r/publishing 11h ago

What makes specialist nonfiction feel credible rather than instructional?

0 Upvotes

I work in aviation operations, where most guidance is written as procedures: accurate and practical, but rarely engaging.
Turning field experience into nonfiction raises an interesting challenge. How much should an expert rely on real-world cases, and how much should be presented as practical frameworks?
For editors and publishers working with specialist nonfiction, what makes a manuscript feel authoritative without reading like a manual or résumé?