I told you I’d tell you about Book Mapping™️ your next book.

So you’re probably wondering: How do you create a Book Map™?

The TL;DR version: You make a Book Map™ by creating a beginning and an ending. Once you have those, the steps to getting there unveil themselves, piece by piece. But let’s dive a little deeper.

Book Mapping for Nonfiction

For nonfiction, you create the beginning and the ending for your reader. Where does the reader begin their journey when they open your book? Where do you want them to end up?

In general terms, to Book Map™ your nonfiction, you need to:

• Identify your target reader and determine their starting mindset/goals
• Define your desired endpoint for their knowledge and skill level
• Break this transformation down into clear stages
• Add supporting points to validate each phase
• Show readers how to progress from where they are now to where you lead them

It gives you and your reader a logical progression, which makes them the heroine because they can learn effectively and organically build motivation, excitement, and ability.

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Here are some examples of how you could use it:

The reader begins their journey with the notion that they should probably run some Facebook ads for their business but they don’t know how to do that or where to start.

• The reader might end their journey knowing how to set up Facebook ads.
• They might end their journey knowing how to write a good ad.
• They might end their journey realizing Facebook ads aren’t what they need at all.

The reader begins their journey wanting to write a book, but they don’t know what to write about or how to start.

• The reader might end their journey knowing exactly how to pick a winning topic that will attract just the right reader and repulse the wrong reader.
• The reader might end their journey with a plan on how to write the book from start to finish.
• The reader might end their journey with an understanding that before they start writing their book, they should do market research by testing their ideas for a few months, and use the feedback they get to plan their book.
• The reader might end their journey with a better understanding of writing compelling prose.

You decide who you’re targeting with your book (where they are in their journey) and what they need to know at the end to be a heroine (where you’ll lead them). This is the beginning of your map. Your job is to show your reader the way to their destination.

And If You Want to Try to Book Map Some Fiction

For fiction, you create the beginning and the ending for your protagonist. Where does the protagonist begin their journey? Where do they end it? You can approach this from a character development perspective or a plot perspective first, but I recommend approaching it from a plot perspective first and then applying character development to that.

Then, you add the midpoint: What is the moment where the protagonist truly changes who they are? The moment where they see themself in true light for the first time? This generally comes after a big revelation that allows the protagonist to see themself from another angle.

In general terms, to Book Map™ your fiction, you need to:

• Establish your protagonist’s ordinary world and core desire
• Determine the outcome that satisfies their external want and internal need
• Pinpoint the midpoint where they realize a truth that allows them to transform into the person they need to be to win
• Reverse engineer the escalating journey between these narrative milestones

Some examples are—and obviously there will be spoilers here so read ahead at your own risk:

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee:

• Beginning: Scout Finch grows up in a racially divided town, observing her father’s moral integrity.
• Middle Shift: The trial of Tom Robinson forces Scout to confront racial injustice.
• Ending: Scout gains empathy, understanding, and moral growth through her father’s example and the trial’s aftermath.

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini:

• Beginning: Amir grows up in Afghanistan, forming a complex relationship with his servant’s son, Hassan.
• Middle Shift: Amir witnesses a brutal and traumatic act of betrayal against Hassan, and Amir makes a pivotal decision that has profound consequences for both characters.
• Ending: Amir seeks redemption, returning to Afghanistan to confront his past and rebuild relationships.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald:

• Beginning: Nick Carraway arrives in West Egg, observing the extravagant life of Jay Gatsby.
• Middle Shift: Gatsby’s realization that his dream of winning back Daisy forever is an illusion.
• Ending: Nick reflects on Gatsby’s tragic end, symbolizing the disillusionment of the American Dream.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins:

• Beginning: Katniss lives in District 12, struggling to provide for her family.
• Middle Shift: After Rue’s death, Katniss fully understands the Capitol’s cruelty and decides to rebel.
• Ending: Katniss becomes the face of the rebellion, bringing down the Capitol’s oppressive regime.

So you decide what the protagonist’s journey will be and you reverse engineer the story from there.

Want to Make it Even Easier?

You can learn everything you need to know about Book Mapping AND get access to my, frankly unparalleled Book Mapping template. If you’re ready to write your business-expanding nonfiction book this year, the Book Map is the way to go. It gives you everything you need to go from messy idea to masterful client-attracting book.

Learn more about the Book Map and my super easy, no-time-wasted Book Mapping course here.

So now you can get started Book Mapping

There’s obviously a bit more to it, but I think this is a good starting point to lay down the framework.

We can get more detailed into Book Mapping™️ in future letters.

I hope this breakdown has shown how Book Mapping™️ can guide you from idea to manuscript in an easy, step-by-step way.

If it looks daunting, remember: it’s step-by-step. Piece-by-piece. And eventually: kinda paint-by-numbers. The benefit is that Book Mapping™️ gives you a roadmap to follow each time you sit down to write.