What Makes a Book Good

...& a good book very good. My thoughts should be of particular interest to the writers amongst us- a justifiably much reviled breed but they do exist.
Of prime importance is grammar. This must be of the required standard. If the literary work fails to meet this standard, all is lost.
One might say, "Yes, but this is all very vague. What is this required standard? Be more precise."
A point well made & I welcome it. More precision will follow.
If one can imagine a kind of literary equivalent of the heights the great Ukrainian pole-vaulter Sergei Bubka used to reach, then one is in the right kind of metaphorical territory. For those of us not au fait with the achievements of Bubka, the following should prove enlightening:
Bubka won 6 consecutive IAAF World Championships, an Olympics gold and broke the world record for men's pole vaulting 35 times (17 outdoor and 18 indoor records). He is the first to clear 6.0 metres and the first and only (as of January 2007) to clear 6.10 metres (20 feet). He owns the current outdoor world record of 6.14 metres on 31 July 1994 in Sestriere, Italy and the current indoor world record of 6.15 meters on 21 February 1993 in Donetsk, Ukraine.

This standard I spoke of is clearly of a demanding nature, & indeed some may quail at the prospect of meeting such heights. However, that is not my concern. Noone said writing was for the faint-hearted; the hollow-chested...perhaps, but not the faint-hearted. Subject matter is also of some relevance so be careful to pick a subject that will both entertain and enlighten. Think about who you are writing for, and how useful they will find this book. It's no good creating what you believe to be a masterpiece if it doesn't stimulate your audience.
Write well but not too well.
Remember- words are your friend.