How Can I Tell a Good Book from a Bad One?

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There are a ton of books being published these days. You may be wondering how you can stand apart.

About once per month, someone asks me how I determine whether a book is good. I could tell you, from an editor's perspective, there are a lot of things to consider. As a writer, this list gets even longer.

Looking at it from a reader's point of view and considering what matters to them, I've narrowed it down to a few "metrics" in a three different "categories": Content, Style, and Production.

Content

Perhaps the most important category, this is all about what an author actually says in their book. Ignoring all other elements and technicalities, was the authors content valuable? There are five things I look at:

• Depth/scope - Does the author cover enough information to be useful and lasting?
• Relevance - Is the information relevant to the topic and valuable to the reader?
• Organization - Is the right info in the right places? Does the book's structure make sense?
• Purpose - Does the book make good on the promises it makes at the start?
• Heart - Does the author seem authentic. Do they really care?

Style

As the next most important category, this metric is concerned with how well the text is written. When you think of whether someone is a good or bad writer, this is usually what you're thinking of. As an editor, I look at four metrics here:

• Ease - Is the writing easy to read? Is the language appropriate for the audience?
• Effectiveness - Is the text clear? Can I follow the author's thoughts to reasonable comprehension
• Elegance - Is the writing orderly, graceful, and pleasing to the eye and ear? Is it sophisticated enough to be taken seriously?
• Evocativeness - Is the language or content moving in some way? Do I stop and think about what I read?

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This is the final category and perhaps most significant for being taken seriously. That's because it is so easy to fix with with the right effort.

Things to watch for include:

• Layout - How do the words sit on the page? is there enough white space? Are the margins standard? Is it consistent?
• Editing - Has it been edited properly? Does it feel like the author took it seriously?
• Exterior - Do the Title, Description, and Cover art serve the reader or just the author? Is there any cohesion?

Now, before you say these little things aren't important or that readers don't think about them, take a little time to read some Amazon reviews. I have learned from experience that failures in these major categories lead to readers who...

• Don't notice or buy your book.
• Don't read it to the end.
• Don't share your work or get excited about you.
• Don't trust you as an author or expert.
• LEAVE BAD REVIEWS! (Upset readers are more likely to review your book than those who loved it. ??)

Readers tend to be less forgiving of these mistakes because they get the impression they could have done a better job.

If you're writing a book and want an easy way to make sure it's good, use that list above as a guide to ensure you're living up to the basic expectations.

Now, there are a few other things elements to consider if you're trying to judge whether a book is any good. In my own book, Write Your Book In No Time: The Entrepreneur's Guide to Finishing a High-Impact Book While Running Your Business, I talk about reader expectations.

These are three things I encourage all self-help authors to keep front of mind when determining the worth of their books. Here's what I wrote in the book:

These expectations are unique to the self-help genre, so if you're writing any form of " How to ___" or "How I ___," you'll want to pay close attention to these.

Altogether, though writing a book that leaves a positive impression on readers can seem complicated, it really is quite simple. Put yourself in the readers shoes and ask yourself what you would want to experience in a book.

Consider books you liked and didn't like and note the qualities of each. You'll likely find that those authors had a specific method for handling each of the points above.

If you want to learn more about this, or if you think you're ready to write, but want a way to jumpstart and streamline your process, you can grab a free digital copy of my book just by clicking here: