Plan your book

Before you start

Open a single document and call it "Book plan." Everything you write along this path goes in it. You will need nothing else except the resources below. No step asks for an email except the North Star tool, and that one has a free written alternative.

1. Set honest expectations

   Read The Scribe Method, chapter 2, The proper expectations for writing your book, and chapter 36, Realistic and unrealistic expectations.

   Why first: most plans fail because they rest on a goal a book cannot deliver, like big sales. These two chapters clear that away before you invest any time.

   Then: write one honest paragraph on why you want to write this book. Do not polish it.

2. Understand positioning

   Read chapter 5, What is book positioning?

   Why now: it reframes your book around the reader's question "why should I read this?" Every later step depends on that shift.

   Then: reread your paragraph from step 1. Underline anything that is about you rather than the reader.

3. Name your objectives, your reader and your idea

   Read chapters 6 (objectives), 7 (audience) and 8 (idea), one at a time.

   Why in this order: the book is clear about it. Your idea should come last, after you know what the book is for and who it serves, because many authors find their first idea changes once they do.

   Then: after each chapter, write a short answer in your plan document before reading the next. If you write for "everyone" or "entrepreneurs," narrow it to one kind of person in one situation.

4. Write your North Star sentence

   Use the North Star tool, or read chapter 9, The North Star check, and fill in the template by hand.

   Why now: it joins the three answers into one sentence you can test. The tool adds prompts and weak-versus-strong examples; it asks for your email at the end. The chapter gives the same template and four examples with no sign-up.

   Then: read your sentence to two people who fit your audience. Watch their faces. Revise until at least one of them asks "when is it out?"

5. Look at how others framed it

   Filter the success stories to your industry and read two or three, or find an Author Hour episode with an author in your field.

   Why now: once you have your own sentence, other authors' choices become easier to judge. You will notice how specific the strong ones are about their reader.

   Then: adjust your sentence if something you read made it sharper. Do not copy someone else's angle.

6. Outline the book

   Read chapter 10, Create your book outline, then 11, the introduction, and 12, the conclusion. Keep chapter 42 on chapters handy for questions about length and parts.

   Why now: the outline is where the North Star becomes a structure. Without it, the outline drifts toward everything you know instead of what your reader needs.

   Then: brainstorm chapters, park the ideas that do not fit the North Star, build a table of contents, and fill in each chapter with the chapter template. If you are writing a memoir, the blog's memoir outline guide fits better.

What you should have at the end

• A paragraph on why you are writing the book, edited to focus on the reader.
• Short written answers on objectives, audience and idea.
• One North Star sentence that someone in your audience reacts to.
• A table of contents and a short outline for every chapter, plus the introduction and conclusion.

How long this takes depends on how settled your idea is. Some people move through it in a few sittings; others go around steps 3 and 4 several times. Going around again is the process working, not failing.

Prefer video or a single source?

Book School covers the same ground in modules 1 to 3, with a fear worksheet and an outline template. It asks for your email.

Next

With an outline in hand, move on to the write your first draft path.