A book is not a broadcast. Only one person reads a book at a time, and you will write a better book if you write to that one person. The trick is figuring out which person to write to.
That special someone
Let’s be clear about a couple of things. You should write to a real person, not an avatar, a persona, or some kind of composite. Write to a person who is likely to say, “Wow! That’s exactly what I’ve been looking for!” when they stumble upon your book.
Write to a real person you know. That’s someone with a Social Security number and a few bad habits. You’ll reap some benefits.
When you write to someone you know, you know the important details.
When you know the person you’re writing to, you know their pain points. You also know the context and what constraints they’re under.
When you write to someone you know, you know the language to use.
When you know your reader, you also know the special language they use at work. That’s an advantage if you’re writing a business book. You can use the terms of art for their business, common phrases, and common acronyms. That demonstrates your expertise and will help your reader understand your message.
When you write to someone you know, you should write like you’re talking to a friend.
Make it conversational. Don’t write like a lecturer and don’t write the way you think a writer should write. Write like you’re talking to a friend.
Takeaways
Write to a single person, not an audience.
Write to a real person, one with a Social Security number and some bad habits.
Write to a person you know who might see your book and say, “Wow! That’s exactly what I’ve been looking for!”
When you write to a person you know you know their pain points, context, and constraints.
When you write to a person you know you know the language they use.
When you write to a person you know write like you’re talking to a friend.