collects digital dust:

✅ A Clear Promise

Your book should solve a specific problem or deliver a transformation. Readers want results. If you can help them achieve something meaningful—health, wealth, clarity, love, mindset—you’ve got their attention (and possibly their credit card).

✅ A Tight Niche

Books that try to speak to everyone usually end up connecting with no one. Narrow your audience. Speak directly to them. You can always go broader later—once your book is paying for your vacation villa in Tulum.

✅ A Marketable Hook

Your title, subtitle, and concept need to pop. Think:
Atomic Habits, not My Thoughts on the Nature of Doing Stuff.
Position your book like a product. Would you buy it at first glance?

✅ Reader-Centric Structure

If your chapters wander like a TED Talk on shuffle, people will bounce. Make sure your book is organized, punchy, and easy to apply—because your reader is busy, overwhelmed, and probably skimming between Zoom calls.

✅ Built-In Brand Alignment

The best nonfiction books sell you as much as they sell solutions. Your book should tie seamlessly into your business, your coaching, your course, or your keynote. That way, your reader finishes the book thinking, “I need more of this person.”

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💬 Final Thoughts from Your Book Coach

Writing a nonfiction book doesn’t have to feel impossible. With the right tools, support, and a little sass, you can write a book that changes lives—and sells.

Still not sure where to start?

📘 Grab the Self-Help Book Template 
☎️ Book a free get-to-know-you book coaching call with me
💡 Read next: How to Write a Self-Help Book

You’ve got the message. Let’s get it on the page. 💖