6 easy steps to the best nonfiction book idea

A literary agent on the 6 easy steps to finding the best nonfiction book idea–the easiest process for landing on the best nonfiction book idea for you!

Is it spring yet?!

I’ve had enough of this cold, and the rain, and the grayness, and I’m ready for deep sunshine and sitting on the porch.

Aaah. Heaven.

Until the weather breaks, I wanted to chat about book ideas, which is one of the things I see authors most struggle with. It’s not easy to find the best nonfiction book idea for you, and as an agent, it’s the pits watching an author flounder for inspiration.

Maybe you have a zillion ideas and don’t know which is the best? Maybe you have one idea but don’t know if it would sell? Maybe you have no ideas just yet?

It should seem easy enough to find the best nonfiction book idea. Just find an idea you love, then write about that, right?

Except that a book isn’t for you. A book is for readers.

Ideally, the readership you’ve already built through your platform. And why spend nearly 2 years going through the publishing process if your book won’t make readers’ lives easier and more enjoyable?

A publisher also isn’t likely to invest in your book if they don’t think readers will find value in it. They’ll want you to pinpoint a clear problem you’re solving in the reader’s life and have a unique, interesting way to solve it.

So, how do you find that perfect intersection between what you love to write about and what readers will love? How do you find the best nonfiction book idea for you?

Here’s the exact process I use with my authors to help them find the best nonfiction book idea for them. Usually we walk through this research together, but today, you and I can go through it together digitally. ☺

Step 1 to find the best nonfiction book idea: Figure out what you’re excited about.

As with any brainstorming process, everything starts with you. This is your book, and it’s going to take a lot of sweat and heart to make it a reality. What excites you? What could you enthusiastically work on for over 18 months? What areas do you specialize in, and where could you most contribute to the broader conversation in your field?

Start jotting down ideas and concepts that initially spark excitement in you—you should have many at this stage! And somewhere hiding in all those ideas will be the best nonfiction book idea for you.

Step 2 to find the best nonfiction book idea: Ask your audience.

Now it’s time to look outward. One of the things we focus on most as literary agents is helping authors find that sweet spot between the book they’re excited about and the book their readers will be excited about.

After all, if the best nonfiction book idea you can think of is a comprehensive manual on how to properly load the dishwasher, your readers might not be too thrilled. (But Jarrett will buy your book!)

So, what gets the most traction with your readers? What classes or posts or talks get your audience most excited and engaged? What’s their catnip—that one topic that gets everyone to perk up?

It’s so important to remember that your book is a service to your readers—it’s really for them, not for you. So listen closely to their likes and dislikes and remember that the best nonfiction book idea will be one that makes life easier and more enjoyable for them.

Step 3 to find the best nonfiction book idea: Compare your platform.

Here’s where it gets tricky, because this is where you need to turn an analytical eye on your own career progress. This can be flat-out hard. You may not be where you need to be (if so, start here for tips to build your platform!) or you may be in a good spot, but from your vista there’s so much left to do.

But most often I hear from authors who have no idea where they are in relation to others, especially when it comes to specific website analytics. It’s a common refrain: “My site traffic is X, but I have no idea if that’s good enough.” (If so, here’s a handy explainer on how to tell if your platform is big enough for a book.)

This is where you’ll have to do some deep research into where others are, even though you won’t be able to get the full picture of back-end stats. Start with people in your category and with a similar background to you who have done successful books. You should easily be able to find their social media numbers, including likes and other engagement metrics, as well as press mentions, TV or radio appearances, speaking engagements, etc. they may be regularly doing. Then, write down everything you’re doing. How do you stack up?

(Quick pep talk: I know it can be tough to compare yourself to others on the internet, but taking a good honest look once in a while at where you are and where you want to be will make it so much easier to strategize your growth.

Just make sure you cut yourself a break and don’t berate yourself if you’re not The Pioneer Woman yet. She started out as just a gal behind a computer, too!)

Step 4 to find the best nonfiction book idea: Get yourself to the bookstore.

Next, block off an afternoon or morning to dig deep into the stacks of a bookstore. If possible, bring a laptop or tablet. Beeline for your subject area shelves and take a good look around.

What’s on the shelf? What’s prominently displayed? What are the subtopics already written about, and what’s missing? Who are the authors? Who are the publishers? Which books are most attractive to you, and which books are most interesting to you? What would you buy? What do you hate?

This is the time to familiarize yourself with the publishers who do the books you most admire, since the quality and concept viability of a book can vary drastically between publishers. Smaller publishers may take a risk on a more niche topic (and therefore, do a smaller first printing), while larger publishers are typically looking for authors and concepts that can support large first printings.

Use your laptop or tablet to also look up the books on Amazon—what is the book’s sales rank? What do the endorsements say and who are they from? What do the customer reviews say? How is the book description positioning the book?

Finally, read each author bio very closely then do more online research into who the author is. How do you and your platform compare to that author?

Step 5 to find the best nonfiction book idea: Balance your concept with your platform.

This is where everything comes together to figure out your cozy little spot in the marketplace. Now that you have a better sense of what your readers want, how you compare to other successful authors, and what’s already out there, you can zero in on your sweet spot—the best nonfiction book idea for you.

I tell every single author I work with one thing at this point: your best nonfiction book idea is determined by the size of your platform. If you’re at the very top of your field, you can probably write a book about anything within your category, without worrying too much about having a hook.

Deb Perelman of Smitten Kitchen (a Stonesong client!) is a perfect example of this—she’s one of the top bloggers in the industry, so her cookbooks simply provide more of her beloved recipes to readers.

If you have a strong platform but you’re not at the very tip-top of your field, you’ll want a nonfiction book idea that still has broad appeal but also has a hook to it.

If you’re still working on building your audience, you may want a concept that has stronger legs. As in, a concept that will bring readers to the book regardless of whether they’ve ever heard of you.

Step 6 to find the best nonfiction book idea: Add value.

Once you’ve settled on the best nonfiction book idea for you, it’s time to start refining and reinforcing its strength.

What features or angles can you take to make it even more helpful to readers? What can you do to make it even more unique?

This can be anything from a unique aesthetic (a certain style of photos and illustrations) to special features (sidebars, spreads, quizzes, quotes) to richer information (your own original research, deeper research from third parties, contributions from other experts in the field, etc.).

I hope my 6-step process for finding the best nonfiction book idea has been helpful to you! And if you want to keep learning more about how to build your author platform and vet your best nonfiction book idea for marketability keep reading here:

5 quick reads for the week

After a scandal last year that led to the cancellation of the 2018 Nobel Prize for Literature, the Swedish academy has revamped their system (and their members) to come back and award the prize for both 2018 and 2019!
When Mason Currey realized his first book, Daily Rituals: How Artists Work, featured less than 20% female artists, he went back and wrote an entire sequel focused on the processes — and struggles — of female artists and workers.
If you’ve ever considered going on a writing residency, check out these tips and advice from The Write Life to get yourself ready.
If you love everything Anne Bogel does as much as I do, take a peek at becoming a patron of her podcast, What Should I Read Next. (And here’s my episode with Anne, when we chatted cookbooks, fiction struggles, and my path to recovery as a completionist.)
How do we find wisdom in an age of information? Toni Morrison asks this very question, and, as expected, she’s got some pretty good ideas.

What we’re eating this week

Nothing at all! Well, I guess we’re eating for subsistence and all that, but I’m in NYC this week and Jarrett is in DC for a day, and we are straight up slackin’ off in the kitchen.

Here’s the honest, unvarnished truth of how bad things have gotten:

Monday: I was home Monday night, so I made my new favorite weird food: chicken and rice. (Not like this. That would actually be impressive.) This is a dish that literally started as dog food—I made it as a birthday treat for Pepper. And it is literally nothing but chicken, white rice, and salt, cooked in homemade chicken stock. That’s it. It’s wildly delicious, and I cannot figure out why. (Schmaltz? It must be the schmaltz.)

Tuesday: Dinner at my Yaya’s in Newark, or we may get fancy and treat ourselves to Smashburger. You just can’t buy this kind of class. (Isn’t there a Real Housewives song about that?)

Wednesday: Umm? Dinner at my desk?

Thursday: Umm? Dinner on the train?

Friday: Somebody take me out to eat—I deserve it after all I’ve cooked this week. 😉

6 easy steps to the best nonfiction book idea

Except that a book isn’t for you. A book is for readers.