7 questions to help choose a theme for the book

1. What topic do you like to read books?
2. What do I know and how can I help readers?
3. What would you like to know before? ..
4. What information is in demand among readers?
5. What does the reader have to know?
6. What difficulties did I encounter and what did they teach me?
7. What is the biggest mistake people make in this area?

The beginning author has many difficulties, and the most frequent of them is the inability to choose a topic for a book. It seems that there is knowledge in one’s field, desires and plenty of desire, and courage is present, but the book does not work out. The reason - in the absence of the theme of the book and its associated title. One has only to choose a topic and assign the book at least a working title, as the work will go much faster.

So, before you are seven questions, the answers to which will help you choose a topic for your first or next book.

What topic do you like to read books?

The theme of the books you choose to read is the very topic on which you should write your book. For example, I’m interested in how to write better, more interesting and faster, so the picture above shows that my Kindle digital library contains several dozen books with the word writing in the title.

It's okay to start writing a book on the same topic as the book you are reading. Only beginning authors have such fear, as they are afraid that they will start expressing not their thoughts, but the thoughts of other authors, but only in other words, and will receive accusation of plagiarism.

In non-fiction, non-fiction, it is almost impossible to say something new. Everything has been said to us. The reader does not buy information about the problem - he buys your personal view of the problem and how to solve it. The reader is interested in how exactly you coped with the task you faced.

From words to deeds: write down at least five topics that you most read books. Do not trust your memory - inspect your classical and traditional libraries and write down the topics on a piece of paper (you can download MS Word file with questions).

What do I know and how can I help readers?

Now it's time to streamline your knowledge on the chosen topic. You can not start with a detailed plan, but write two or three answers to this question. If you take me, for example, I know how to write, publish and promote my book. I know how to publish and promote it on Amazon, I also know how to place a book in Russian in Russian online stores. I also know how to learn how to write quickly, edit yourself painlessly and keep deadlines. In addition to this, I know how to make the reader buy a book that he downloaded for free on the Internet. Each sentence is a separate topic for a book or manual.

My knowledge can be useful for beginning authors, so that they can build their own model of creating, promoting and selling e-books. The information will also be useful to advanced authors, as it will allow them to take a different look at some things to which they have not previously paid due attention.

From words to deeds: turn off your “inner critic” and write what you know and how it can help your readers. "Unload" the contents of your head on paper, do not pinch yourself, banish timidity and shame - write. Write down, think, disclose every thought, unfold it like a rose bud. Add petals to subject sentences.

What would you like to know before? ..

“If I only knew! ..” - how often I repeated these words when I worked as a copywriter and created my own. When I closed it, I went to work as a marketer in my own project. When I opened my online store, when I installed IP telephony myself, when ants crawled into a laptop in Thailand, and the backup on the hard drive fell into the water and there was no Internet access when I opened the Corrector office in Germany ... a lot and they still happen. I continue to write them down, classify them by topic, and when I have enough information, I'll write a book or guide.

The answers to this question are insights for readers. “How could you not think of it before!”, “That is the author’s bungler,” “He came up with cool things, but everything is much more complicated for me ...” - such words that appear in the readers head help you to become closer to them. They stop seeing the boring “number one” in you and realize that you are the same person as they are (just writing books and sharing your experiences and thoughts).

From words to deeds: there were situations in your life when you exclaimed: “If I only knew (a)! ..” Remember them, write down (and get into the habit of recording them as soon as they happen) and think about how each situation you could be less painful for you if you had the right knowledge. Now imagine how this can help your readers improve their lives. Write down the answers.

What information is in demand among readers?

Now you already have enough information to choose a topic for the book. In order for sales to begin immediately after the book is available for purchase, it is necessary for it to go to the prepared market. A market whose participants are looking for information on the topic of your book (or on a similar topic) and have already proved their interest and ability to pay by acquiring courses and books from your fellow competitors.

This is your first step in road marketing. No need to write a book on a completely new and unknown topic that readers are not interested in. It is most advantageous to write in a medium and highly competitive market, since there is a steady demand for them. Do not be afraid of criticism, beware of lack of attention.

From words to deeds: go to "", "", to the bookstore "" in the sections in which you plan to place your book, and see which books on your topic are already bestsellers. Read the comments of readers, study the description of the book, read the available for free study a fragment of the book. But do not buy the books of colleagues until you finish writing your own - they will interfere.

What does the reader have to know?

This “main course” of your book is something that will satisfy the needs of most readers. But this is not well-known information, which is full of the Internet. These are carefully selected information that is directly related to the topic of your book. Useful information provided with your comments and recommendations. The data, without which it is impossible to solve the problem outlined in the book, the path that you propose.

Answers to this question will form the basis of your book outline. List at least fifteen facts that must be known to the reader in order for him to be able to do what you are proposing.

From words to deeds: you will need all the answers on previous questions. If you took notes on separate sheets, but did not use template file then lay them out in front of you. Give yourself a quarter of an hour, let no one bother you at this time, read the questions and your answers, sit comfortably and close your eyes. Imagine that you are watching the “cinema in reverse” when the action goes in the opposite direction. Now you already know everything, but start “unwinding back” the events of the situation you are describing and note at what point and how you received new knowledge that helped you move on. Usually this exercise is obtained from the second time, the main thing - do not rush yourself.

What difficulties did I encounter and what did they teach me?

Your personal experience is critical to your book. That is what your readers are buying. Everything that you write - this is your experience, events, passed through the prism of your perception. But I'm just sure that there is something that hooked you more than anything else.

Write down similar situations, saving not only facts, but also emotions. Show (describe) your experiences, your inner state, and what actions you came to as a result. Do not evaluate yourself - tell. It will add storytelling in your book, it will be easier to read, like stories Refresh the imagination of the reader and help him to continue reading.

From words to deeds: remember the most (precisely the most-most) stupid and terrible events related to the topic of your book and that happened to you in business and in life. Write them in short stories. Pay attention not to facts, but to emotions, your own feelings, changes that have occurred inside you in relation to others. What did you learn from what happened? What is moral here? Add this to your stories.

What is the biggest mistake people make in this area?

The answer to this question will allow you to become an expert among ordinary authors. Think about the biggest mistake people make in this area, what exactly they do wrong and why it happens. And what is not done by those who have succeeded (for example, you), and that allowed you to avoid this mistake.

Keep a record of all the answers, but be critical of them. Do not repeat banal statements and phrases. Get to the bottom of the matter, look not only for the creature, the basis of the phenomenon, but also select the words in such a way that readers immediately understand what it is all about.

The answer to this question should be something like a diagnosis of a doctor who not only studied diligently and learned all the terms and names of diseases, but also has his own life experience and insight.

From words to action: analyze all the failures that you know on the market. First of all - their own, then the mistakes of competitors. Remember what led to your mistakes, what were the actions or judgments. Analyze how this relates to other market participants. You can allow yourself to make assumptions about fellow competitors, but you should always speak directly, honestly, and impartially about yourself - as it is.

Do not worry that your answers to the questions may be repeated - in the editing process you will distribute them more accurately. If you followed the recommendations of this article downloaded file , wrote down all the answers to the questions in it, now you have a unique document in your hands, which can be easily turned into a full-fledged e-book, if you shift it to e-book template .