Dare to Write: Steph Caswell
Steph Caswell is an author of six non-fiction books, a writing coach and developmental editor. She started out writing about best practices in teaching, her 'original' career and after the success of that first book, she realised her love of writing.
Now, Steph helps female entrepreneurs create another income channel for their business via non-fiction books. Steph was a finalist in the Business Book Awards 2023 with 'Dare to Write', her last book and she’s known for her daily 30-minute writing sprints.
Steph came to speak to the Writers’ Group about how to approach writing a non-fiction book and started with a wake-up call.
Photo credit Beth Lavin
“It's harder to write a book that people actually want to read than you might believe. There are statistics out there about the number of people who start a book and end up finishing it, and it's quite a low number. People set out with the best intentions of reading books, particularly non-fiction, but actually getting to the end of it is a different matter.
I believe that it comes down to the enjoyment factor because, if you think about it, we are constantly up against screens and TV, games vying for people's attention and if we can get our books to be even remotely entertaining and amusing and fun and sharing stories and things like that, it’s more likely that the person who picks up your book will finish it. And then they'll be recommending it to their friends, to their colleagues, whoever they think is going to enjoy it too.”
So how do we write a book that can compete with Netflix, social media and Candy Crush? Steph tells us that we need three fundamental pillars: idea, reader and structure.
How to come up with the concept of your non-fiction book
There are a few things to consider when you’re thinking about what you’re going to write about, the idea behind your book.
1. What do you, as a business owner, want to gain from the book? It could be that you want to attract more business on a one-to-one basis, be invited to speak in public on the topic, or, say become a regular on podcasts or as a columnist. A book signposts you as an expert in your field and it has the potential to open numerous doors.
2. What should your book be about? You may know a great deal about your subject matter and think that you should convey all that in your book, but Steph recommends that as authors, we’re a little more discerning. Find a niche; narrow it down. She has learnt from the experience of writing her first book:
“I thought to myself, ‘Right I need to change tack.’ So, I went from a book that tried to cover everything, to three books that covered things in more detail. Bear in mind the ‘inch wide, mile deep’ analogy.”
3. Think about the marketability of your book idea, but don’t be put off if your favourite bookshop already stocks many titles on your topic. Steph used a great analogy: think about how many coffee shops there are in your local area. Their objective is the same and they wouldn’t be there if there wasn’t the demand. And the same applies to books on the same / a similar topic. If people love your topic, they’re going to want to read your book regardless of how many similar books they’ve read already.
Credit Daniel Thomas on Unsplash.
Understanding your book’s reader
“The reader has to be at the core of everything you do when it comes to planning your book and so getting to know your ideal reader is the best start possible.”
1. Define your reader. You are not writing for everyone, even if you think your book’s subject matter would appeal to all. You want the right people to read your book to help them in some way and also to help you build your business. Connecting with your reader is really important to its success and you can’t connect with them if you don’t know who they are.
How old are they? What’s their job? How much might they earn? What might their life story look like to date? Demographics like these can help to shape your ideal reader in your mind’s eye but …
2. Psychographics are also worth considering. Psychographics are people’s attitudes and aspirations so when it comes to your book, it’s why people are picking it up.
When buying a non-fiction book, Steph says: “If you go into a bookshop, it might be because you feel a need or desire to improve yourself or to transform a part of your life, to get answers, to get new knowledge.”
3. Focus groups might help you get to know your ideal readership better. Get a group of clients together and tell them about your book idea. Ask them what they’ve found useful about working with you, what would they like to know.
And remember, that as much as writing a book might be a dream come true for you, seeing your name in print, your book on a shelf, the readers should be your focus.
How to structure your non-fiction book
“You're taking a reader on a journey. You you've met them at the start of the journey and you know what's troubling them. You also know where they want to be by the end of the journey. Your book is the lovely path or the bridge between those two things.”
1. Firstly, write it all down. Steph reminded us that the books we see in bookshops with their fancy covers have all been through a first draft which definitely didn’t look like what we see on the shelves. It might be that you have plenty of content from podcasts or blog posts so use that too but then, once you have written it all, have all your ideas and thoughts ‘on paper’, you start editing. Steph recommends not attempting to write and edit at the same time.
2. Think about how you work with clients: perhaps you have a set process but even if you don’t, try to take advantage of tried and tested real-life scenarios and use them in your book to explain difficult subject matter or even as case studies.
These points are just the beginning of your book-writing journey and there is more to learn such as how long it might take, the word count you’re aiming for, finding a publisher and so on. Steph can help with all of that as well as the all-important motivation and direction that you might be lacking. We loved having Steph come and talk to us and we all learnt a lot – she’s a wealth of knowledge on writing a book to help build your business.
Steph’s website is: Write an unforgettable book to grow your business - Steph Caswell and you can hear her words of wisdom on her podcast, Creating Happy Writers.