| Make Sure Your Book Has Potential Before | | | | listener/viewer constantly in mind. Choosing |
| Writing It! | | | | the right (read marketable) subject matter |
| | | | for your book is just the first time you'll |
| (Excerpted from The Well-Fed Self-Publisher: | | | | do that. |
| How to Turn One Book into a Full-Time Living, | | | | |
| by Peter Bowerman. Fanove, 2006. | | | | Along the way, you'll do it on countless |
| | | | other occasions, as you craft: 1) email |
| "Crazy" Lives… | | | | pitches to potential reviewers; 2) press |
| | | | releases to particular publications or |
| We've all known people who talk about their | | | | associations that have specific "hot |
| "crazy" lives, which, 99 out of 100, is just | | | | buttons"; 3) articles for print/online |
| a life like most other lives, or, at the very | | | | publications which look for specific content; |
| least, certainly not some Oprah-worthy | | | | 4) promotional copy, commentary and content |
| existence. They exclaim, "I should write a | | | | for book signings, discussions, seminars, |
| book; no one would believe it." Yeah, and no | | | | speeches, radio/TV interviews, other public |
| offense, but I'd wager no one would buy it, | | | | appearances, and much more. |
| either. What we think is absolutely | | | | |
| fascinating about our life is rarely so for | | | | We need to tune our marketing minds into |
| others. So, Rule #1 of the SP game, and part | | | | "WRII-FM," that unspoken question in the mind |
| and parcel of the whole Sales and Marketing | | | | of the reader of any printed material: |
| discussion here is this: | | | | "What's Really In It For Me?" If the answer |
| | | | is, "nothing" or "not enough," then it's on |
| Write a Book People Will Want to Read. | | | | to the next book on the bookshelf, email in |
| | | | the inbox, or article in the magazine. |
| Painfully obvious, right? Total no-brainer? | | | | |
| Well, as we've all discovered, few things are | | | | How's Yours Different? |
| no-brainers, especially this one. A corollary | | | | |
| to this rule is: Don't let ego or vanity | | | | Let's assume that you've determined that your |
| ("Hooowee, I'm going to be an author!") cloud | | | | subject matter is indeed viable. Next stop? |
| your judgment and keep you from asking | | | | Barnes & Noble, Borders, or See how many |
| yourself the tough questions to determine if | | | | other books there are on your subject. It |
| your proposed subject matter is indeed | | | | might be a great topic, but if there are 20 |
| salable. Remember: a garage full of books is | | | | titles that deal with it already, do we |
| an amazingly ego-boosting sight for about two | | | | really need a 21st? Yours had better be |
| hours. Tops. | | | | pretty darn special, and to someone other |
| | | | than you (and your mother…). |
| Don't Go "Book Blind"! | | | | |
| | | | Plenty of Room |
| Put another way, don't succumb to what I'll | | | | |
| call "book blindness," a common affliction of | | | | In the case of my first book, there was |
| first-time self-publishers and even some more | | | | literally one book on the market on the |
| experienced folks: when you become so | | | | subject of commercial writing: Secrets of a |
| enamored with the idea that you've written a | | | | Freelance Writer, by Bob Bly. It's a very |
| book and you're so intimately attuned to how | | | | good book, in fact it was the book that got |
| much blood, sweat and tears went into its | | | | me started in the commercial writing |
| creation (and by extension, how "incredible" | | | | business. Still, it was just one book. Bob's |
| you know it is) that you lose sight of the | | | | book is solid, substantive and |
| fact that your market doesn't know any of | | | | straightforward. Mine was going to be just as |
| this and needs to be sold on all of it. That | | | | meaty in its own right but more fun, |
| means content, cover, title, subtitle, | | | | whimsical and irreverent - starting with the |
| editing, and everything else that contributes | | | | title itself, The Well-Fed Writer, and |
| to a successful title - in the market's | | | | continuing on from there. |
| opinion, not yours. | | | | |
| | | | So, clearly, I felt comfortable that there |
| What's the Payoff? | | | | was more than enough room for another book on |
| | | | the subject, especially one with a different |
| Let's look at a clear-cut example of a book | | | | tone and approach. Most importantly, the |
| people want to read: a Top 10 title on The | | | | subject matter was very compelling. I knew |
| New York Times fiction best-seller list. What | | | | there were zillions of struggling or |
| makes such a book so popular? With | | | | "wannabe" writers out there who would be more |
| non-fiction titles, the subject is | | | | than a little intrigued by a book that showed |
| undoubtedly topical and compelling, and the | | | | them, step-by-step, how to make a handsome |
| information is sufficiently valuable to | | | | full-time living as a writer. |
| enough people to translate to commercial | | | | |
| success. | | | | A Book Proposal? |
| | | | |
| With fiction though, it's likely the draw of | | | | Here's a great way to gel your thinking about |
| a marquee author. What makes those authors so | | | | the market viability of your book. About the |
| popular? Well, you could safely say that | | | | time I'd finished my first book, and before |
| their books strike a common chord in enough | | | | I'd definitely decided to self-publish it, I |
| readers with compelling story-telling, rich | | | | put together a book proposal, which, of |
| character development, recurring themes or | | | | course, is the first step to pitching agents |
| heroes/heroines (in the case of a series), | | | | and/or publishers. But even if you've already |
| authentic depictions of human nature, etc. | | | | made the decision to go the SP route, a book |
| | | | proposal is a wonderful way to get a reality |
| Simply put, for a book to become a best | | | | check. It ensures that you'll think this |
| seller, enough people have to feel there's a | | | | thing through thoroughly before taking the |
| payoff: a feeling that's pleasurable or | | | | (financial) plunge. That means figuring out |
| familiar, something they can relate to on | | | | what the book would cover, why there's a |
| some fundamental level, etc. Will your book | | | | market for it, who would buy it, why they |
| deliver that crucial payoff? | | | | would buy it, what your competition is, what |
| | | | your expected costs will be, and much more. |
| Tune in to WRII-FM | | | | |
| | | | Don't make the oh-so-common mistake of |
| All writing, if it's to be effective (i.e., | | | | overestimating the appeal of a potential book |
| get through to your reader), must always | | | | idea. Perhaps you do have a great book, but a |
| consider the audience, as we just discussed. | | | | little homework now will save a lot of |
| Throughout the entire self-publishing | | | | headaches later. |
| process, you'll need to keep your reader | | | | |