Whether you call it your "Preface" or "Introduction" or "Foreword" is not important.
What is important is that it is the first part of your book many readers encounter.
And we all know how important first impressions are.
If s cost you readers here, you can wave good-by to best sellers.
The Preface is the place to provide any and all background material necessary to understand the book as a whole.
Get it wrong, and you can almost guarantee you will lose a significant percentage of your readers.
Get it right and every single reader will turn eagerly to Chapter One.
A well-constructed Preface includes: * Who your book is for * Your credential (what qualities you to write it) * Why and/or how you came to write it * Evidence your system is successful * Anything special about the book or your overall approach * Brief overview of parts and chapters * Hopeful, upbeat conclusion Failure to establish who your book is for: The very first thing any reader wants to know is whether a book is about them and their problems and interests.
When readers Do not see themselves in your s immediately, they become restless, begin to "tune out".
even lay your book aside, intending to pick it up later.
but more often, never getting back to it at all.
That is why you want to begin with a one to three paragraph description of who your book is written for.
If there is more than one group, be certain you mention them all.
Example: Your book could just be for people seeking to manage their anger.
But it could also be written for the therapists who work with them, their families and anyone interested in anger's roots and cure.