What matters more--subject matter expertise, or writing ability?

Both, sounds like.

A staffer in a small publishing house recently posted this information to a freelancers' listserve. With her permission, I'm quoting her here, with clarifying comments.

Credentials as a general writer are not as important as credentials in the field. We have writers and editors on staff to assist the right author. We are looking for experts who can either write their own book or co-author a book.

When I queried her further, she explained that they need the expert to give the book authority. Yet if the expert can't write well, they'll hire someone who can and have that person edit the expert's work.

"Because as you know," she wrote, "if someone mangles the writing or if it's boring, the message will be lost. At a small publishing house, though, the expert who can also write has an important advantage because then we don't have to pay two people for one book."

Makes sense then, to build your writer's platform and your writing skills, too, and to consider the economics of publishing from your own, as well as your intended publisher's, perspective.

And it also makes sense to remember that platforms come in all shapes and sizes--you don't have to be a celebrity to get your book published.

Some people think that with about 60,000 nonfiction books being published annually, their book doesn't have a chance of making it against those odds. But there's another way to look at it: Each year, there are 60,000 slots waiting to be filled by a good book--so why not yours?

Book beat: Iceland publishes . . .

. . . the most books per capita of any nation in the world. One out of 10 Icelanders will publish a book in his or her lifetime. --Source: Jason Wilson, "Wash Thoroughly without a Swimsuit," Washington Post SundayMagazine, March 6, 2005

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.

What are some of the biggest misconceptions about writing and publishing a book?

Three Fallacies About Authoring a Book

In this issue of More Clients, Robert Middleton interviews his friend and colleague John Eggen, who has helped some of the most highly recognized InfoGurus in America to succeed. If you've ever thought about authoring a book, John has some compelling insights for you to consider.

The essence of being an InfoGuru is promoting yourself as an expert, and nothing brands you as an expert better than writing and publishing a book. More