Why do people buy non-fiction books? Most
readers buy books to solve problems or help with fulfilling a
need. For example, when I started speaking for a fee I went out
and bought a couple of popular books about speaking. Browsing in
the bookstore, I was attracted to Lilyan Wilder's book "7 Steps
to Fearless Speaking" I read the back cover. I noticed she could
help with 7 easy steps. I skimmed the table of contents, read a
few lines and immediately liked her easy to read style. It went
in my purchase basket.
Because I wanted to hear from several
authorities on the subject, I picked up another book by Nido R.
Qubein, "How to Be a Great Communicator: In Person on Paper, and
on the Podium." His cover design was white with clean lines and
a personable picture of him on the front. His style of writing
was not as easy to read but it still went in my purchase basket
as well. Which brings us back to my original point; people buy
non-fiction books to solve problems. To identify your targeted
market, pinpoint a problem they have and the solution of course.
Problems come in all shapes and sizes. Usually
a general category problem applies to all types of markets.
Hobbies. Is
your tennis game, golf game, bridge game as good as
you'd like? Are you considering taking up horse-back
riding? Want to improve your computer skills? What ever
the case may be, your desire to improve or change your
level of performance is considered the problem.
Health. The
first thing you do when your doctor diagnose your
cholesterol is high and you need to lose 20 pounds. You
go look for a book that will walk you through step by
step to lose weight or lower cholesterol. You turn to
someone that has solved the problem to learn from their
experience.
Mental State. Are you feeling stressful about the economy? Are you noticing
unexplained physical symptoms possibly related to
stress? Once again, you have a problem and you are
looking for a solution in book form. Someone who has
outlined easy steps or ways to de-stress in our society.
Personal Finance. Worried about lay-offs, down-sizing, retirement? Books that
offer financial solutions to economic problems during
shaky times are guaranteed to succeed.
Marketing.
We live in a competitive society. Small business owners
and managers everywhere need a growing database of
customers and clients. Therefore, they seek out how to
books that offers solutions on improving their
advertising copy, improving their business image or
their website.
Each of the problem categories describes a
problem and a need for a solution. The main goal of your
marketing plan is to identify the problem your book solves and
then present the solution. The more intense the problem and the
easier you can make your solution, the more readers will seek
out your book.
Your task becomes to re-structure your
knowledge into bite-size reader solutions. Appeal to the masses,
by letting them know what's in it for them and how easy the
solution is with your book. For example, let's consider the book
title I mentioned earlier about speaking. The title could have
been: "How to Overcome Your Fear of Speaking" instead of "7
Steps to Fearless Speaking" The latter is more appealing because
it alludes to only 7 steps to my solution.
Don’t put it off any longer. If you wait, you
can be this time next year without fulfilling your dream of
writing a successful book. You have the solution. Now write it
down. While you're at use the tips above and write a book that
sells well. Make it different. Make it count. Make it yours.
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© Earma Brown, 11 year author, business owner,
web developer helps service business owners, professionals and
writers who want to write their best book now! Earma mentors
other writers and business professionals through her monthly
ezine iScribe. Send any email to iscribe@writetowin.org for free
7 lesson mini-course Jumpstart Writing Your Best Book Now! or
visit her at http://www.writetowin.org for more book writing
tips.
