As Growing Great Characters From the Ground Up states, character development is the most important facet of any character-based book, whether fiction or nonfiction, because "readers won't follow for long if they find the people you're writing about dull, one-dimensional or unbelievable." After listing the three attributes of a great character, the 248-page book takes readers through a step-by-step process that shows them how to develop their characters from start to finish.