Jaqui’s (first) 10 rules for how to write a better business book

1.????Write for your audience not to show off how much you know.

One of the key pieces of advice I share with all my clients and business people seeking advice about how to write their business book is 'focus on your audience, not you'. This goes for how you write as well. Keep your audience in mind when you are writing. It's likely you won't be able to share everything you know so don't try.

Focus on those key insights/your unique knowledge or perspective that will help the reader work through/solve their main challenges.

If you want to write a thesis/PhD go off and do that, don't shoehorn this into a business book.

2.??Write to express not impress.

The goal of writing your business books is to share your knowledge and insights in a way that the reader can understand and action. Use simple vocabulary and short words. As Winston Churchill commented:

?“Big men use little words, and little men use big words.”

Recently, an Australian Premier used the phrase ‘vertical consumption’ to describe a new COVID restriction on bars and clubs not being able to serve customers who were standing. Really? My response was ‘so, horizontal consumption is OK?’

It even won the Plain English Foundation's Golden Gong for the Worst Word in 2020.

3.????Avoid jargon, it’s a sign of insecurity.

This applies even when your book is for industry peers. You don’t need to show off that you know the jargon. For example, many business executives use the phrase ‘digital transformation’ when they are really undertaking a digital project in a specific area of their business. This is not a transformation.

I can’t stand corporate speak. Lucy Kellaway, formerly of the Financial Times ran Guffipedia for many years. https://ig.ft.com/sites/guffipedia/

I’ve reported on my favourite examples of corporate speak from time to time, here’s one post you might enjoy that references WeWork. https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/corporate-spin-its-best-wework-jaqui-lane/

4.????Own your work, your thoughts and ideas.

Avoid ‘I think’ … ‘I suggest’ … ‘I often wonder if…’

Try ‘I recommend’

5.????Punctuation matters

As I shared recently on social media.

Or as Lynn Truss so eloquently expresses in her book title:

It's a terrific book for anyone interested in writing better and understanding more about punctuation.

6.????Keep your exclamation points under control.

You are allowed no more than two or three per 100,000 words. (Thanks to Elmore Leonard). Got it!!!!!!!

7.????Use headings to break up the text.

Headings make it easier for the reader to scan the book for what they are looking for.

8.????Paragraphs should be no longer than 3-4 sentences.

Also avoid a paragraph of one sentence. You’re not writing a legal agreement, you’re writing a book to clearly and concisely share your knowledge and insights.

9.????Decide what dictionary you are going to use before you start writing.

Are you writing in American English (‘z’ instead of ‘s’, no ‘u’) or UK/Australian English?

A bit like Scrabble, take the time to choose the dictionary you are going to use and then apply the conventions from it consistently. It will not only improve your business book writing, it will save your editor and proofreader time and you, money.

If you're not sure which dictionary to use revert to Point 1. Where is most of your target audience based? What style do the most popular books on your subject use?

10.?Avoid common sayings such as:

‘at the end of the day’, ‘leading from the front’, ‘In a nutshell’, ‘rock the boat’. ‘with all due respect’ (which actually means the exact opposite), ‘the long and short of it’, 'go the extra mile. . . Check some others out here.

It’s lazy writing and does not add anything. I also suggest avoiding all sporting or shipping analogies, unless you are actually writing a book on these topics.

If you're stuck with a draft of a business book manuscript and are not sure what to do next, contact me for an initial discussion. [email protected]