-
Step 1
Research the subject and readership. If you select elementary education, you need to be careful because a large knowledge gap exists between fifth grade and preschool. Pick a specific grade and research that age level. How do students at that level generally learn best?
Research the subject that the textbook is about, whether it be English, science, math or social studies. Elementary-level textbooks are usually common knowledge for an adult with introductory lessons, but you want to make sure you cover everything so do not sleep on this step. -
Step 2
Contact a publisher and land a contract with that company before you write the manuscript. Publishers usually will not read an unsolicited manuscript. Textbook manuscripts are a little different, but it can still be hard to land a publishing contract without the help of a literary agent. Find an agent who will endorse the book and contact the publisher on your behalf or contact the publisher alone. Try to land a deal before you spend weeks, months or years writing the manuscript.
-
Step 3
Outline the textbook. Writers rarely begin on the first draft of the manuscript until they have successfully outlined the project with a detailed description. Create a table of contents to break down the information. Write mock chapters and include an index and glossary, two vital necessities of any textbook.
-
Step 4
Write the first draft. If it's easy to start at the beginning and write in chronological order, than do it. If you want to write out of order, do that, too. The order of the writing does not matter. What matters is that you finish the manuscript, especially if you are under a deadline.
-
Step 5
Keep the text simple and include plenty of side activities. Textbooks for elementary students often have a lot of sidebars including useful trivia, fun facts, exercises or activities to keep the student's mind engaged and active. Avoid big words and keep the sentence structure simple and to the point.
