One of the most common questions that my ghostwriting and editing clients ask me is, “How do I know when my book is finished?” They don’t want to know on what date I’ll deliver the edited file to them; they mean whether the manuscript is complete from the standpoint of content.

Can anything be added? Is the book complete? Is the text long enough? Are there enough pages?

The answer to each question could be “Yes.” It could also be, “Depends on what your goals are.” If you want to present a comprehensive treatment of your subject, with every detail explored, the answer is “Keep writing!” If you want to present a compact and easy-to-use guide, the answer might be, “Edit more!”

I recently had a valued client who wrote a self-help book on how to improve your personal finances. It’s a step-by-step daily program that totals 20,000 words. Each step includes one key idea, like “buy appropriate insurance.” When I delivered the edited book, he asked me if it were complete.

The trick was that any one of the ideas he put forth could be expanded to five or ten thousand words each. Each point could be an entire book! His book could not really become much better, but it could always become something different. That’s his choice as the author.

Managing consumer expectations

This is why the focus of his thinking at this point should be marketing. For any book, you need to make sure that you meet or exceed the expectations of the reader, and you do this by carefully crafting the cover text, graphics, and marketing message. It’s called “managing consumer expectations.”

For example, you would never use the word “comprehensive” to sell a 20,000-word financial self-help book. It couldn’t be. But it could be “easy to use,” “handy,” “compact,” “effective,” and “succinct.” It could be a fast and effective way to change your life. It is not a financial encyclopedia. Likewise, price is a factor. You could never charge $25 for a 20,000-word book, unless it came with lots of extras like course material or video seminars. It’s all about matching price with value.

Could any book be longer? Yes. Could any book be shorter? Yes. Could any book contain more ideas? Certainly. This is why my valued clients know that for a successful book – whether it’s a self-help book or a novel – quantity does not equal quality. Every word counts. It’s always better to present a small perfect diamond, polished to perfection, than a big hunk of cheap cubic zirconia.

– From his office in Gloucester, Massachusetts, on scenic Cape Ann north of Boston, Thomas Hauck provides freelance book editing and ghostwriting services for both published and first-time authors.