Many of the nonfiction books I read contain superfluous content, which I suspect is to increase the page count. I’m not the first person to point this out. One fluffing technique I’ve seen lately is spending the opening chapter defining the words that are central to the book’s argument. The author will fill several pages with definitions taken from multiple dictionaries, including both current and historical dictionaries. Then, to prolong the torture, the author will usually pad the chapter with more pages exploring the etymology of the words. Usually there will be references to ancient Roman, Greek or Latin root words and historical meanings.
Spare me.
I skip past all of these sections.
I wonder if any writer actually thinks this information is valuable or if they are simply following the book publisher’s guidelines. Either way, it’s too bad. Many of the books I read are full of valuable insights and though provoking ideas. They’d be even better without the fluff.
Just because “everybody does it this way” doesn’t mean it’s good. In fact, I tend to believe the opposite is true, especially when it comes to presentations, books, public speaking and writing.