How to Know If It's a Book

Evaluating your concept for a nonfiction book

You’ve got what feels like a great idea for a nonfiction book. But you aren’t sure it’s an actual book. Is this something anyone would want to read? What if you don’t have enough to say about it? What if you can’t come up with enough stuff to fill an actual book? Who is going to want to listen to anything I say? And what if it’s just plain garbage?

These are probably all things you’re asking yourself. And all those questions are likely making it hard to move forward with writing the book. It’s easy to get stuck, spinning your wheels in the mud of doubt. Here’s how to know if it’s actually a book.

Do I Have Anything to Say?

The very first thing to do is try to rough out an outline for your book. Don’t worry about it looking pretty. Sit down and make a list of the things that go in the book. Try to lump stuff together so you can come up with chapters. What is it you want to research, teach, share, offer?

It’s ok if you don’t actually KNOW a lot of the stuff on the outline. You can research it and work through it later. It’s enough to know that there is a piece of the book about a topic. For example, I was working with a client on a holistic health book. He wanted to include information about adaptogens, but he hadn’t done any research. He got stuck, thinking he had to fully understand this concept in order to include it in his outline. I assured him he would figure out all he needed to include later and for now, just noting there was going to be a chapter was enough. He was then able to flesh out the rest of the outline.

Think about how you’re going to share information. Are you going to tell stories, give steps, teach a process, provide exercises, offer assessments, detail facts and information, have illustrations, apply your experience, etc.?

Give yourself some time to tinker with this. Come back to it after time away.

If you can come up with 8-10 main categories, those can be your chapters, and that’s enough for a book. It doesn’t matter if you don’t really know much of the details about what’s going to go in each chapter. You can flesh that out later.

I also want to point out that if you choose to self-publish your book, it does not matter how long it actually is. Your book can as short as you want as long you still believe it in and you can answer yes to all of the other questions below. Short books are completely fine. So maybe you’re only going to have six chapters. That’s totally fine if it’s all you want to say.

Is There a Need for This Book?

Identify the problem you’re solving or the type of person who needs your book. Ideally you’ve noticed something people need help with or have an interest in — a need that is not completely filled in the market.

• Does it help them solve a problem they are facing?

• Does it teach them something they want to learn?

• Does it share something they would relate to?

• Does it give information they want or need?

• Will it help them feel understood?

• Would it make a good gift for a specific type of person?

Get on Amazon and start searching. Are there similar books? If so, that’s not a bad thing. It’s actually good because it means there is already a niche. You just need to work out how your book is different and better than the existing books. Don’t feel overwhelmed by how many books there are on this topic. Try to niche your topic down so it has a different approach, a different take, or a different process than the other books. Your book will be different because YOU are different from the other authors. The holistic health client I mentioned above was writing about holistic health for cancer, which made it different from all the other holistic health books out there.

You might not find any books about your topic and that’s ok too. You have likely come up with something new for which there is a need that nobody is addressing right now. What’s the problem you’re solving, or what is the topic you are sharing or teaching? Think about what kind of person, in what situation, would be interested in that. If you can isolate a group of people, that’s your audience and there is a need for your book. Another client wrote a book about intention and manifestation for the Latina market. There was no other book like this for Latina women so there was not much to compare it to. But she sold the book and it did well.

Would Anyone Want to Listen to Me?

The answer to this is always yes. Yes, you are unique and special with your own experiences and knowledge that provide a previously unseen take on this topic. No one can write the same book that you will. Your voice matters and is important. If you feel passionate enough about this topic that you want to write a book about it, you already stand out from the rest of the world.

Be yourself and share your particular opinion, memories, know-how, lessons, insight, and thoughts. It’s valid!

Just for Fun

In My World

Last week, I finished up an edit on a business book that is being considered by a publisher, so I’m hoping my client gets an offer. I’m also finishing up a course I am taking about AI, which has been really interesting.

Tulip bulbs I bought in Amsterdam are now flowering in our backyard, which is very exciting.

Obsessed With…

I’m watching Your Friends and Neighbors on Apple, and I started mostly because of Jon Hamm. It’s kind of fun to watch but it also can fall into the hate-watching category a bit because of all the ridiculous entitlements. I also can’t stop watching The Four Seasons on Netflix which I am finding to be very soothing and relaxing, perfect for the last thing I watch before bed.

I’m between books at the moment which is a crisis. I tried a bunch of things from Kindle Unlimited and couldn’t stick with any of them. Tell me what you’re reading!

Good Goods

I get a lot of joy out of watching the birds in our backyard. We’ve always had a birdfeeder, but in recent years, I’ve gotten a little nutty about putting up feeders for specific types of birds. We now have an oriole feeder (the orange feeder in the photo above), a hummingbird feeder, and a seed sock that finches like. This is in addition to a regular hanging feeder and a window birdfeeder that is mostly for the cat’s enjoyment. What other specific breed feeders I could add (for western NY state)?