Money, Money, Money: Get into the Finance Publishing Niche Now

Do you dream of selling books that help people succeed financially? You’re not alone! Many people want to explore this growing niche, for many reasons. If you are in the financial industry, publishing a book can establish credibility, promote your expertise, and boost your personal confidence in general.

You don’t have to be in the industry to want to reap the benefits. Attaching the title of “published author” to your resume is not only a branding boost; it can also be a complement to your own personal, financial, and career goals.

The world of finance writing is highly competitive, but don’t worry! In this article, you’ll learn how to write a book that stands apart from the rest.

Through this article, we hope to give some tips to inspire you and help make this masterpiece happen.

Finance Books

Since 2002, the number of books published in the US under the category of “personal finance” has averaged about 500 per year, reaching a height of 699 in 2009. NDP BookScan published the results of its 2021 survey recently, revealing that the trend is still positive; the market continues to grow.

As surprising as it sounds, Covid-19 has had a substantial positive impact on the publishing industry in general, including broad categories like adult nonfiction and niches like finance. In print format, adult nonfiction book sales in the US have grown from 2019 by 24 percent, with 84 million books sold. The eBook market for adult nonfiction also grew in the same period by 20 percent, with 48 million units sold in 2020.

Book sales are booming, and the market for finance books is growing at a healthy rate. The pie is getting bigger, and it doesn’t take much for you to get a piece. Finance book publishers are excited by these growing numbers, and are looking for new books to publish. Yours could be next! How can we make sure your finance book will be successful? By taking a look at what’s selling well.

The Top Sellers

Looking at the top 100 finance titles on Amazon, there are several finance niches that are very well covered. The basics of investment and the stock market is a common topic, followed quite closely by titles about day trading and making your fortune.

Books that explore the mindset and personal philosophies of wealthy people are also numerous. Titles regarding start-ups and running a small business account for perhaps ten percent of the list. Finally, there are many books covering the topic of personal saving and budgeting.

From this list, I hope you can see how many topics are available to you, though you shouldn’t try to cover all of them in one book. In fact, a key detail of successful finance writing is covering a single topic, and evaluating it either from a different angle, or making it easy to understand. The following two books are great examples of how to carve out a niche to dominate within finance book publishing.

First is The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable by Nicholas Taleb; this covers how the general population, and even those in the finance world, fundamentally misunderstand the concept of probability and market risk. This book stands out because it covers a subject that hadn’t been discussed outside of stuffy, 900-page-long textbooks. It made a difficult concept accessible, and so made a name for itself even surrounded by other finance books.

The second title is The Wealth Choice: Success Secrets of Black Millionaires by Dennis Kimbro. This is a great example of an author that chose a well-discussed topic (making your fortune) but took a different angle and targeted a specific demographic. When you market to specific demographics, the people within them may be more likely to select your product because it appeals specifically to them.

So when asking yourself, “What makes my book stand out from the crowd?” remember these two simple tricks. Select a subject matter that has not been well understood before, or put a slant on an existing finance niche and target a more specific demographic of readers. Doing these basically carves out a platform for you, making your book the best choice for readers who want to learn about a particular subject.

Finance Writing

Good financial writing doesn’t have to mean textbooks, academic journals, and other highbrow publications. These are often filled with jargon and technical terms, which will alienate the reader, even those in the broader finance and business community.

The key to making any technical or complex subject more accessible and reader- friendly is simplicity. Use everyday language and a relaxed yet informative tone, to draw people in. But don’t think that easy-to-follow language indicates a low level of understanding, despite the quote, “Those that know, do, and those that don’t, teach.”

That old saying does not apply to finance writing. If you understand a concept or subject well, you should be able to explain it to a reader using everyday analogies and informal language. And by publishing a finance book, you’re proving that you are both a teacher and a doer.

As such, your responsibility is to educate your audience. But how will they trust you enough to listen, and who are you trying to reach? Let’s take a look.

Establishing Credibility

The world of finance, and it’s literature, is heavily dependent on personal expertise, which you may or may not have. And how, if you avoid overly technical language, do you establish credibility and authority in this subject?

It doesn’t have to be complicated! A good way to do this is to use or cite reputable sources for the information and statistics you use. It shouldn’t be overdone, but a few quality references sprinkled throughout a book will help you to establish credibility with your reader, without needing years of personal finance experience.

Who Is My Reader?

Now, you may have already identified your target demographic, which is great! However, as a writer, you should know what a person hopes to get out of reading your book before you even start writing.

What financial problems or challenges does your book identify and answer? What will your reader know or be equipped to do after completing your book? You should establish this motive early on in the book, as this is what will capture and retain the interest of your demographic.

If you can identify your reader’s motivations, and teach with concise language and a few good references, you’ll strike the right balance between accessibility, authority, and interest.

How to Publish Finance Books

Before you arrive at the publishing stage, you would have gone through the process of perfecting your manuscript. This would entail formatting and overall appearance, as well as adding an eye-catching cover.

The content must be edited and proofread by a fresh pair of eyes, to ensure consistency and good flow. Each chapter should maintain the same tone and style, geared toward your reader. The drafting and editing of a manuscript can be done by a professional ghostwriting service to make sure that it’s perfect. Once your book is polished, you’re ready to publish your finance book!

Traditional and Self-publishing

The old-school method of publishing involves trying to get a book deal with an established publisher. This generally requires a would-be author to wave their manuscript around the publishing industry trying to gain the interest of a publisher.

The upside is that if you are offered a contract, the marketing and promotion of your book will be taken care of, and you will have access to a good distribution network. However, new authors tend to be given very low royalties, and the publisher may have creative control over your work.

Self publishing is very different, but it has its own set of rewards. The internet has made self-publishing fairly user friendly, and there are platforms that have built-in customer bases with huge monthly volume.

The task of promoting your book would be your own, but online self-publishing companies will allow you to keep most of your royalties. For books purchased in the US and most European countries, 70 percent of the sales revenue would go to the author.

In self-publishing there are a number of options available such as Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), which is owned by Amazon. There are also others, such as iBooks (Apple) and Barnes and Noble Press.

Apple offers a flat 70 percent royalty, whereas Amazon and Barnes offer a range from 40 to 70 percent, depending on the market or price of the book. Approximately 80 percent of all English language eBook sales go through Amazon every year, with self-published books accounting for 42 percent of the total. (Watson 2020)

This would make KDP a fairly obvious starting point; however, unlike most publishers, they use the .Mobi format. If your manuscript is in Microsoft word format, it would need to be converted with software like Calibre. Again, a professional ghostwriting service would take care of all of these details.

Your goals and needs will determine whether you choose the traditional or self-publishing route. It’s best to take some time and research the differences between the two, as only you can decide which is best for your vision.

You Have to Play to Win

So how do you publish a successful finance book? Now you know. You start with your idea, and research on the finance books that are selling. Determine whether you are going to write on a subject that is underrepresented. If you choose a popular topic, then make sure that you have a new angle and a more specific demographic in mind.

Find the balance between establishing authority and capturing the reader’s interest, using a friendly, conversational tone. Make sure to address what a reader will gain from your book early on, and use trustworthy sources to strengthen your point.

The finance book market is growing, allowing for more newcomers to make their mark. The process of publishing a finance book doesn’t have to be daunting! With self-publishing options and professional ghostwriting services, getting published is actually affordable and pretty straightforward.

What’s the difference between you and a published writer? Only a little bit of doubt that’s holding you back. Your dream of publishing a finance book will become a reality by simply taking the first step and deciding that you can do it!

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