If a friend, a client, or just some random person at a party tells me about a book idea they’ve had and asks what I think, I’m tempted to answer. After all, I’m an expert. I’ve been writing books for more than half a century. I coach other people and help them write good books. Surely, I should know.
I’m tempted to offer my opinion. It feels good to be an expert. The problem is I don’t know nearly enough even to render an expert opinion, and I’m likely to get it wrong. I remember William Goldman’s observation.
He knew that about the movie business, and he’s often quoted as saying, “nobody knows anything.” He said that and much more in his book Adventures in the Screen Trade, but I like to quote another version from the same book.
“Nobody, nobody—not now, not ever—knows the least goddam thing about what is or isn’t going to work at the box office.”
So, don’t ask me about your great book idea. Do your homework instead. Here are three things to consider if you have an idea for a book.
Will it solve a problem worth solving?
People buy, read, and tell their friends about any book that helps them solve an important problem. Will your book do that?
It can’t be just any problem. It’s got to be a nagging problem that people want to solve. It’s got to be a problem they’ll pay money to solve. If your book idea can deliver that, you’ve got a shot at the gold ring. If not, you should probably wait for the next idea.
Has it got a ghost of a chance of succeeding in the marketplace?
OK, let’s say your book will solve an important problem, what’s the competition look like? What books are out there already?
If there are no books that solve the problem you want to solve, that’s bad news, not good news. If there’s no book competition, the problem may not be as important as you think it is. Or it may be every bit as important as you think, but people don’t buy books to solve it. Perhaps they go to training programs or watch YouTube videos.
Will your book fill a gap in the market? If it does, you’ve got a shot at the gold ring. If it doesn’t, you should probably wait for the next idea.
Why are you the person to write the book?
Are you an expert in your field? Let me ask that question differently. Are you a recognized expert in your field? When people think about buying your book, they’re going to check out your credibility.
Let’s say you’ve got good credentials. How big is your platform? It matters in today’s world because if your book is going to be a success, someone will have to do the heavy lifting of promoting it. You are that someone.
If you’ve got the credentials and the willingness to dig in and promote the book until you puke, you’ve got a shot at the gold ring. Otherwise, you should probably wait for the next idea.
Writing a book is hard work. It’s going to take up a chunk of your time and attention for a year or more. It will take up a chunk of your time and attention to promote the book after it’s published, too. Before you sit down at your laptop to type the first word, do the hard work of testing your idea against reality.