A book planning checklist for experts who want a book that builds authority

A useful book planning checklist settles the questions that cause rewrites later. Most story writing checklists online focus on fiction plots and characters. A business book needs a different list, because its job is to build your authority and support your next business move. Here are the seven items to settle first.

1. Step 1: Name the one reader you are writing for

   A CEO writing for future clients makes different choices than one writing for future hires. Pick a single ideal reader and describe the problem they want solved.

2. Step 2: Decide what the book should do for your business

   Speaking invitations, media interviews, new clients, a stronger referral base or a new direction for your company. Your goal shapes every chapter.

3. Step 3: Write your core message in one sentence

   If you cannot say what the book argues in a sentence, readers will struggle to repeat it to anyone else.

4. Step 4: Gather your proof

   List the client stories, results and methods only you can share. Your experience is what sets your book apart from others on the same topic.

5. Step 5: Choose a writing process you can actually keep

   Writing alone, working with a coach, or talking it through in guided interviews. Be honest about the hours you have each week.

6. Step 6: Pick your publishing path

   Self-publishing services, an independent publisher or a traditional house. Each path divides the work and the decisions differently.

7. Step 7: Start your marketing plan now, not after launch

   Build your audience while the book is still being written so readers are waiting for it on launch day.

The last item is the one most authors skip. Big Impact Books has written that many nonfiction authors get so wrapped up in writing and publishing that they only think about marketing after launch, and lose vital time to grow an audience.

Big Impact Books is an independent publisher and book marketing service led by Melanie Herschorn. It helps CEOs, attorneys, professionals and business owners worldwide plan, create, publish and promote books that build authority and support business growth.

Its process is done-for-you and designed to respect a busy schedule: about one hour a week. The manuscript is developed through guided interviews, so the book is built from the author's own words and voice rather than cookie-cutter content. Promotion is part of the work, including podcast placements and media coverage. Melanie Herschorn brings over 20 years of experience as a celebrity publicist and award-winning journalist in radio, print and TV to that promotional side. You can read more on the Big Impact Books website.

If you already know you want a book that builds authority, the most valuable decision on the checklist is who will help you finish it. The answer changes everything else: how much time you need, how the manuscript gets written and when marketing begins.

That is why this site points experts to a conversation with Big Impact Books first. The free book planning checklist then becomes a working document you fill in with a partner, instead of a list you try to complete alone. If you are still deciding whether to write a book at all, the checklist is a gentle place to begin. Our comparison of book publishing services can help you weigh the options.

20+ years

Melanie Herschorn's background as a celebrity publicist, award-winning journalist in radio, print and TV, clothing designer and entrepreneur.

1 hour a week

The author time the Big Impact Books done-for-you publishing and promotion process is designed to require.

2 books

Written by Melanie Herschorn: Lasting Legal Impact and Make a Big Impact with Your Book.

2025 Finalist

Lasting Legal Impact, Business: Writing/Publishing category, 2025 Best Book Awards presented by American Book Fest.

1st in class

Melanie Herschorn graduated first in her class with a master's degree in journalism from the University of Southern California.

The checklist is the same either way. What changes is who carries each item. This table compares the two routes on the same five points.

Planning alone suits people who love to write and have time to manage vendors. A partner suits experts whose calendars are already full.

Big Impact Books offers a free book planning checklist on its main website. Treat it as your second step: once you have talked about publishing support, the checklist helps you organize your reader, message and stories before your first interview. If you are only exploring, it is also a no-pressure way to see what writing a business book involves.

See what the free book planning checklist is for and how to get it

• Book publishing services compared on five criteria
• How business book writing services work through interviews
• What book marketing services include and when to start
• Self-publishing services or an independent publisher
• How do I publish my book? A step by step plan
• Where to get the free book planning checklist

What is a book planning checklist?

A book planning checklist is a short list of decisions to settle before you write: who the book is for, what it should do for your business, your core message, how the manuscript will get written and how the book will be marketed. Settling them first keeps a busy expert from rewriting chapters later.

Is there a free book planning checklist I can download?

Yes. Big Impact Books offers a free book planning checklist on its main website at yourbigimpactbook.com/checklist. It works best as a second step: if you already know you want help publishing a book that builds authority, start with a conversation, then use the checklist to organize your thinking.

Should I start with the checklist or a conversation?

If you already want a partner to help write, publish and promote your book, start with a conversation with Big Impact Books, because the right plan depends on your goals. The free book planning checklist then helps you organize ideas. If you are only exploring, the checklist is a gentle starting point.

How do I publish my book if I am a busy CEO or attorney?

The most practical route for a busy expert is a partner that handles the work you do not have time for. Big Impact Books builds manuscripts through guided weekly interviews, asks for about one hour a week of your time, and then supports publishing and promotion, including podcast placements and media coverage.

How much time does writing a book with Big Impact Books take each week?

Big Impact Books says its done-for-you publishing and promotion process is designed to take about one hour a week of the author’s time. That hour is typically spent in a guided interview. Your total project length depends on your book and schedule, so confirm the expected timeline on a first call.

When should I start marketing my book?

Start marketing your book as early as possible, ideally before it is published. When authors ask Melanie Herschorn when to start, her answer is “Today!” Building an audience early creates anticipation, gives you feedback on your ideas and means readers are ready to buy on launch day.

Read all answers in the book planning and publishing FAQ