Looking for a strong nonfiction book ending? Finishing up the last few chapters of a fictional story comes with its own challenges. Coming up with the right ending for a fiction book often is something that writers have planned for, deciding on the smallest details early on in the planning process to help wrap up plot lines and character arcs smoothly and logically.
But penning a nonfiction book is often a different experience for writers, with the conclusion chapters posing a unique challenge for writers who want to wrap up their book content to keep reader interest high while still adding meaningful content to the book. Creating a well-thought-out nonfiction book ending that satisfies your readers while still leaving the door open for a follow-up book can be tricky.
Planning Your Final Nonfiction Book Ending
Thinking about how to wrap up your nonfiction book ending can help you create a book that your readers will love reading while still giving them unique content. Demonstrating your subject area knowledge in the final chapters is key to finishing strong, leaving your readers with a clear wrap-up of your content, asking them to take action or even giving readers some insightful author thoughts that can help readers make sense of a complicated, nuanced or heavy book topic.
If you are struggling to finish your nonfiction book ending in a way that is memorable and thought-provoking, try one of these three options to help you bring your book to a close.
1. A Strong Nonfiction Book Ending
One of the best ways to finish up the closing chapters of a nonfiction book ending is to create one that both reviews the content that the book has laid out in previous chapters and also gives the reader something to think about when the book has concluded. This double-whammy can really drive home the points you have made, the facts you have presented or the new ideas you have offered the reader in a summative fashion while also offering readers something to think about when they put the book down.
Revisit Main Ideas: One method of presenting this final summation of ideas is by including a loose review of the book’s main points or ideas by giving the reader a summary of each one. This review can include an overview of the main ideas in your nonfiction book along with a reinforcement of the evaluations you presented in the body of the book or a factual retelling of the main points.
For a more formal main idea summary, some authors use subheadings, bullet points or other organizational tools to present each main idea previously discussed along with a description of each one. The purpose of revisiting the main ideas you have presented in your book during the nonfiction book ending is to quickly remind readers of the critical points and the “why” of your nonfiction book ending. But these main ideas should not simply be restated at the end of the book; instead, plan on including another bit of content in your book’s conclusion that helps readers know concretely what they should do with that information.
Offer Unique Takeaways: Paired with a revisiting of your book’s main ideas, giving readers a unique takeaway about your book’s topic is an excellent nonfiction book ending. Once the reader has read the in-depth discussion of your book topic and has been reminded of the key ideas at the end of the book summary, you can give them specific concepts to leave the book with.
These takeaways should be ideas that you want them to think about after the book is over, something they should consider bringing into their thinking process or something that could change their lives. Readers love to feel invested and enriched by their reading, so this insight gives them the chance to learn more about your book’s main idea while ingesting a unique nonfiction book ending.
2. A Call to Action
A different but just as effective strategy for creating a nonfiction book ending that readers will love and remember is to create a specific call to action or CTA during the final pages. A CTA is a specific thing that readers are challenged to do as a result of their new knowledge or insight from your book, and this type of ending allows readers to feel invested in your book’s purpose and allows them to make a difference in the world around them as a result.
A call to action can be small, one that only the readers themselves are aware of, or a CTA can be a noticeable, visible action that the reader completes out in the world. Often nonfiction books may take on topics that lend themselves to a call to action, making this a perfect way to create an effective nonfiction book ending where the author, and ultimately the reader, hope to make a difference in the world. Some of the types of CTA nonfiction authors often use may be:
- Ask readers to do “one thing” toward making a change in the problem or situation
- Call on a supportive organization to volunteer to help with a cause
- Donate time or money to a specific group or organization
- Request prayers or positive thoughts to help make a difference
- Suggest readers open dialogues in their community about the situation or problem
- Tell readers to find their way to make an impact at a local level
One of the ways that this strategy is successful for nonfiction book authors is for the book to provide resources for the reader to use. Linking support organizations, suggesting locations to volunteer or make donations or providing contact information for groups that can help the reader fulfill their desire to help all go a long way to creating an authentic CTA that the reader can realistically accomplish.
3. An Author Reflection
The third way for a strong nonfiction book ending is to include a section or chapter with your own reflections about the topic at hand. As a writer, your opinions may be woven through the book’s perspective with varying degrees of intentionality, but an author’s reflection gives writers the chance to freely speak directly to the reader as an expert. Giving readers your opinion or hot take on the nonfiction subject allows you to inject your authentic, professionally supported opinion about the topic.
Speaking candidly and honestly with the reader about how you view the subject, as well as laying out your roadmap to solving a problem or addressing the primary focus of your nonfiction book ending allows readers to connect with you on a personal level. Learning how you view the subject after reading your well-presented research on a topic confirms your expertise on the subject and helps readers to better understand the topic while getting to know you as an author at the same time.
The author’s reflection is typically presented as a word directly from the writer, often switching into the first person voice to present the content unequivocally from the voice of the author. This switch that is often from 3rd to 1st person could feel jarring, but it doesn’t have to be. When a reflection is presented as an author’s turn to personally discuss the topic, readers will connect with the author on a personal level, better understanding their passion about a subject or why the writer chose to pen a book over the subject in the first place.
Ending a nonfiction book with this type of reflection gives both readers and writers a chance to get to the heart of a subject on a personal level, an accomplishment all authors strive for in their writing.
Turning Your Nonfiction Concept into a Strong Nonfiction Book Ending
Writing a nonfiction book is an accomplishment not every author can claim. It often comes with hours of research to learn about a topic so an author can deepen their knowledge about the subject to provide a well-thought-out book for their readers. Nonfiction books may include meaningful content like interviews, genuine photographs or graphic elements and data of all kinds on top of plenty of thoughtful evaluation of the subject and ultimately careful writing by the author.
A strong ending is a common requirement for a successful nonfiction book, whether you choose to revisit your main ideas and present meaningful takeaways for the reader, offer a call to action or give readers your reflection on the topic as an expert on the subject. But one thing all nonfiction self-publishing authors have in common is they need to work with a trusted printing company to ensure that their efforts in presenting a well-planned and thought-provoking nonfiction manuscript will end up as a beautifully printed book.
Dazzle Printing has been helping self-publishing authors turn their hard work into gorgeous books for decades, and partnering with an experienced printer like Dazzle Printing will ensure that your book looks just as good as you hope it will when you put the final finishing touches on your book and send it off to be printed.
