4 Keys to Picking the Best Topic for YOUR Book (Part 1)
“I don’t know what to write about!”
Have you ever said that to yourself?
It’s a common occurrence among authors everywhere!
But here’s the thing…picking the best topic for your book is not one-size fits all; it’s different for every author. It must be based on your interests, figuring what your audience wants, being able to deliver it, and the purpose of your book. In this article, I’ll discuss picking a topic based on your interests and how to get the information your audience wants, even if you don’t know it yourself. This is information that will work for you no matter what topic you want to write about and what niche you are in.
1. Pick a topic that inspires you. You can’t write bestsellers if you are not writing about something that inspires you. I know this from working with hundreds of authors personally. When an author is not inspired, they will get to the point where either they realize that they aren’t that interested in the topic so they will procrastinate, not schedule it, and not get to work on it. They’ll say they are too busy. Or, they will switch topics and start over, sometimes, several times; they may never even get to writing the book! So, it’s important to find a topic that you are excited about. So be sure to check in with your gut when you are deciding on a topic.
And don’t base your decision solely on money. Unfortunately, too many authors focus solely on the making-money aspect when deciding on what to write about and pick a topic based exclusively on that. This is not a good strategy. While it is important to be aware of the earning potential of your book, it is still important to pick something that is of interest to you.
You can always tie your topic to one of the top three money-making topics, they are:
- making money
- health
- or relationships.
But, you don’t have to write specifically about any one of those topics to make money from your book.
As long as you tie the RESULTS that you get people to wealth, health, or relationships, you can write about anything.
So, for instance, let’s say that you wanted to write about woodworking. You might think that would not be very popular, but the truth is that it is the top seller on Clickbank and has been for years, getting a $125 sale commission for affiliates and selling millions of copies.
What does it promise? It promises to show you how to create projects with wood such as bookshelves, side tables, dressing tables, etc. And here’s what clients said about the benefits in the testimonials:
-a feeling of accomplishment
- fun
- saving “tons of money”
-made a table that his wife had always wanted. BINGO!
A sense of accomplishment, makes you feel good about yourself-tie it to health.
A sense of fun is good for you, tie it to health.
Saves you money-ties it to money.
It makes the wife happy-ties it to relationships.
So, always pick a topic that inspires you.
2. Pick a topic that you either know enough to write about, can research, or can get through interviews with other experts. Many topics can be researched just by going to Google and searching for the right keywords. Others require a deeper examination.
Research can also be outsourced on sites like Fiverr.com, Freeeup.com, or Guru.com or by hiring a virtual assistant or company like VAstaffer.com (for full disclosure Jeff Hunter, owner of VAStaffer is a partner of mine on our #1 Bestseller Launches) or Bottleneck Virtual Assistants, owned by my friend and colleague, Jaime Jay.
If you feel you need more credibility before you are comfortable asking, create relationships in social media by reaching out to people privately one-on-one as well as by commenting on their posts and joining their communities. Buying their products and services can also give you access, but only do this if it makes sense for your business.
To get interviews, you have to ask. People will often be willing to give one to you if you ask the right way, even if you don’t know them. (For more on this be sure to listen to my podcast with Greg S. Reid on how to interview top experts in your field: www.booksbusinessabundance.com/podcast/reid
Another great way to get access to people AND build your credibility is to run your own podcast. It gives you an opportunity to offer value to them and get to know them, then they will usually be willing to give you the interview. It’s also a great way to build your list and find joint-venture partners for future projects.
Today we talked about finding a topic that will inspire you and how you can get the information you will need to deliver to satisfy your readers’ needs. In Part 2, we’ll discuss how to pick a topic that actually delivers what your readers want, and different strategies and how they may dictate what you write about as well as how you write it.