How to Determine if Your Idea is Book-Worthy
It's been said that everyone has a book inside of them that is waiting to get out. While it could be anything from a compelling work of fiction to an information-packed self-help book, this idea is taking up real estate inside your head. But how do you know if this is an endeavor that is worth the time and energy to write?
There are some key things to ponder before embarking on a book-writing and publishing journey. Let's look at three important points: the best ways to evaluate your book idea, how to realistically assess your writing potential, and what factors contribute to writing successfully.
Book Ideas
Have you ever been to someone's home and perused the books on their bookshelf? You probably recognized some familiar titles and found others that were unknown to you. Maybe you even thought to yourself, "Wow, we've got really different tastes in books."
A person's book preferences are very subjective. Some people love fiction, while others despise it. Others enjoy romance, while someone else would prefer true crime. What you may enjoy might not be so enjoyable to someone else, and vice versa. So, how do you know if your idea for a book will appeal to other people?
The following are some points to think about:
- Uniqueness: Is this a topic that has been written about countless times? And if it is, do you have a unique perspective on it? Think about some bestselling books that have retold an old story but in a modern-day setting or with updated characters. Putting your own spin on a classic can take the story or information in a fresh direction that will appeal to readers.
- Objective: Think about your reasons and demographics for putting together a book. Are you writing for fun, for the enjoyment of family and friends, or to sell books? Is this a potential business or side hustle for you? Identify why you are writing a book so that you can align your expectations with your objective.
- Audience: Who are you appealing to? You will want to write on a topic that is of interest and that resonates with a particular portion of the population—your audience. Are you writing to a particular gender, age, culture, or interest group? Identify a target audience and outline their demographics.
- Genre: Look at the top-selling genres: romance, crime and mystery, religious and inspirational, science fiction and fantasy, and children's books. You will increase your chances of success by writing in one of those genres. Don't discount up-and-coming genres, current events, and hot topics.
- Interest: At the end of the day, you want to write about what interests you. Your excitement for your idea will translate into your writing, and others will see that. If you are interested in a topic, there's a good chance that someone else will be, too. Share your idea with trusted family, friends, or an author's group, and listen to their feedback.
These are good starting points for evaluating your idea for a book and will assist you in deciding whether to put the work into writing one.
Another important litmus test is assessing your writing potential.
Writing Evaluation
Assessing your potential as a writer is both a reflective and humbling process. It requires that you be honest with yourself and your abilities. Not everyone has the talent to produce good writing, but it is a skill that can be acquired.
The following are some good things to reflect on:
- Feedback: Getting feedback from others can help you identify what is good and not-so-good about your writing. Criticism, even if it is constructive and positive, is never easy to hear but is necessary for your growth as a writer. Seek out feedback from a variety of people, including writing instructors, editors, English teachers, and readers that belong to your potential audience. It is important to consider the source of your feedback and what they can offer you regarding your skills.
- Medium: Are you keen on writing fiction or nonfiction? Novels or short stories? Educational information or entertainment? You aren't limited to only one type of book, but understanding your preference and approach to writing will help determine your path as a writer and guide you in what skills to improve upon.
- Skills: It may have been a hot minute since you were in an English class! Nowadays, grammar, punctuation, and spelling are all easily corrected with the use of digital tools and resources. However, you may need to learn or re-learn things like sentence structure, composition, organization of ideas, plot devices, story arcs, and the like. Be open to taking writing courses, attending workshops, and getting involved with a writing group to help you brush up on skills or learn new ones.
- Style: Do you have a "voice" in your writing? In other words, is there a consistent tone that is readable and recognizable in the way you write? Think about certain authors and how their writing style is instantly identifiable. It can take time and many pages of writing to help you identify and hone your voice into something that people want to read.
- Discipline: Writers write. Every day. Good writing demands discipline on your part. Writing is like a muscle that needs to be consistently exercised in order to grow and get stronger. Are you willing to be disciplined enough to write regularly? Dedication to your craft is important to producing a book of which you can be proud.
Feedback, medium, skills, style, and discipline are all key to evaluating your writing potential.
Writing Success
What are some of the factors that contribute to writing success? We touched on a few in the previous section. Things such as discipline, feedback, and skills are all important to writing successfully. But there are a few other considerations to think about:
- Time: Do you have the time to research, outline, write, and edit a book? We all know the story of J.K. Rowling writing the first book of the Harry Potter series while riding the train on her daily commute to work. So, do you have enough margins in your day that allow you to dedicate time to getting your ideas down on paper? If not, think about how you can carve out the time.
- Resources: Perhaps you have an immense interest in a topic that requires dedicated research, access to hard-to-find archival materials, or financial backing to achieve. Are these things realistically available to you? Think about the resources that you will need to take your idea from inside your head to published content.
- Persistence: Writer's block is a real thing, and writers need to know how to push through it to complete a project. Being persistent is a trait that most successful writers either possess or acquire. Do you give up easily, or are you the type of person who can doggedly work through a dry spell of creativity and ideas? Consider what would motivate you to finish your book once you've started it.
- Adaptability: The world is constantly changing, and as a writer, you need to change with it. Are you flexible and willing to tackle new challenges that will come your way as you write your book? Being adaptable is important for writing successfully.
- Best fit: Are you the best person to take your book idea from concept to completion? Some people are big-picture people. They have many great ideas but, for whatever reason, are not able to execute them, so they hire others to bring their ideas to fruition. Think about the tasks involved in the book-writing process. What are you willing and able to do? Steps such as research, an outline, chapter writing, editing, a book description, a book title, and cover art, among others, all need to be done. Identify what you want to tackle and consider hiring out the rest. Having professionals and skilled wordsmiths assist you can help you take your book to the next level.
