Got a burning desire to write a non-fiction book?

Are all your ideas whizzing around in your head, but as soon as you put pen to paper, you clam up?

Don’t worry… you’re not alone. Many of us feel like this. Many of us, sadly, let this stop us from moving forward, however, and that book dream stays a dream. So how about I help you instead? How about we brainstorm some ideas to help you get clarity over your content? Let’s start by looking at four potential formats for your non-fiction book.

1. Turn your blogs into a biz book

Have you ever really looked through your blog library? Even the ones you wrote when you first started blogging? I’d hazard a guess you’ve got oodles of rich content tucked away in your archives (and gathering dust!). Go take a look if you’re not sure.

Pull together about 10 of the best that are all related in some way, or take your reader on a journey from A-Z, or answer 10 of your potential clients’ biggest pain points or FAQs, then give them a makeover, pad them out to, say, 2000 words, sprinkle some extra magic on (add some facts, figures, quotes, supporting evidence, case studies, further reading links) and pop in an introduction and conclusion and hey presto! You’ve got the makings of a great book here.

If you’d like to create your blog book in as short a time as possible, check out my Brilliant Blogs to Biz Book in Less Than a Day. The work is almost done for you!

This is one of the quickest and easiest ways to make your non-fiction book debut.

2. Write a ‘How to’ book

There are oodles of subjects you can write about in a ‘How to’ book. Think about the kind of book your ideal reader/client is looking for. What do they need right now to get them out of a tricky spot? What kind of problems can you solve for them so they can grow? What could you teach your reader?

For example, if you’re a business coach, could you write a book that teaches your crowd how to establish their online presence in their niche, or make social media work for them? If you’re a successful entrepreneur, could you teach your readers how to build their business on a budget or in 90 days? If you spend a little time wandering through the Amazon online bookshelves in your particular niche, those creative sparks will quickly start flying.

3. Write a ‘Guide to’ <INSERT YOUR SPECIALIST SUBJECT>

Are you a Manifesting Empress? Could you share the 7 secret steps of manifesting your soulmate? Or write a step-by-step guide to implement the Law of Attraction and the concept of Universal Energy into daily life? Don’t underestimate just how much knowledge you’ve gleaned during your work journey.

Ever heard of the ‘curse of knowledge’? Well, if you’ve been working on your specialist subject for a number of years now, you may suffer from this. You don’t realise how much knowledge you have tucked away in that head of yours. So take some time out and strip your knowledge back to basics. Look at your specialist subject through the eyes of a complete novice or someone who has only just started out. What could you write a ‘Guide to’ for beginners?

4. Share your personal journey

This is always a good one because nothing inspires people more and makes them connect with you than a real-life transformation story. We ALL love happy endings. We all want to hear of someone overcoming adversity despite the odds.

Everyone has a story, so why not use yours to resonate with your crowd? Maybe you’ve overcome some scary health challenges or life-changing obstacles? Perhaps you’ve gone from wine-o-holic to tee-totaller. How about that catalyst which made you set up in business? What about the relationship that kickstarted your self-love mission?

Grab a piece of paper now and think about the kind of roadblocks, emotional challenges, practical obstacles you’ve overcome, and decide which one would make a fab read for others and a cathartic experience for yourself.