Is your book idea any good? Find out before you write.
Before you write a chapter, get clear on what the book actually is: who it is for, what it promises, why you, what is already on the shelf and what goes in it. The book idea starter walks you through it and tells you plainly where the idea is still thin.
- 3,000+ books published by Scribe
- 23 NYT and WSJ bestsellers
Example feedback
The Paycheck Plan
How to Turn Your Savings into Retirement Income You Can Count On
- StrongThe reader is one specific person
- StrongYour goal and your reader match
- Needs workThe promise names a concrete change
- Needs workComparable books exist and are recent
An illustrative example of four of the ten checks.
What "my book" means, in five decisions
Most nonfiction books that stall do so because one of these was never decided. Each has a guide and a printable worksheet.
The one reader
One person, their situation and the problem in their words. Guide · Worksheet
The promise
Where the reader starts and where they finish. Guide · Worksheet
The test
The shelf
Recent comparable books and your difference. Guide · Worksheet
The outline
A contents page with a point for every chapter. Guide · Worksheet
The book idea starter
A guided worksheet that saves as you go. Answer eight short sets of questions, then get ten transparent checks and a one-page book brief you can copy or print.
What you fill in
Your goal, the one reader, the promise, why you, the idea in one sentence, a working title and subtitle, three comparable books and a rough chapter list.
What it checks
Whether the reader is specific, the promise is concrete, the goal and reader match, the comps are recent, the sentence is short and the chapters add up to a book.
What you get
"Strong" or "needs work" on each check with a specific tip, plus a printable book brief with a draft North Star sentence. How the checks work.
How four authors found their reader
Each of these started with a specific reader and a need they had seen, not a topic. Each is one author's experience, not a typical result.
Jake Falcon could never find a retirement book he trusted enough to hand his clients, so he wrote Retiring Right for them.
Read his story → 8 yearsRunning the dare before the bookCarrie Cox's gym members took her challenge as texts, emails and blog posts, then asked her for a book.
Read her story → 1stComprehensive Smile Makeover Guide For PatientsDr. Joseph Field chose patients, not fellow dentists, as his reader, and wrote for the fear that keeps them out of the chair.
Read his story → $100K+saved in placement fees since launchKris Holmes saw how hungry business-school students were for career advice when she spoke to them, and wrote the book for them.
Read her story →Start with these
How to find your book idea
Topic versus idea, and five places real ideas come from.
Read →Who is your book for?
Defining the one reader, and why "everyone" fails.
Read →How to test a book idea
Conversations, posts and talks, and which signals to trust.
Read →Comparable titles
How many, how recent, and how to find your difference.
Read →How to outline a nonfiction book
A contents page that sells, in three passes.
Read →All eight guides
Including the promise, titles and subtitles, and choosing the kind of book.
See all →Made by Scribe Media, honestly
Scribe Media, a nonfiction ghostwriting and publishing company in Austin, Texas, makes this site. Everything here is free and works without talking to anyone. Scribe sells book coaching, ghostwriting and publishing, and we mention those only where a reader might want help with the step they are on. The guides draw on The Scribe Method, the book Scribe publishes free online, and on outside sources linked in each guide. Read the editorial policy.
Common questions
How do I know if my book idea is good?
A good nonfiction idea has a specific reader, a problem that matters to them, a concrete promise, a reason you are the one to write it, and recent books proving people buy books like it. You can check the first four on paper; the real test is talking to people who match your reader.
What should I do before writing a nonfiction book?
Decide what the book is for, define the one reader, write the promise, test the idea with real readers, find three to five comparable titles, and outline the chapters. The guides on this site cover each step.
Is this site free?
Yes. The book idea starter, worksheets and guides are free, with no email gate. Scribe Media makes the site and sells book coaching and publishing services, which are mentioned only where a reader might want help.
Does the site keep what I type?
No. The starter saves your answers only in your own browser. Nothing is sent to Scribe Media unless you choose to fill in the optional form.