Most people can remember the days of diligently pulling out the hefty, assigned textbook and reading a chapter or two before the next day’s class. These textbooks were often full of long blocks of text, a diagram or two, formulas, and the occasional image or figure. More than one student ended up using the book as a pillow, having fallen asleep before finishing the assigned reading. Occasionally, a textbook would pique your interest. Maybe the subject was particularly interesting to you, or maybe the author of the textbook wrote in a way that made the information interesting.

Not Your Parents’ Textbooks

It is no secret that there are a million things vying for the attention of students nowadays. There are distractions everywhere. The assigned textbook reading is just one more of those things—and not one that students typically look forward to. So how do we compete for their attention?

You might think that flashy multimedia embedded into the digital textbook is the way to go. And these can help with engagement and explaining concepts to students of all learning styles. However, the best way to overcome these hurdles is through style and voice.

“Hey, Whipple, Squeeze This”

“Hey, Whipple, Squeeze This”: A Guide to Creating Great Ads was written by Luke Sullivan in 1998. It has since had a total of six editions (most recently published in 2022) and remains a popular advertising textbook. It is conversational and funny, teaching principles through stories and anecdotes. The book has continued to receive glowing reviews, with students saying they read it independently of class because it is so engaging. Sullivan’s style is a great example of knowing how to pull your audience in, pique their curiosity, and teach concepts all at the same time.

Finding Your Personal Writing Style

Now, your subject may not lend itself to fun, creative stories to illustrate your point, but you can still incorporate your own style and voice into your writing. Not all textbooks need to sound like an academic paper. It is important to understand your audience. Are you writing to beginners or students in their final year of a doctoral program? We all adjust our style of writing instinctually—an email coordinating plans between friends is going to sound different than one written to your boss.

Writing is a cooperative experience with two actors: the writer and the reader. The writer brings the tone (the emotion or attitude projected by the writing), style (the amalgamation of writing techniques by which you communicate a desired tone), and voice (the unique way your brain assembles thoughts and words), and the reader interprets it. Therefore, the writer has the responsibility of creating content in such a way that their message is clear. The reader is responsible for understanding the message.

Purpose and Style Together

Ultimately, a textbook author is striving to impart information to the reader on a subject that they (the author) have experience in. Do not sacrifice clarity for comedy. Your writing should encourage curiosity and a desire to learn more. Discover which tools work best for you. These tools can include a conversational tone, case studies, personal professional experiences or helpful multimedia aids. Ultimately, you should write the textbook you would want to read.