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.

best nonfiction book idea

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. ☺

best nonfiction book idea

 

6 easy steps to the best nonfiction book idea

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What is an author platform?

do writers need an author platform to get published

This is the #1 question I get from people who are just starting to test the waters of nonfiction publishing. What is a platform, and why the heck does it matter? Shouldn’t writers just focus on honing their craft and revising their manuscripts, and worry about actually selling copies of the book once (and if) it’s actually published?

Well, that’s how it used to work. Writers used to be able to hole up in dark offices for years as they perfected their book, and once published, they could just sit back as the critical acclaim and sales came rolling in. And to a degree, some extremely well-established writers can still do that. But 99.9% of authors need to take the promotion of their book into their own hands, or that book will never make it into a reader’s hands. And the best way to get eyeballs reading the words you toiled over? Build a platform that attracts those eyeballs, even before you have a book to share with them.

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