During their next meeting with an advisor or peer, they mention how tough it has been. And the other person says, “Oh, I know the solution to your problem. It’s this book called The Mom Test.” (Alternatively, they type their problem into Google and find an article written by another entrepreneur saying essentially the same thing.) This narrative

fix the scope by figuring out what to

Pick a promise that will remain relevant and important for 5+ years

Pick the piece you’re best at, for the people you care most deeply about serving, at the moment in their journey where you can really help them, and forget about everything else. These crucial decisions will define your book’s scope.

can’t stop talking about it. This guide proposes a different way of planning, writing, testing, and refining nonfiction, adapted from the hard-won lessons of product designers and entrepreneurs. When applied properly, it leads to books that can grow organically via reader recommendations

To borrow a quote from Reid Hoffman, entrepreneur extraordinaire and founder of LinkedIn: If you’re not embarrassed by the first version of your product, you’ve launched too late.

ads can (eventually) build your seed audience all on their own. After completely botching our launch for The Workshop Survival Guide, Devin and I relied on this approach. The ads sold

Plant a flag online by adding the book to your email signature,

process and the product of nonfiction books. For advice about writing the prose itself, I recommend On Writing Well, by William