It seems that only a very talented person can write a bestseller. How to make sure that your book will become popular with readers? Is there any rule to follow to assure the success of your writing? Unfortunately, there is no universal guideline in this regard. Of course, one needs to have solid knowledge, a good imagination, proficient writing skills, and perseverance to produce a real masterpiece. What is more, the ability to express one’s thoughts on paper is not the last prerequisite of a good writer. If it’s all about you, then the time to write a bestseller has come. In this post, we will provide you with some practical recommendations that facilitate your writing process.

Pick a Topic to Write About

Before deciding what to write about, make sure that your topic is interesting to the reader. Do you have anything to say to readers? Why should people spend their time and money on reading/ buying your book? Do you want to guide your readers, teach them, or just tell an interesting story? Who and how will benefit from reading your book? These are the questions that each author should ask himself. Remember that each writing serves a specific purpose; otherwise, it will never have a wide audience of readers. So before I write my book report, I should decide on the message I want to deliver to my readers.

Sometimes your personal experience, knowledge, and imagination can guide you on picking a catchy and interesting theme. However, it is not always the case with writing a book, and simply applying personal experience is not enough. According to the Huffington post, there are simple criteria for selecting and analyzing whether your topic is suitable:

• The text should report something very important,
• It is not trivial to explain important processes,
• The theme should be an acutely useful reader,
• Your book is supposed to substantiate a new regularity concerning the reader and give it a name,
• The text should tell the story of a hero.

The reader is waiting for your book to take him from routine to an unknown world. So create this world where he wants to stay.

Avoid Self-Criticism

When writing a book, it is necessary to switch off your mind and do not analyze any how-to-do rules. You just need to kill your inner voice which continuously advises you on how to formulate your thoughts. Get rid of all the filters. Allow yourself to create. Remember that you will always have the chance to edit the text after it is written. Following any rules during the writing process is the main blocker many writers face. If you aim to create a real masterpiece, kill the stopper from the very beginning.

Catch the Reader’s Attention

Catching a reader’s attention and keeping him or her interested is the main feature of a well-written book. Therefore, it is recommended to start any book with the most interesting part (a hook), regardless of which part of the story or narration it relates to. Following this rule will help you grab your reader’s attention from the very first page of your book and keep it that way. Find below the most effective strategies to catch the attention of a reader.

Attention-grabbing Tips

• Help your readers see what you see – make sure that your audience understands the message you deliver. People will not listen to you/ pay attention to important details in your writing unless you highlight them. Use your personal experience, detailed descriptions, case stories, or just anything that will put the right prospect.
• Make it personal – nothing is better remembered and understood than an expression/ story told in first person. In this case, personal means important for the audience. It is not necessary to unveil all your secrets; you can tell one small fact that will serve as a hook for the audience.
• Be emotional – Expressing emotions in a book is a great way to add some clarity to your messages while making them personal. It is extremely boring to read a dry text. Thus, emotions in your writing add the triple bonus to the book.

Follow the Universal Structure

If you do not know how to write a book and what main points to cover, then it would be useful for you to develop an outline. Have no experience in working on outlines? No worries. We have a small exercise for you – describe what is happening around. Look out the window and write an informational message in ten lines. Are you done with it? And now rewrite the text in accordance with the points:

1. News: summary, the place of the event, and source, if necessary. It should be two lines maximum.
2. The essence of the news, intrigue: It should be five lines, where you in several sentences explain why the reader needs to continue reading.
3. The status of the material: is it exclusive, translation, or a follow-up? Your writing style depends on the definition of the material status.
4. Information provider: decide on people whose words you cite in the text, collect their comments, and write them down in three-five lines.
5. Additional elements: blitz interviews, graphics, photos, etc. In the modern world, there are many different ways to express/ support the idea. Use all of them in your writing.

This structure is almost universal; thus, using these blocks, you can write about just anything.

Write as You Think

Free writing helps you discover your personality and improve your writing skills. During a free writing session, you need to get to your thoughts before the prudent side of the mind “kills” them, negating their effectiveness. So, write not as you say but as you think.

What is the best idea you have heard in the last seventy-two hours? Write about it in five minutes and discuss everything you have learned. When the five minutes are over, look at what was written. If you can read it aloud and it is clear to others, you have suppressed your most sincere thinking. Do one more five-minute session of writing and try to transfer on paper your primary thoughts. This simple exercise will help you develop your writing skills.

Our Verdict!

Of course, writing an interesting book is a difficult-to-do mission. However, you should always remember that hard work and following some simple rules can facilitate your writing process. Everything will be easy once you are well-prepared!