Writing for Everyone, Not Just the Academic Crowd

This post is aimed at academic writers who want to reach a wider audience than those in their discipline, but I hope that  any writer could benefit from this. By nature, some books are only for general readers and some are only for academics. But more often than one might think, a book can reach both crowds simultaneously.

For example, I write books and articles about popular music with an extensive bibliography, a detailed index, lots of footnotes, ​ tables, diagrams, musical examples, and explanations of chord progressions, musical forms, and harmony. Yet, I keep musical examples short and easy to follow if I can, so they will make some sense to people who don’t read musical notation. I keep my discussions of music theory brief and to the point. I prefer endnotes to footnotes or in-text citations to make reading easier on the eyes. My objective is to present as much detailed research as I can to my readers, without alienating or boring them.
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Helpful hints:

1. Never skimp on the footnotes. Some general readers are scared away from a book if they see lengthy footnotes at the bottom of each page. Endnotes, where the footnotes appear collectively in the back of the book in all their glory, solve this problem. They give the reader a clean, unencumbered text to read without sacrificing the scholarship supporting it.
2. General readers are often put off by techno-speak, by terms that only those with expertise in a certain discipline are familiar. With practice, you can reduce the techno-speak in your writing without sacrificing your subject’s depth, your own expertise, or the specificity in your writing. 
3. The best way to make an academic book more accessible is to sneak in elements of fiction writing. Use your research to tell a story. Breathe life into the facts you’ve gathered by turning it into a narrative. Ask questions that you think readers would ask about your subject, provide clues along the way, and then answer the questions piece by piece, like you’re solving a mystery. Think of ways you can invigorate your non-fiction with the tools of fiction: character development, foreshadowing, flashbacks, recurring elements, scene setting, cliffhangers, plot twists, and surprise endings. But beware! This works best if you are sly and subtle. A dash is better than a dollop.
4. Put some of yourself into the book. Nothing is more boring than reading dry facts and detached observations. While objectivity is an essential part of research and writing, no one can be completely objective. Opinions are allowed. Make sure your readers know that a person wrote your book, rather than a process or a program.
5. Use humor in your writing, if it’s appropriate. Play with words. Twist a cliché into another shape. Break the fourth wall like Woody Allen. If you find something in your research that is ironic, wickedly funny, or unbelievable, highlight it by using humor. As with fiction devices, less is more. Subtlety is an art form. Give them a quick laugh and then move on.

​Why should an academic writer try to reach a general audience?

1. An academic book will sell more copies if it breaks out if its specialist niche.
2. A book that is more accessible has a greater chance of being used in a classroom.
3. A book that is reviewed by a broad range of readers allows an author to engage with people in other disciplines.
4. You might see your book on the shelves of your local Barnes & Noble, and have the opportunity to exclaim loudly, gesticulate wildly, spill your Starbucks, make a scene, and completely embarrass yourself, your spouse, and your kids. This is the author’s dream!