Category: Publishing

6 easy steps to the best nonfiction book idea

by Maria

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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Book Deal Announcement: The Add a Pinch Cookbook by Robyn Stone

by Maria

Add a Pinch Balsamic Beef recipe
Photo via Robyn Stone, AddaPinch.com.

You know what’s fun? Announcement Day.

Announcement Day is the day that an author finally gets to announce to her readers that she’s been brewing up a book behind the scenes. It’s definitely one of the 6 moments to celebrate on a publishing journey.

We usually try to keep the book-brewing process (can I call it that? I’ve decided yes) under wraps until the publishing contract is signed. But since everything in publishing works at a slower pace, this can mean months of pent-up excitement with nary a soul to gush to. So, let the gushing finally begin! As Robyn Stone of Add a Pinch wrote in her announcement post:

I am writing a cookbook.

Lord have mercy, just typing those words thrills me and makes me a nervous wreck all at the same time!

The cookbook, being published by Clarkson Potter, is based on the blog and will be filled with brand-spanking new recipes (and a few favorites) that I think y’all are absolutely going to love!

Lord have mercy is right! Robyn and I had so much fun cooking up this book proposal, and I know this cookbook is going to be really special. Not only because it will have Robyn’s great stories throughout (you can practically hear the Southern twang when you read her writing!,) but also because her food is just so darn good.

So, as always, let’s talk about the food.

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Read, Eat, Drink: How to Impress a Publisher in Half a Second, Plus an Announcement!

by Maria

How to get published

Read:

5 Ways to Impress a Book Publisher in Half a Second (Chad R. Allen): Yes, you really can impress a book publisher (or Literary Agent) in half a second. And it all comes down to (you guessed it) Google. As Allen writes: “Book deals are business partnerships, which means authors are not only artists but business partners. I Google authors’ names because I want to know something about them. And Google can tell me very quickly–in about half a second, actually–whether to keep my interest alive or walk away forever.” I do this same thing. In today’s world, it is absolutely essential to have an online presence. No ifs, ands, or buts about it.

The 4 Platform Secrets No One Has Told You (Carly Watters): “You’re not a satellite circling alone, you’re a compass pointing visitors to your brand. A vacant platform can be a sign of fear: are you afraid to follow other people because you’re afraid you won’t be any further ahead? It’s also a sign of disinterest: are you too “busy” for your brand? Then a publisher isn’t going to make time for you. Many of today’s success stories revolve around authors who have understood what their fans expect and want from them.”

Why Do People Share What They Do? Here’s What Neuroscience, Psychology, and Relationships Tell Us About Highly Shareable Content (Mridu Khullar Relph of Buffer): “If you want your content to be shared and shared regularly, understanding the “why” and “how” behind social shares can go a long way in showing you how to craft the perfect post for your audience.” This is a long post, but it’s chock-full of information that will help you dig deeper into understanding the social environment of the Internet. Plus there’s good news buried in there: positive content trumps negative content when it comes to shareability. So keep up the cheer!

“Don’t Read Books!” A 12th Century Zen Poem (Maria Popova of Brain Pickings): Another wonderful find from the ever-interesting Maria Popova: a poem called “Don’t Read Books” written by Yang Wanli in the 12th century. It’s just what it sounds like: a plea to avoid the brain-rot of book-reading. “It might seem like a ridiculous notion to us today, loaded with heavy cultural irony, but it offers a poignant reminder that if books, which we presently worship as the most meditative form of media, were in the twelfth century what video games or Twitter are in the twenty-first, then a few dozen generations into the future — provided humanity still exists — the very forms we dismiss as spiritually worthless distractions today may come to be seen as the strongest anchors to the fabric of cultural history.”

Eat & Drink:

I’m handing the writing reins over to Jarrett, for a very awesome announcement:

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5 Things You SHOULDN’T Worry About When Building Your Platform

by Maria
easy platform building for authors
let these worries go!

I know it’s technically September, but I have unanimously agreed with myself that we could use one last article in August’s The Good Stuff series. In case you missed the last few posts, you can catch up on them here:

Week 1: Why Publishing Professionals Have to be Eternal Optimists

Week 2: A Success Story with a Side of Cheesecake

Week 3: 6 Moments to Celebrate on Your Publishing Journey

Week 4: The Most Important Character Trait in Publisher, Plus a Free Jack Kerouac Art Print

A Literary Agent's advice on how to enjoy the process of writing and publishing a book

One of my very favorite cities in the country is Richmond, Virginia. It’s where I went to college; it’s where I met some of my best friends; it’s where I met Jarrett (and also where he proposed to me last weekend—more on that in Friday’s roundup!); and it’s where I’ll be back for another year at the James River Conference on October 17th.

The James River Conference is such an especially fun one for me, since it’s usually a smaller and more intimate experience than the big mega conferences like the Writer’s Digest Conference (although I had a blast there, too!). The JRW organizers asked me to put together a quick little “5 Things About Anything” list to include for their newsletter subscribers, and as I was writing it, I realized it’d also be a great send-off to The Good Stuff series.

As September kicks in and the publishing industry comes to life again, you’ll probably be doubling down on the platform-building and picking up your regular writing schedule again. Even as things pick up speed, here are the 5 things you just shouldn’t waste your energy worrying about:

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