So you've got this idea for a book . . .

... and you're wondering if it's "publishable."

This is a real question lots of would-be authors have—in fact, it came from a colleague just today. Here's what I told her:

First, understand that you may actually be asking "What's marketable?" and not "What's publishable?" Big difference.

Once you've got that straight, do a little market research. Here's how:

1. Search Amazon.com to see what kinds of books like it are out there and for whom they're written.

2. Check Books in Print for same (you can learn a lot just by reviewing these lists).

3. Check catalogs from publishers, associations, and other groups that might be interested in the topic that your book is about.

4. See how your book is like or unlike what's out there. What does it offer that's missing in the market? Identify your niche.

5. Then read Micheal Larsen's How to Write a Book Proposal and Susan Page's The Shortest Distance between You and a Published Book to figure out what's next.

Cross-posted: Sobering Statistics about the Book Industry

Stephen Shapiro, author of Goal-Free Living, recently attended the 2006 Book Expo of America (BEA) — the annual convention of the book industry in DC. Here's what he learned:
• Each year, there are 172,000 new books published in the United States.
• Of the 172,000, only 1,000 books sell more than 50,000 copies in retail channels.
• Less than 25,000 sell more than 5,000 copies.
• 93% of books published (160,000) sell less than 1,000 copies.

So what does that mean for all of us who write with the hope (or if you're a more positive thinker, the intention) of getting published?

Part of what it means is knowing you have to build a platform from which you can promote your book before it's published.

I have a client (a husband-and-wife writing team) doing that right now. They're writing a book on successfully surviving a brain injury. While I help them get their book proposal in shape (through editing and consulting), they are placing articles in industry publications (for example, brain injury newsletters and Web sites), speaking at brain injury support groups and conferences, and conducting surveys to find out more information about what makes a recovery successful.

In short, they're putting themsleves out there, so that when it's time to publish their book, potential readers and book buyers will recognize their name.

I applaud them, and am in awe of what they've accomplished in just a short amount of time. And I intend to follow their example for my next book, after I finish the rough draft and know what I've got.

Focus: One Key to Writing Text that Readers Want to Read

Think of the last fuzzy photograph you took. Did you keep it? Or did you throw it away? I'm betting you threw it out. Why? Because it was hard to know what the photo "was about," hard to just "get into it."

There's a metaphor here. Readers don't get into fuzzy writing either. To grab a reader, you have to be clear about your message, and get right to the point. Your writing has to pass the elevator test. That means it's got to hold your audience's attention longer than the few minutes it takes to ride the elevator between floors.

Bonnie Hearn's written a classic on this topic: Focus Your Writing. You can find it in your local library or on Amazon.com.

From Print on Demand (POD) to Traditional Publisher

"There are many books that have 'crossed over' to New York," writes girlondemand, a writer and blogger whose first novel was released by Penguin Putnam in 2004 and whose second novel will be released later this year. Girl's put together a list of 20 books that were self-published and then bought by major publishers. Details

Your Mark of Genius: Start with a Bold First Step

Jim Ball, president of The Goals Institute, recommends an easy technique for working smarter and improving your overall effectiveness and results: start everything with a strong, bold, first step. His advice seems right on target for writing your business book, too.

Ball writes that that people who put in an enthusiastic effort at the beginning are more likely to end strong and with success than those who have weak or half-hearted beginnings.

What bold first step can you take today to get that business book off to a strong finish? As Goethe was reputed to have said, “What you can do or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.”

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

Top Ten Tips on Becoming an Author

While the world may not throw rose petals at your feet wherever you roam, it's still fun being an author, writes Larry Chase, publisher of Web Digest for Marketers. Last year a $60K piece of consulting came at him because his book was sitting on a bookshelf in England. Having a book also validates you to the press. Speaking engagements happen much more frequently. Book-signings are a gas. In short, there's nothing like a book to burnish your reputation and personal brand.So here are Larry's tips to get on the road to getting published: More