10 Ways To Tell....

Ten Ways to Tell if You Have a Great Idea for a Non-Fiction Book

By Dianne Jacob

People often call me to ask for feedback on a book idea. While the subject area is good, usually the positioning is what needs help. Positioning is the unique spin you put on your book to make it different from the competition, or to make it seem new.

Here's an example of a book that stayed on the New York Times bestseller list for several months. When Eric Schlosser wrote Fast Food Nation, a muckraker of how fast food has widened the chasm between rich and poor and fueled an epidemic of obesity, he faced competition from many books about the food industry. Most of them, however, were written for academics and not for the general public. And most were not an indictment. He had something new to say, he passionately researched his subject so he could back up his opinions, and his book presaged rising alarm over the obesity rate in America.

So what does it take to come up with a book idea to attract agents and editors? Here are 10 criteria resulting from the work I've done as an editor and book proposal coach:

1. You have a timely subject. Right now dozens of books on Iraq and US involvement are being sold to publishers and rushed into print. Publishers know that the public is hungry for information and context. They also know that the subject is still in the news and therefore on people's minds. If you study trends, you might put your finger on the pulse of something hot and use it as a jumping off point for your book.

2. The book is about your area of expertise. You have to convince an agent or editor that you are the right person to write the book, and being a recognized expert on the subject makes it so much easier. It gives you the authority and credibility you need to be taken seriously as an author. By expert I mean that you speak or teach on your subject, or have 20 years' experience in your business. Perhaps you have written articles in magazines or newspapers, or have been interviewed as an expert by the media.

3. You are passionate about the subject. If you can communicate excitement and enthusiasm in your writing, it can be contagious. In A Natural History of the Senses, poet Diane Ackerman packs her book with fascinating historical facts. Her passion for inquiries into such as subjects as diverse as aromatic memories, reactions to cold, why people get hankerings, and the way animals display themselves to attract a mate come through as an intense narrative journey. She is not a scientist, but I don't think anyone cares.

4. Your book has a small focus. This is a big problem for many writers I have worked with over the years. They want to tell readers everything they know about the subject, and find it difficult to weed out the most important points. Unfortunately, this makes the book too broad - not to mention boring - and as a result, the book loses focus. A small subject book, tightly written and focused on the most important details, however, can be a delight.

5. You've found a great selling hook. One of my favorite examples to use when I teach is a cookbook called A Man, A Can, a Plan. Yes, there have been countless previous cookbooks aimed at men. This one was conceived as a cross between a visual joke and seriously practical information.

The book is printed on heavy stock and coated like a children's book, so it won't stain, and also gives the not-so-subtle hint that men are like children. Recipes have photos of cans, produce and protein, with plus signs between them to immediately communicate what to have on hand. Are the recipes in the book unusual? No. But the selling hook works. The author told me his book has been particularly successful among college students, a perfect target audience.

6. Your book idea has potential as a series. Agents and publishers like to envision a long stream of revenue over the years. The key here is that your idea must be well thought out. This sounds obvious, but many try to define the parts of their book as a series, and that doesn't work. Think of Chicken Soup for the Soul. The authors have milked that collection of stories into a huge series of books targeted to specific readers as obscure as the NASCAR, Hawaiian and prisoner's souls.

7. Your book reaches a large, well-defined audience. You can show statistics about a particular group showing you have a specific target, such as all human resources managers of business with over $1 million per year in revenue. Publishers like to know you have defined exactly who will buy your book so they can market to that audience.

8. You have an original idea. This is a tough one, but it can be done. Books that come to mind are A Natural History of the Senses, a grand tour, beautifully written by a poet; Walking the Bible, a first-person account of the author's journey by land through the five books of Moses; and Nickel and Dimed, an undercover report of what it's like to be part of the working poor in America.

9. Your subject is not obscure. Sure, you may be fascinated by the eating habits of great yogis of a region in Indian, but the audience will be too small to attract a publisher.

10. Your book idea is an evergreen, so it will sell for a long time. It might be a book on diet or self-improvement, which never goes out of style, where you have something new to say.