How to Write a Leadership Book in 5 Easy Steps

Most leadership books are written by those who have extensive experience in a particular field of interest like: business, sports, financial management, fitness and health, military, entertainment business, etc. If you have achieved success in your specific area of expertise, then learning how to write a leadership book is a great way for you to share your knowledge and experiences with others.

Leadership books tend to be a list of “how to” tips or focus on an individual’s style of leadership, which is more of a personality oriented book. If you are going to do the latter, you need to come across as an absolute authority figure.

If you’re writing a tips style book on leadership lessons, then you can draw your content from personal experience, interviewing other leaders and doing lots of research on leadership traits.

Step One: Choose a Theme

To be successful, your leadership book should focus on a theme.

Are you going to help people overcome a specific life obstacle?

Are you going to inspire people to better their lives by telling them how you overcame challenges?

Can you use your specific experiences to show people an easier path to achieve their goals?

Step Two: Outline Your Book

In order to make writing your book easier, you need to create an outline that has the key points you want to cover. Each chapter will feature a major theme or subject. Underneath the main chapters, you’ll come up with several subheadings where you can expand on the theme. This outline is your blueprint to follow when writing your book.

Think about the specific incidences in your life that caused you to rise to the occasion and meet challenges head on. Tell stories about these challenges and your eventual solution. You may wish to elaborate on tips that will help others do the same.

Step Three: Pick a Title

Most leadership book titles are straight and to the point. The title usually contains the word leadership, but doesn’t always have to include it. Just keep it simple and direct.

Step Four: Stick to a Writing Schedule

Schedule regular writing appointment times for yourself. Writing a book like this is a major commitment, and you don’t want to treat it casually. You’ll be able to write a better book if you make it a constant part of your weekly routine. At the very least, you should devote four hours a week to nothing but writing your book.

Step Five: Hire a Professional Editor

While some books can get away with self-editing, a book of this nature should be professionally proofed and edited. In addition to cleaning up grammatical errors, you want to make sure that the writing style is clear and focused.