‘Attempts at originality can often feel forced and precious,
but authenticity has quiet resonance that never fails to stir me.’
~ Elizabeth Gilbert, ‘Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear’
If you are unsure what you will write about and who exactly your book will appeal to, let’s do a little digging.
What do you care about?
What types of issues, debates or news items excite you, cause you to react, or fire you up to take action?
What types of articles, books or movies attract your attention?
Who do you really admire, that you may already know or may have never met? Why?
What has shaped and honed you?
What difficult times have you come through that have made you stronger and wiser?
Describe your personal strengths and knowledge that got you through them. (Take full credit – you may never have acknowledged your own skills in these situations before.)
What is your ideal life?
In your ideal day or week, who would you love to be working with, and how would you love to do that? This is a fun exercise, so take the time to dig deep. (Your book can help you head in that direction.)
What problems can you help solve?
Describe the types of people and causes you enjoy engaging with.
What are their greatest underlying problems or desires?
How can you assist them to get what they want, as you do what you do best?
Two things to note here:
It is imperative that you really enjoy the process of researching and writing your book, so choose a topic close to your heart, and that you care about
You can use your book to bring you more of what you want – the readers you want to engage with, and activities that you enjoy as a consequence of writing your book about a topic you care about.
Your ideal reader
Visualise someone sitting down to read your book over a coffee, with pen in hand to make notes, as they excitedly find the help and inspiration they have been seeking. Who is this person?
A busy mum of four seeking help with her career, as I once was when I found Ms Sher’s books?
An advertising executive who’s trying to understand the new world of digital marketing?
A burnt-out manager who is tired of dealing with a high turnover in her young employees?
A mature woman seeking extra income streams?
An artist who wants to know how to teach others?
Imagine sitting with this person and talking to them over coffee, as a friend would. They express some concern about the way things are going for them. What do you ask them? What do they tell you? What do they ask you? What suggestions do you give them?
Ultimately you want your book to feel like a friend to readers – warm, wise and supportive. And sometimes bluntly honest. Seize any opportunity you have to speak with people you feel may be interested in your book and ask them questions so you understand them better.
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This is the fourth of a series of articles taken from the book, ‘Smart Women Publish – Write the book that expands your world’ by Bev Ryan. Each article in this series will present the key ideas in its 15 chapters, from what a book can do for you, through planning, writing, publishing and leveraging your published book.
Bev is a certified non-fiction book coach (including memoir with a message) and book production manager, working with accomplished individuals and small business owners as they write and self-publish their best books. Contact her to help with your book.
Bev’s book is available here. Her low-cost ‘book plus kick-starter coaching’ package is here.