How long should my business book be? Great question!
As a former professor, I’ve been fielding this question for years. Well, okay, not this exact question. My PHIL 101 students weren’t writing books, but they did want to know how long their papers should be.
Be it a book or a paper, no matter what you’re writing, there are two answers:
- The (slightly) snarky, but fully accurate, non-answer: There’s no “best” number of words. Your book should be as long as it needs to be to adequately convey what your reader needs to know.
- The actually useful answer: 40,000 words is a respectable number of words for a business book.
Of course, there are amazing business books that are both shorter and longer. How long your book should be really does depend on factors like:
- Is this your first book? Do you have plans to write a series of books? In this case, shorter may be better.
- Is this a tactical or how-to book? In this case, a book that is overly complicated may overwhelm your readers.
- Are you writing a book for experts or beginners? Experts may be looking for more depth, so a longer book makes sense. Beginners may need a shorter overview or be looking for an answer to a specific question to help them get up to speed quickly.
- Are you writing a reference book? Reference books aren’t meant to be read cover-to-cover, so you may include a lot of information designed for different types of readers, but expect any particular reader to only read relevant sections (e.g., a book on productivity could include separate sections for employees, managers, and CEOs). These tend to be on the longer side.
At this juncture, I make the case for the “airplane book.” If you’re writing a business book, your audience is likely other business owners who are just as busy as you are. They don’t want to read a 300-page tome any more than you want to write one. That said, 40,000 words or 100-150 printed pages is the sweet spot for a business book. This is the ideal length both for the busy business owner who wants to write a book to grow their business and for the busy business owner who wants to read and implement the recommendations in the book.
Airplane Book Value for the Author
Write your book in 80 days.
When you’re aiming to write 40,000 words, it becomes easy to see how you can get the first draft done in as few as 80 days. 80 days is about 12 weeks, so if you were writing 500 words every day (the length of a long LinkedIn post or a short blog article), you could have a full draft finished in about three months.
Stay focused and get precise.
If you don’t already create consistent content for your business, 40,000 words sounds like a lot. But if you’re used to sending a weekly newsletter to your list, giving monthly workshops, presentations or trainings to audiences, or posting on social media a few days each week, you can work up to writing 500 words per day without too much trouble.
Once you figure out the flywheel to help you write consistently, your challenge will be staying focused and getting precise. Here’s where having the guardrail of 40,000 words can be helpful. You can’t write absolutely everything you know. You’ll have to make some strategic choices based on what your audience needs to hear. These choices will make your book better.
Get your ideas out of your head and market your business.
Business books are only valuable to authors when they exist out in the world. The only reason to write a book when you’re also trying to run a profitable business is because it will become a source of revenue. It’s an investment and you want to see a return. Take note, you won’t make your money back on book sales alone. Otherwise, writing a book is a distraction.
What writing a book can do for your business is:
- Increase your authority and credibility as the go-to expert in your industry
- Give you the confidence to own your expertise
- Generate leads
- Help you close sales
- Start conversations in-person and online
- Grow your audience
- Spread the word about your work
In short, writing 40,000 words can turn you into a Big Idea Expert.
Airplane Book Value for the Reader
Read the book on a three- or four-hour flight.
Business people often save business books for reading on planes. This makes sense; onboard WiFi is not always a guarantee and it’s awkward to balance a computer on your lap when legroom is at a premium. Write a book that your readers can digest on a three- or four-hour flight or during a Saturday afternoon and you’ll be doing them a huge favor. Plus, they will be more likely to finish it.
Put the recommendations to work.
Just as your business book is only valuable to you when it’s out in the world, your book is only valuable to your readers when they put your recommendations to work. If you write a relatively quick read, it’s more likely that your readers will not only finish your book, but also put your strategies to work to improve their businesses.
In addition, if you’re a consultant aiming to generate leads for more one-on-one clients through your book, then the sooner your readers put your strategies to work, the sooner they will realize they need your help.
A Book is a Snapshot of Your Brain
If the above sounds totally unrealistic, I want you to ask yourself some questions:
- Are you being too precious with your writing?
- Are you putting too much pressure on yourself?
- Are you thinking of your book as something other than a marketing tool for your business?
However, if your goal is to get in, get out, and get back to running your business, then the “airplane book” is your ticket to authorpreneurial success.
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