How Do I Decide What Book to Write?
Use My Directed Journaling Brainstorming Technique to Hone in On Your Topic/Content/Spin
Many people, whether or not they’re a writer - and/or entrepreneur, executive, consultant - know they have a book in them, but they do not know what that book is. If you are uncertain how to find the focus of their book, try Directed Journaling.
This is how it works: schedule 3, 4, or 5 15-minute appointments with yourself and during that time, brainstorm the answer to a question or series of questions, related to the same topic. In this case, your ideas would be related to the book itself, your topic options, sprint on the topic, or even why you want to write a book. Don’t read any of your entries until after you’ve completed the exercise. Then, read everything straight through once and then read it again with a highlighter or a notepad next to you, so you can highlight or write down the things that you talked about the most. By the end of these journaling sessions, you should have a good starting point for your book. If you don’t, do some more starter sessions.
Once you have your ideas better formulated, do a quick comprehensive title search and see what other books are out there. That way, you confirm that your spin is indeed unique, yet books on similar subject matter still sell.
You can also use director journaling to dive a little deeper into your topic or concept and even use it to flesh out sections of your book proposal, such as the overview, book summary, and detailed outline.
Remember, the idea is just the beginning. When you apply the structure of a book proposal to your concept, your idea evolves into a well-defined, saleable book. Add it to the other elements of your proposal - platform, marketing, audience, comps - and you are raring to go. I will cover those topics on future episodes.
Listen here:
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I am a goal strategist, book proposal specialist, and author of Your Goal Guide and 52 Secrets for Goal-Setting and Goal-Getting.
Have a question about book proposals, email Deb@TheDEBMethod.com. Connect with me on LinkedIn and follow @TheDEBMethod for more resources and tips. BookProposalPodcast.com.
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For more on advice and inspiration for writing a winning book proposal, listen to my previous episodes, read my articles on WritersDigest.com, and check out BookswithDeb.
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Have a question about book proposals? Submit it here.