Most professionals can write an executive summary for an ebook. But what about a non-fiction book?
While you may be tempted to write only the most exciting part of your book for the summary, you must write a professional summary for a non-fiction book. Why?
Writing a summary for a non-fiction book is different from writing one for an ebook. For one thing, you must include content that is directly relevant to the target reader. What does that mean? It means you must take the time to understand your target reader’s needs and wants. Then, you can craft an effective summary that will encourage them to learn more about your topic.
The Basics Of Book Summaries
The basics of a book summary are similar no matter what type of book you are writing. You should include
- a brief overview of the content of your book;
- the key takeaways or lessons learned from your book;
- an indication of whether or not your book is for a general audience;
- the potential impact your book will have on your target audience; and
- a call to action (if you want to encourage people to read your book)
However, there are some specifics that you must consider if you are writing the summary for a non-fiction book.
Non-Fiction Vs. Fiction
The most crucial difference between a book summary for a non-fiction book and one for a fiction book is in the content you include. While you may use certain terminology or descriptions in your fiction, you must ensure that this content is relevant and useful to your target audience in your non-fiction summary.
As a rule of thumb, when you are creating a non-fiction book summary, you must include content that is directly applicable to your target audience. Why? Non-fiction books usually tackle a specific subject matter while fiction books are designed to entertain the reader. This difference in scope will guide you in determining what content you must include in your non-fiction book summary versus what you may leave out.
The Format Of Book Summaries
The format of a book summary is also similar regardless of whether you are writing one for a fiction or non-fiction book. You should follow the same format to keep your summary easy to understand and minimise any confusion.
A good summary for a non-fiction book should consist of:
- A brief introduction to the book.
- Key takeaways or lessons learned from the book (in no more than two or three sentences).
- A summary of the major events in the book (in two or three sentences).
- An outline of the rest of the content in the book (in two or three sentences).
- A conclusion that draws the key learnings from the book.
- An opportunity to purchase the book if this is an ebook.
- A reference or bibliography (if you are writing for a professional audience).
- An index (if you are writing for a general audience).
If you are writing this summary for someone else, then you should follow the basic outline but add additional content that is specifically relevant to your target reader.