12 Tips for Writing a Great Health Book

I’ve been a health book writer and ghostwriter for many years. My first book was published when I was still in school, and it became a national bestseller. Since then, I’ve learned some basic techniques that are guaranteed to grab the reader’s attention, and I’ve boiled them down to twelve tips:

1. Begin with some startling or touching information about the disease or condition you’re discussing.
2. Right from the start, let readers know you empathize with them and understand what they’re going through.
3. Explain, in layman’s terms, the physiology and/or psychology of the problem.
4. Present an overview of your program for better health by Chapter 4.
5. Devote several chapters to an explanation of the nuts and bolts of your program, with one chapter dedicated to each point in the program.
6. Write in short, understandable sentences.
7. Use active language; keep passive sentences to a minimum.
8. Include plenty of case histories.
9. Don’t spend a lot of time attacking anyone or anything: focus on helping your readers.
10. Offer plenty of helpful, specific advice, even on matters the readers “should” already know all about.
11. Create an emotional experience for the readers; make them sit up and say, “Yeah, that’s me!”
12. Leave out the heavy science that readers will skip. (You can put it in the appendices if you want to establish your scientific credibility.)

And here’s one final tip: End the book with a rousing call to action; an upbeat, encouraging reminder that everyone can attain and maintain better health.