Publishing Priorities

If you were to ask 10 people what the most important thing about writing a book was, you'd probably get 10 very similar answers. Most people would say that the book would have to we really good - well researched and written. Would you agree?

Unfortunately, that isn't the most important thing about publishing a great book - it's not even close. Of course your book should be well written, but if your intention is to write a book that will sell, the first thing you've absolutely got to do is determine who would want to buy your book. You can write a fantastic book about the skills, strengths and abilities of hybrid worker ants in Venezuela, but the question is, would there be enough of an audience to make it worth your effort?

I realize there are people who aren't interested in the commercial potential of a book - they simply want to write. And that's fine. But we're not talking to them in this message.

If you're going to go to the trouble and expense of writing and publishing a book, you'd better be certain that there are people interested in buying and reading it. And you actually need to sit down and put a pencil to paper coming up with an extensive list of possible reader/buyers. Why is this so important?

Even if you plan to write on a topic with wide appeal, understanding your typical reader will not only help you to write directly to him or her, but it will also help you in the eventual marketing of your book. Consider these points:

• Does your title appeal to a business or social group? Is it possible that such a group would be in the market for several hundred (or thousand) copies?
• Might you be able to include a deep-pockets company or expert of some kind who would buy massive quantities of your book and distribute them to their customers or associates? For example, if you were writing about holistic healing, might it be wise to mention your favorite supplier of nutritional supplements or another related product? The goal might be to have the company endorse or even give your book away as a premium or promotional item.
• Would your book appeal to financial club members, home and garden types, computer enthusiasts, gourmet cooks, parents of pre-school children… The list can go on. Each of these niche groups can be marketed to in special and unique ways. When you sit down to decide who your market really is, you open up TONS of possibilities you wouldn't have thought of otherwise.

FACT: More than 40 percent of total yearly book sales in the US and Canada are through vendors other than bookstores.

Does your book fit one of these alternative possibilities?

• Sales to government
• Sales to social or church groups
• Premium sales to business or industry
• Sales to schools or educational groups
• Sales to sports enthusiasts

If your title doesn't appeal to one of these or hundreds of other categories, might it be wise to see that it somehow does? You decide.

Charles Steed is a successful author and has been a guest on more than 50 radio talk shows. He has published four physical books and four eBooks. His latest eBook, The Self-Publishing Solution is a wonderful resource for anyone thinking of publishing anything. You can learn more by visiting http://www.userfriendlybooks.com