How to Write a Coffee Table Book

Coffee table books are probably the most looked at in the house just because they are left on display for that very purpose. What captures us most about these books is their striking visuals, but you can create prose that is equally as striking. You can write a coffee table book with a little creativity and a few simple steps.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Draft of book’s photos and art
• Pen and paper or computer

1. Familiarize yourself with the book’s other components. Get a draft of all the art, photos and other items that are going to be part of the book and learn it well. If it’s a book about tattoos, bone up on the art’s history. If it’s a book about World War II, start researching bombs and Hitler.
2. Write captions then expand them. Even though captions may already be written for the visuals, you will do yourself a service if you write your own caption then expand on it. If the photo is a tattoo of a dragon, for instance, you can expand on it by stating how the dragon theme is hugely popular in the orient.
3. Put all the paragraphs together and create transitions. Once you’ve identified all the visuals, you can stream them together with transition paragraphs. Say the dragon tattoo, which allowed you to delve into the history of its symbolism in China, is followed by a pinup girl tattoo. “As the East is enamored by their dragons, the West has always been in love with its pinup girl.”
4. Stay short and sweet. While you may be tempted to start listing every feature of the fierce, fire-breathing beast, don’t turn your prose into Moby Dick. Readers are going to have the visuals right in front of them, so you need not go on and on. Coffee table books are also supposed to be short and sweet, not filled with long paragraphs that will never get read.
5. Write an introduction. Once you have the body of the book wrapped up, write a catchy and poetic introduction to summarize what the reader is about the see. Again, keep it short. “They’ve been stigmatized, laughed at and hidden from mom, but tattoos are not going away anytime soon. Due to their very nature, they actually can’t go away unless you undergo expensive skin surgery. But, based on the array of tattoos we’ve amassed in this collection, you’ll agree you’d want them to stick around.”
6. Proof it. Always proofread your work and, if you have a literate friend or neighbor, run it by them, too.

Tips & Warnings

• A helpful hint is keeping in mind what you would want to read about the subject.
• Find fascinating facts. If it’s a book about umbrellas, for instance, wouldn’t it be neat to find some outlandish information on them, like how many umbrellas were hit by lightning or how many people ever died from an umbrella used as a weapon.
• Be succinct. Coffee table books often force you to cram a lot of information into little space. There is no room for long, unnecessary words or phrases.
• Get poetic. Think of each paragraph as its own prose poem and have fun with language accordingly.
• Don't go on and on and on and on and on and on....