Writing a Book Precis

Instructions for Writing a Book Precis
Writing a book precis is a different task than writing a book review. The most important aspect
of a book precis is its brevity and concise writing. The following information will be required for
writing a book precis for this course:
1) The precis will be limited to one-page. Normal page margins (1-inch) will be used and
text size will be 12-pt., single-spaced.
2) The precis will include three sections: A) Author’s argument, 2) Support for Argument,
and 3) Evaluation and conclusion.
3) The author’s argument should encompass the overall argument of the book. Why did
the author write the book? What point was the author trying to make to the reader?
4) When writing the Support for Argument section, the student should be very concise in
their writing. Take the author’s argument and explain how the author supported that
argument in the book. Don’t retell parts of the book. This section requires you to look
at the big picture and determine the author’s overall approach to convincing the reader
of their argument.
5) The final section, Evaluation and Conclusion, requires the student to evaluate whether
or not the author’s writing convinced you of their argument. This section should be
brief, concise, and leave no doubt in a reader’s mind as to the value of the book.
The written book precis should be limited to one page. If, after writing your precis, your paper
is longer than one page, you must edit the paper to tighten the narrative and limit the writing
to your strongest arguments and statements.