I’ve been reading, writing, and evaluating business books for almost forty years. Good business books help you understand the world in a new way and take action in new ways. Great business books do that and are memorable and easy to read, too. If you want to write a great business book, here are some things to think about.
The best books are based on and built around stories.
People learn and understand best when you give them a concrete example and then explain its general application.
Simple words, constructions, and book structures win the day.
The Table of Contents should be both a guide and a sales tool.
If you want your book to read well, write for the ear.
Cuteness and clever phrasing are the enemies of understanding, no matter how good they feel to you.
Generalizations should be supported with examples, statistics, or anecdotes.
Assume that there is a reader out there who is an absolute expert on everything you say, because there is.