5 Questions to Determine Whether Your Book Idea Will Support Your Business

Your passion. It rocks your world. You wake up in the morning and — slam — there it is, ready and waiting to move and shake you. And for a while, maybe it was enough to keep the joy of it to yourself. But now you’re ready to take it to the next level. Now you want your passion to rock other people’s worlds, too.

Now you’re ready to write a book that makes your experiences available to a wider audience.

Odds are that adding a book to your list of accomplishments is not going to hurt you. But how can you predict in advance whether the investment will be worth it? Particularly if your passion and expertise is a little out of the mainstream, you might be wondering whether a book about it will sink or swim. Fair enough.

We have a few book-vetting questions that will help you put your idea to the test.

1. Is the subject of your book something that you know a lot about?

No matter how good you are at what you do, you’ve got to have a lot of substance at your disposal in order to fill a book. That’s just part of turning a good concept into something that will support your business. If you want people to buy your book, you’d better have a solid amount of information to tempt them with. When it comes to book-writing, you have to think big, but you have to have plenty of details to cover, too.

2. Is your subject something you will continue to study and learn about?

This is especially important if you intend to combine your book with a larger business, such as a speaking career. You want your speaking to inspire people to buy your book, but you also want your book to inspire people to come back to you to learn even more about your subject. This creates a circle of profitability for you. The more there is for you and your readers to learn, the more you will be able to expand your business in the long run.

3. Is your subject something you present in a unique way?

If you’re like most people, yours won’t be the only book out there that’s been written about your subject. So think about how you are going to compete. Do you present your subject in a way that’s different from your competition? Do some research on this and find out. Even take some notes on what’s popular and what’s not among buyers while you’re at it. Then ask yourself if you can structure your book in a way that is unique. It’ll give you an edge in the market that will ultimately result in a bigger boost for your business.

4. Is your subject something people will be willing to pay to read about?

To answer this question, again: Do some research. Is it something that people are already paying for now? Is there a gaping hole in the market that you will be able to fill with your expertise? If so, having a book to satisfy that consumer need will likely be an asset to you.

5. Can your book help you to promote additional product sales?

This is a little less critical than questions one through four, but it’s valid nonetheless: Will reading your book inspire readers to buy additional products or services from you? Take a minute and consider this by making a list of things that you could use your book to help you promote (such as consulting, speaking or making a product). Then, for each of those big concepts, make another list of items that could be useful supporting resources. Products that your book might help you to promote could include websites, videos, audio guides, additional books and so on. If your lists are long and useful, you’re in good shape.

The publishing market is a big fishbowl. But if you answered “yes” to the majority of these questions, then you’ve got all the right tools to become a successful author. Get writing today, or get a free Author Bridge consultation with a ghostwriter to help you figure out how to get started on the book-writing process here.

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