Julie Broad shares four ways to open nonfiction chapters: start with vivid action, use an unusual point of view like a cancer cell's perspective, hit readers with a surprising statistic then explain it, or state upfront why the chapter matters. Each approach keeps people reading past the first paragraph.
Chapters
Boring and predictable. I'm a bad fake. Yanner. Boring and predictable. That's the way so many nonfiction books chapters start. But not yours. Not after you watch this video. Because we're gonna make sure you hook your reader and keep them devouring all the words you're working so hard to put down on paper. I can't fake yawn. Hey, I'm Julie, the book broad with Book Launchers, a fantastic company that works with nonfiction authors to write, publish and sell a book that will build their business, explode their career, make money, and possibly even make them famous. This video is inspired by one of our recent clients, to be unnamed, who sent me their draft of a book. And 80% of the chapters started with the word I. Chapter one. I experienced this. Chapter three. I was in a meeting. Chapter four. I saw the trend. Do you see the trend? Guess what? Your reader only cares about one person, and it's not you. Of course, this book has some of your story in it, and it definitely has your perspective, but you can deliver it in a way that is fun and engaging to read. Here's four ideas to start your chapter with words other than I and hook that reader so they keep reading your book all the way through to the end. Start in the middle of the action. Take a page from the movies or even the TV shows. They throw you right into the middle of the action. I talk about this in my book, the New Brand New. It's actually how I got hooked on the TV show Scandal, at least for the first couple seasons. Not so good later, but anyway. I think the 10th time Olivia Pope broke up with Fitz, I was over it. Anyway, initially, Scandal was fantastic. And the opening scene is what I got hooked on. It started with a female character rushing down the street in a business suit. She's late. She opens this huge door into a busy bar and finds the person she's looking for. She thought she was on a blind date, but it turned out to be a job offer. The point is, it didn't start with her thinking about her date. It started with her late and running to it. Here's some ideas to start a chapter in the middle of the action. It was written on the wall of the bathroom. Who in the school is fatter than Alex? 93% of the people who do this one thing will make three times the money next year. And yet you probably won't do this one thing. You. You pick up the phone and you hear sobbing. I have stage four cancer. The feeble voice on the line squeaks. All of those probably got you paying closer attention. Okay, second way to start. Your chapters start with an unusual point of view. If you're writing a book about fighting cancer, why not start from the perspective of the cancer cell and what it wants? Maybe start from the perspective of the mutual fund company that decides to charge a front end loaded fee and how they do it for their benefit. So to lock in the client and not help the client make a return. Can you tell I'm bitter? So all of those are a slightly different point of view than what you or your reader might expect. So it keeps them interested. Number three, shock or surprise the reader with your idea. You might have to brainstorm or do some research. But if you're the kind of person who likes to use stats and data, that's okay. It's appropriate for many books. But if you're opening up your chapter with a stat, you better make it one that will make someone stop in their tracks. It's better to present your idea and then support it with the surprising data you've uncovered. Here's some examples of what I'm talking about. You should strive to be more like Bill Clinton in your business. No, I'm not talking about the scandal. I'm referring to the amount of emails he sent in his presidency. Any guesses as to how many? I'm just curious. That's not part of my example. He sent two emails in his presidency. Can you believe that? Next idea. The healthiest place on earth is an island in Japan. Okinawa has more than 450 people over 100 years old living there. They better have some good pension plans. Final example. Imagine if your wounds healed right before your eyes like they do for some superheroes. It's not just in TV and movies. There's one animal with crazy fast healing powers, and it's probably not one you'd ever guess. You want to keep reading that, don't you? And you're wondering which one it is. Well, you'll have to wait till the end of the video and then I'll tell you. I don't know what your book is about, but I challenge you to open up one or two chapters with something most people will not know, surprise or shock them. Like the time I came home and my husband Dave had cleaned my bathroom. I was surprised. And a good surprise. Fourth, way to start your chapter. Tell them why this chapter is important. Hit them hard with this declaration or promise that this is the chapter that will make them rich, happy, faster, fitter, prettier, smarter, more popular, more loved, more admired by their neighbors. Let them know that at the end of this chapter they will be better for it, and that should keep them reading or make them buy the book if they're just browsing and that's the paragraph they happen to glance at. How do you like chapters to start? Have you paid attention it let's chat about it in the comments below. And if you haven't already, subscribe to this channel so we can hang out every week when new videos come out. And if you comment on the day a video comes out, you'll be entered to win a prize because I appreciate you. So hit that thumbs up button on your way over to the next video. See you on the next one. You're wondering still, aren't you? Which animal has super healing powers? It's the sloth of all the animals. Google it. They have special bacteria that literally makes wounds heal right before their eyes.
