50 book and writing project ideas
A finished small book beats an unfinished big one. These ideas are bounded: a clear reader, a shape and an end point you can plan towards.
Before you start: Fix the length and the deadline first, then break the book into weekly word or page counts.
All 50 ideas
Workload is a rough guide to the ongoing work: light is a few hours a week, medium is part-time, heavy is close to full-time.
A picture book about a cat who lives in a lighthouse
Thirty-two pages of rhyming text and a recurring visual joke.
Medium workload · part-timeBuild this planA guidebook to walks in one county
Routes with maps, distance notes and places to eat.
Heavy workload · close to full-timeBuild this planA cookbook of family recipes with the stories behind them
Handwritten notes, photos and one memory per recipe.
Heavy workload · close to full-timeBuild this planA zine of local ghost stories and legends
Short tales collected from residents, with a map of locations.
Medium workload · part-timeBuild this planA workbook for planning a small wedding
Checklists, cost pages and timelines to fill in.
Medium workload · part-timeBuild this planA serialised fantasy novel sent by email
Weekly chapters, a map and a reading order for new subscribers.
Heavy workload · close to full-timeBuild this planA gardening journal for allotment holders
Sowing calendars, notes pages and a harvest log.
Medium workload · part-timeBuild this planA short story collection to read on the commute
Ten stories that each fit a single train ride.
Medium workload · part-timeBuild this planA poetry chapbook arranged by the seasons
Twenty-four short poems and simple illustrations.
Medium workload · part-timeBuild this planA science activity book for kids using kitchen items
Fifty short experiments with step-by-step pictures.
Heavy workload · close to full-timeBuild this planA memoir written from interviews with a grandparent
Chapters by decade, with photos and original quotes.
Heavy workload · close to full-timeBuild this planA collection of essays about slow travel
Place-based essays with a few maps and sketches.
Heavy workload · close to full-timeBuild this planA handbook for first-time volunteers
Practical chapters from the first day to saying no kindly.
Medium workload · part-timeBuild this planA small-town crime novella
A cosy mystery with a cast list and a map of the town.
Heavy workload · close to full-timeBuild this planA recipe zine for students who share a kitchen
Cheap meals made in one pan, with a weekly shopping list.
Medium workload · part-timeBuild this planA phrasebook for a trip with a specific purpose
Phrases for hiking huts, markets or cycling trips in one country.
Medium workload · part-timeBuild this planAn illustrated history of one city's streets
Short entries with drawings and a walking route per chapter.
Heavy workload · close to full-timeBuild this planA book of original logic puzzles
Graded puzzles with hints and full solutions at the back.
Heavy workload · close to full-timeBuild this planA teacher's guide with ready lessons for one topic
Plans, handouts and assessment ideas, printable.
Medium workload · part-timeBuild this planA founder diary of the first year, edited into a book
Honest entries, decisions and what changed.
Medium workload · part-timeBuild this planA bilingual children's story
Two languages on facing pages, with audio online.
Medium workload · part-timeBuild this planA trail guide with a poem for each stage
Short routes, each with a poem and a place to pause.
Medium workload · part-timeBuild this planA gardening guide for renters with balconies
Container plans, soil basics and a seasonal calendar.
Medium workload · part-timeBuild this planA science fiction anthology by local writers
A call for stories, editing and a shared launch.
Heavy workload · close to full-timeBuild this planA practical guide to moving to one country
Checklists and lived advice, always pointing to official sources for rules.
Heavy workload · close to full-timeBuild this planA printed collection of a webcomic
The best strips, new bonus pages and a crowdfunding plan.
Heavy workload · close to full-timeBuild this planA handbook on note-taking for students
Methods compared with examples and a one-page cheat sheet.
Medium workload · part-timeBuild this planA historical novel set around a local event
Researched characters and a timeline of real dates.
Heavy workload · close to full-timeBuild this planA book of simple board games you can make at home
Rules and printable boards for twenty games.
Medium workload · part-timeBuild this planA field notebook for local birds
Pages for sightings, a regional checklist and simple drawings.
Medium workload · part-timeBuild this planA collection of letters from people about their jobs
Short, honest letters with one lesson each.
Medium workload · part-timeBuild this planA book of one-page essays about daily life
Observations on kitchens, commutes and neighbours.
Medium workload · part-timeBuild this planA pattern book for beginner knitters
Twelve simple projects with sizes and clear charts.
Heavy workload · close to full-timeBuild this planA beginner's repair manual for common household problems
Step-by-step photos and a toolbox list, with safety notes.
Heavy workload · close to full-timeBuild this planA book built from a year of a newsletter
The best issues reworked into chapters.
Medium workload · part-timeBuild this planA collection of bedtime stories about small animals
Short, calm stories with simple recurring characters.
Medium workload · part-timeBuild this planA neighbourhood oral history book
Interviews with residents, photos and a timeline.
Heavy workload · close to full-timeBuild this planA photo book of one city through the seasons
A year of pictures with short captions and a map.
Heavy workload · close to full-timeBuild this planA choose-your-own-path adventure book
Branching story sections with a map of the paths.
Heavy workload · close to full-timeBuild this planA short poetry book for new parents
Small poems for tired mornings and strange nights.
Light workload · a few hours a weekBuild this planA planning workbook for new freelancers
Prompts on services, clients and a weekly rhythm.
Medium workload · part-timeBuild this planFolk tales from one region, retold for modern readers
Collected tales with sources and a short note on each.
Heavy workload · close to full-timeBuild this planA handwriting practice book for adults
Guided pages for neat, relaxed writing.
Light workload · a few hours a weekBuild this planA sketchbook guide for travellers
Prompts, simple techniques and room for drawings.
Medium workload · part-timeBuild this planA community cookbook to raise money for a local group
Recipes from members, a simple layout and a print run plan.
Heavy workload · close to full-timeBuild this planA book of short games for team meetings
Fifty minute-long icebreakers with materials listed.
Medium workload · part-timeBuild this planA graded reader for language learners
Short stories with glossaries and questions.
Heavy workload · close to full-timeBuild this planEssays by makers on why they keep making
Personal stories from craftspeople and artists.
Medium workload · part-timeBuild this planA cosy fantasy novel set in a magical bakery
A gentle plot and a recipe at the end of each chapter.
Heavy workload · close to full-timeBuild this planA small ebook of checklists for everyday projects
Printable lists for moves, trips and events.
Light workload · a few hours a weekBuild this plan
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