Is Your Book Just Better? Or Is It Better AND Different?

As a consultant, having written a book gives you "caché." But writing a "better" book may not be enough, says the Independent Consultants Association (ICA). What's better than "better"? Being better AND different. How do you build a better book? ICA suggests these steps:

(1) Survey competitive books and create a matrix to analyze theme, slant, focus, approach, publisher, number of copies sold, etc.

(2) Figure out how you're going to do it better and differently.

(3) Write up the market analysis, and include it in a book proposal. Don't know how? Get Michael Larsen's book, How to Write a Book Proposal.

(4) Have a heart-to-heart with an agent or with a specialty publisher.

(5) Refine your idea, refine the proposal, and send it out.