Why a Clear Point of View Makes Writing Your Book (Much) Easier

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“Point of view is you explaining what you do and why you do it the way you do it. It’s you explaining what your approach is and why you think it will work.” – Tad Hargrave, Marketing for Hippies.

Hargrave is referring to marketing but when it comes to writing nonfiction, the success or failure of a book often comes down to what he shares in his informative YouTube videos and on his site www.marketingforhippies.com, a clear point of view (POV). POV is the unique way you see things based on who you are, your experience, your goals and more.

Best-Selling POVs

Self-help books like The Let Them Theory: A Life-Changing Tool That Millions of People Can't Stop Talking About by Mel Robbins, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain and Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear all have a clear POV. You know who the writer is, why they’re writing the book and how they can help solve your problem.

Whether you’re marketing a business, selling a service or writing a health and wellness book, it can be very helpful to get clear about your POV. Think about yours and try this exercise:

1. What You Do: Are you a functional medicine practitioner, herbalist, yoga teacher, therapist or_____? Fill in the blank.

2. Why You Do It: What motivates you in your work? What gives it meaning and purpose?

3. What is Your Approach to the Problem? It could be stress, anger, depression, diabetes or____? Fill in the blank. How do you help your clients and patients solve this problem, feel better, move on, meet their goals etc.?

4. Why It Works: What series of steps, practices, method or approach do you use to get good results for your clients for patients? Is it repeatable?

For an example here’s mine:

1. What You Do: I’m an editor and book coach with 15+ years of experience. I help health and wellness nonfiction writers write their best books through a combination of expert editorial feedback, support and project management.

2. Why You Do it: I find meaning and purpose using the skills that I’ve honed over the past 15+ years writing and editing to make the process of writing nonfiction books easier for authors by providing expert editorial feedback, support and guidance. I believe that good nonfiction books can help to transform and heal people and in turn, help heal the world.

3. What is Your Approach to the Problem? I help clients establish a solid foundation through 3 elements: Idea, Method or Program and Structure.

4. Why It Works: When you get clear about the 3 essential elements of your nonfiction book, you establish deep roots that you can count on as you write.

3 Essential Elements of Health & Wellness Nonfiction:

1. An Idea that will appeal to your ideal reader based on your unique POV.

2. A Repeatable Method or Program

3. A Structure (Table of Contents) that serves the book and the reader.

I’ve created Is it a Book? The 3-Step Plan to Write Your Nonfiction Book, a deep dive that will help you define these three steps so that you can move forward and write your book with more clarity, confidence and ease. You can use this 1:1 strategy session on its own or move into monthly book coaching. For more information click here: https://www.chrystlefiedlerbookcoaching.com/is-it-a-book-the-3-step-plan

Until Next Time!

Contact me when you’re ready if you need:

1. A book coach to be your editorial guide, support and project manager as you write or re-write your book and/or book proposal.

2. A manuscript evaluation for a big picture, smallest detail overview.

3. A developmental editor to structure your book, and make the text clear, concise, and reader friendly.

4. If you’d like a free copy of my PDF: Is it a Book? The Ten Step Roadmap to Writing Your Best Book sign up for my e-mail list at www.chrystlefiedlerbookcoaching.com.