7 Lessons From the Mini Book Model to Write Shorter, More Impactful Books

28 Dec 2025 #books

Forget 30,000 words. Forget publishers.

For so long, writing a book felt distant: original ideas, months of research, and plenty of rejections. Then I discovered self-publishing had redefined what a book could be. And finally, Chris Stanley debunked those objections with the concept of a mini book.

After attending one of Chris’ workshops last year, I devoured his book, Mini Book Model. Here are 7 lessons I learned:

#1. Start with a problem and your point of view (POV). Instead of starting with a blank page, identify one problem your reader faces and how you solved it.

Since you’re writing about your solution, you don’t need months of research. Often, research is procrastination in disguise.

Apart from a problem and solution, after launching Street-Smart Coding, I learned to write a book description and a one-line summary before the content. That forces you to clarify your message.

#2. Resist the urge of adding more fluff. Unlike traditional non-fiction books, the point of a mini book is to present a message as fast and concisely as possible.

As a guideline:

• If you reach 5,000 words, you have enough.
• If you pass 15,000 words, stop.

A target word count isn’t the goal, but to fulfill your book promise.

#3. Use the W’s outline to present new concepts. With the W’s outline, use one chapter to answer what/why/who/when/where/how. It’s the perfect outline to introduce a new concept. Tweak to emphasize the “how,” if needed.

#4. If you have a process or framework, write a mini book about it. Make each step of your process a chapter of your mini book. Then, go deeper on a step with another mini book. And plug future books into earlier ones.

That’s what Chris did with the whole Mini Book series. The first book, Mini Book Model introduces what a mini book is and how to write one. Then he wrote another mini book about each step in the process.

#5. Use 3 points per chapter and 3 subpoints per point. The goal is to keep your mini book focused and on point. But feel free to use the points you need to deliver your message.

#6. Introduce a checkpoint in the first half. This isn’t a lesson Chris taught, but one he practiced in the book itself. Instead of waiting until the end to ask for a review, he added a call-to-action after the first chapters.

#7. To edit your mini book, read it out loud while recording it. It helps you catch typos and speed up your audiobook launch. Win-win!

Mini books give you permission to write and launch without gatekeepers. No more 30,000 words. That’s liberating. What are you waiting to join the mini book movement?

I’ve embraced mini books in the coding space, and you can find my mini books here.