- Thanks Bobbi - Douglas
Too many first-time authors are struck by what they consider to be a brilliant idea and immediately start writing. Perhaps you are one of them and have succumbed to the lure of inspiration. There’s nothing wrong with inspiration. It’s a great feeling, but it is not enough to sustain you through the whole process of writing a book. So, before you get swept away, here are 5 questions new authors must answer to be sure your book idea is viable:
1. Why am I writing this book?
Why is it important to me? What do I hope it will achieve? This is your book’s mission, its purpose. This question is not about you; it is about your reader. Most new authors are not used to thinking in terms of benefits to the reader, but you must be clear on what that benefit will be: to educate, motivate, entertain, teach a skill, inspire, tell a story, guide, or something else?
Why is it important to me? What do I hope it will achieve? This is your book’s mission, its purpose. This question is not about you; it is about your reader. Most new authors are not used to thinking in terms of benefits to the reader, but you must be clear on what that benefit will be: to educate, motivate, entertain, teach a skill, inspire, tell a story, guide, or something else?
2. What is my book about (in one or two sentences)?
It is amazing how difficult that question is to answer. Picture this scenario: you run into someone at an event. He says, “I hear you’re writing a book. That’s great. What’s it about?” Your answer can’t be any longer than a subtitle (e.g., It’s about growing up in the South and coming to terms with desegregation. or how to survive your kids’ adolescence, or making sense of the wacky world of social networking). What you’re looking for is the essence of your book—the point. Don’t start writing until you can explain it in one sentence.
It is amazing how difficult that question is to answer. Picture this scenario: you run into someone at an event. He says, “I hear you’re writing a book. That’s great. What’s it about?” Your answer can’t be any longer than a subtitle (e.g., It’s about growing up in the South and coming to terms with desegregation. or how to survive your kids’ adolescence, or making sense of the wacky world of social networking). What you’re looking for is the essence of your book—the point. Don’t start writing until you can explain it in one sentence.
3. How am I uniquely qualified to write this book?
Can I demonstrate my knowledge, experience, and expertise in relation to my subject? The key here is “in relation to my subject.” you do not want your life story; you just want to show what background, education, professional experience, or special knowledge qualifies you to write convincingly about this particular topic. If your degree is an electrical engineering, but you are writing about how to live with bipolar disorder, your education isn’t relevant to your topic. If this is a memoir, your own experience is relevant. If you can team up with an expert or have that person write your foreword or a testimonial, that will increase your credibility.
Can I demonstrate my knowledge, experience, and expertise in relation to my subject? The key here is “in relation to my subject.” you do not want your life story; you just want to show what background, education, professional experience, or special knowledge qualifies you to write convincingly about this particular topic. If your degree is an electrical engineering, but you are writing about how to live with bipolar disorder, your education isn’t relevant to your topic. If this is a memoir, your own experience is relevant. If you can team up with an expert or have that person write your foreword or a testimonial, that will increase your credibility.
4. Who is my ideal reader?
Can I describe her? What do I know about her? Where is she likely to buy my book? The answer to the question, “Who will want to read my book?” is not everyone. For one thing, it’s a rare book that will appeal to everyone. For another, every book has to have a category, which is where it would be placed in a bookstore or how it would be listed on an eBook reader. There are many demographic questions about your ideal reader—her age, educational background, socio-economic position, marital status, interests and hobbies, and so on. Those are important but not as important as being able to see this person in your mind’s eye and writing directly to her.
Can I describe her? What do I know about her? Where is she likely to buy my book? The answer to the question, “Who will want to read my book?” is not everyone. For one thing, it’s a rare book that will appeal to everyone. For another, every book has to have a category, which is where it would be placed in a bookstore or how it would be listed on an eBook reader. There are many demographic questions about your ideal reader—her age, educational background, socio-economic position, marital status, interests and hobbies, and so on. Those are important but not as important as being able to see this person in your mind’s eye and writing directly to her.
5. What else is out there on this subject?
How is my book unique, special, important? What do existing books on the subject cover or not cover? Don’t be concerned if you find that your topic is not unique. Someone, somewhere, has probably written about it. That’s fine. What matters is how you approach it, calling upon your own stories, research, experience, knowledge, and creativity. Be specific about the competition, but also be open- minded and fair. This is not the place for criticism, only for comparison of other books with yours. List major competitive titles and a very brief description of each. Then, describe how they differ from your book and why yours does a better job.
How is my book unique, special, important? What do existing books on the subject cover or not cover? Don’t be concerned if you find that your topic is not unique. Someone, somewhere, has probably written about it. That’s fine. What matters is how you approach it, calling upon your own stories, research, experience, knowledge, and creativity. Be specific about the competition, but also be open- minded and fair. This is not the place for criticism, only for comparison of other books with yours. List major competitive titles and a very brief description of each. Then, describe how they differ from your book and why yours does a better job.
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