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Thinking of becoming an author?

January 19, 2009

After our success in helping Andy Bounds produce his number 1 best selling business book on Amazon,  The Jelly Effect, I’m being asked by budding authors how to get started.  Well I’m not the expert - just the typist - so I’ve spoken to Fiona Shaw who is a publisher.  Here’s what she has to say on the matter …

People may well have the ability to write - or dictate - a book, but getting it down on paper’s the easy part. Thousands of new titles are published every week, and a good percentage of those books have tiny print runs, or end up being pulped, as they’re just not what the public are looking for. There’s no point in putting hours and hours of work into something that noboby else is interested in reading - that’s just vanity publishing. But if you’ve established a strong marketing base, and are clear about why you want to write a book, then we can help. Non-fiction’s a good starting point, especially in the business field - these questions might help you clarify a few things first:

  • Why do you want to write a book? Do you want to establish yourself as an ‘expert’ in your field, or have people asked you for information or advice you’ve given them in written form? Do you want to make lots of money from it, or do you want to use it as a tool to promote your business or skills?
  • Who’s your audience? Where’s the market for it? There are thousands and thousands of books on sale in every bookshop - let alone online - so the chances of the average customer finding you there are pretty slim. But - if you’re aiming for a specific market that can be targeted by a mailing list, or through an event - the chance of producing a good quality, in-demand book increases rapidly.
  • What’s the competition? What else is out there in the field you want to enter, and how successful are they? Why is your idea or product unique?
  • Have you thought about structure? Before you try and get everything down on paper, come up with a synopsis, and a chapter by chapter breakdown of what you want to cover, and what will fall in each category. Where are the gaps? Do you homework, and fill in as much detail as possible.
  • How will your book work? Pages and pages of text aren’t going to appeal. Can you supply images to illustrate it? It’s by no means compulsory, but you need to give some thought as to the sort of illustrations that might bring it to life, and whether you’ll have to pay royalties to use or commission an illustrator or photographer.

Is your subject matter broad enough to make a book? You might have a very specific skill or interest, but how useful is it to anyone else? Is there a big enough audience to make it worth doing?

If you would like more information about publishing then contact Fiona Shaw at www.3662008.co.uk

Posted by Jayne Smith | Filed Under Authors, Digital Dictation for Business | Leave a Comment