On reading this book, a lot of the advice strikes me as common sense in communication and getting your thoughts in order. On the other hand, having read policy documents before, most of us are manifestly terrible writers. Smith's advice is general, on thinking about an issue in a way that you can honestly present an accurate and evidenced backed policy proposal to people who will need to support or enact it. It's somewhat dry and short on detail, but the general method checklist in chapter 2 covers everything that a successful policy document must have, while the rest of the book covers different forms of policy communication, from position papers to legislative histories to public testimony.

As a short book, it's a solid read and reference for anyone working in public policy.