LIST OF CONTENTS IN A TRANSFORMATIVE NONFICTION BOOK

list of contents

As you structure your transformative nonfiction book, whether it’s a self-help book, business book, life lessons book, or something else, here’s a tip: Don’t forget to keep a list of contents at the beginning of the manuscript in all drafts.

The list of contents (no longer called a “table of contents” but just “contents”) belongs at the beginning of your manuscript even before you begin writing chapter one. Why? Because you want to offer a roadmap to where you’re going.

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SELF-HELP BOOK CONTENTS AND STRUCTURE: A HANDY GUIDE

layout of how to structure a self-help book

YouTube video on structuring a self-help book, I described the parts of a self-help book. Each of these parts helps you, the author, to take the reader on a journey, keeping them engaged and oriented as they go through a process of transformation (which is why self-help books are often called transformational nonfiction books). When you divide those parts of the self-help book into chapters, you are likely to end up with more than one chapter per part.

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HOW TO STRUCTURE A SELF-HELP BOOK: PARTS AND CHAPTERS

self-help book structure Define the Problem etc.

Writing a self-help book? Start with this structure: Define the problem. Give the history of the problem.
Explain what the reader needs to know before tackling the problem.
Offer an action plan. Expand outward with advice on how to apply the new knowledge and skills in the future, during especially challenging times, and when dealing with others (family, coworkers, community members) who are stuck in old patterns

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HOW TO WRITE A SELF-HELP BOOK: STRUCTURING

image of a book that says self-help to illustrate the idea of self-help book structuring

Many people have enjoyed reading self-help books but when it comes to writing one, they don’t know where to begin. How do you organize the material? What’s the secret to self-help book structuring? It’s taking your reader on a journey from a problem …

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