How to Develop Book Content That Sells

You may not be fortunate enough to have, as a Dr. Phil or an Oprah does, a rabid audience constantly communicating their desires to you. But that’s okay. You can still find out what people--more importantly, what YOUR people--want in a book. In one way or another you’re probably already receiving this information everyday. The trick is to find it and to translate what people are saying--and not saying--to you. Remember, the more you can find out about what your readership wants, the easier it will be for you to decide how to write it for them.Product SalesYou can start with product sales. What people are buying from you says a lot. What they aren’t buying can say even more. Analyze your current product sales and examine your strongest and weakest sellers.Your Client Hall of FameDo you have clients or customers who are, hands down, the best ever? They are your ideal clients. You enjoy working with them, selling to them, hearing from them. They “get” you and your products because they know what you have is perfect for them. Many clients like this get short shrift or taken for granted because most entrepreneurs think they’ve already sold to this person and can’t do so again. They feel there’s more to be gained from the new customer. But nothing could be farther from the truth! Think about the “80-20 Principle”, which says that 80 percent of anything comes from the 20 percent. For instance, 80 percent of your sales probably comes from just 20 percent of your clients.If that’s your situation--and most likely it is!--then the book you’re preparing to write is going to be written with your ideal client in mind--even if you think they already know or no longer need what you plan to write about. That’s why their input may be the most valuable you find anywhere. You can capture that input by inviting a handful of these ideal clients/customers to join your “research & development team”. You’ll take them out for lunch, or maybe offer up a juicy freebie on the internet, if they agree to give you some time to pick their brains about what they’re working on, what they want help with, what challenges they’re facing. You can even ask the question directly: what kind of book would they most like to read from you?Surveying the FieldA survey is a great tool to use to find out what your customer base wants, but if you don’t stay focused in putting it together it can get out of hand pretty quickly. Establish a few clear goals for your survey. It would be easy to start using your the to ask your customers anything under the sun, but save that for future surveys. This one is just for deciding what your book will be about. You’ll want to get very clear on what specifically you want to learn from your survey base. Do you want to know their problems? Do you want to know what kind of help they want? Do you want to know how they respond to certain words you’re thinking of using in the title?You want to be as clear as possible on what you’re looking for. Why? Because if your goals are muddy, your results will be muddy. Think back to your main goals for writing a book. If you want to establish your expertise, then perhaps your book might showcase your knowledge on a particular area in your business. But is that an area where your client/customer base lacks and wants information? Ask! If the main goal for your book is to be a lead generator, then you’ll be seeking to bring in as many people as possible who want help with a big, nagging issue--your book will help them with that issue. But what is that issue? Ask! You'll soon have all the answers you need.© 2008 Sophfronia Scott