How do you know if your book is good enough?
As a book mentor, I generally work with clients when they have an idea, and they’re not sure what to do first or where to start. I help them to clarify their thoughts and structure their ideas. Then I take them to the point of final manuscript, giving advice and accountability on the way.
But I also work with people when they get stuck. Often their book has been on the back burner for longer than they’d care to admit! They want feedback on their writing and advice on whether it’s going to help them to build their authority.
They want to know if their book is good enough.
Their book is important. They want it to enhance their credibility, become more visible and raise their expert status. And they want help to achieve this.
When I’m giving feedback on a client’s book, I have a checklist of things that I generally follow. As you can imagine, this is quite a long list! I thought you might be interested in a summary of five of the important points in this blog post that you can easily apply to your book.
The niche
On our recent Make It Happen day, we had a chat about niching. How niche do you go with your book?
That’s why I always ask the question ‘What do you want to get known for?’ to anyone who has a chat with me. If you’re already known within a particular niche area, why would you write about anything else? Your ideal clients in this niche area are your raving fans and they want to hear what you have to say about the things that are important to them!
Whether you niche to a problem or niche to a particular audience – or both – find out what your ideal reader wants to hear from you, and then deliver it.
The hook
When you’ve only got a short period to make a good first impression with your book – or any piece of writing – it makes sense to do it well.
If you read my ‘Miracle Morning’ blog from last week, you’ll know that the first thing I look at is the introduction. Is there a clear hook? Does it identify who the book is for? Does it identify the problem your clients are facing? And does it speak to them directly?
Clients often start with their story. The defining moment that led them to doing whatever they’re talking about in their book. Some start with hardhitting stats, and others will delve into the problem. Just start with a hook!
With regards to the hook, also consider your cover. Will it grab your reader’s attention? Is the back cover engaging and does it speak to your ideal client directly? Is there social proof (praise, reviews or a foreword) that demonstrates that your book is worth reading?
Once you’ve made that great first impression, then your writing needs to keep your readers glued to the end of the book!
The journey
That takes me to the journey. On our recent Make It Happen day, one client used the day to review the structure her book. She’d already started writing it, but she was stuck. It had been on the back burner for a year and her thinking had changed during this period. So if you’re in this situation, it can help to take a step back to focus on the structure, the flow and journey.
What’s the first thing you need to teach your readers, the second, the third? What do your ideal readers need help with right now and what is the end point you plan to take them to through your book? What are the key moments or turning points that are important? And what do you want people to do after they’ve read it?
The writing
When I work with clients, I often get stuck in with some developmental editing, giving suggestions for improvements. Although you may wish to get feedback from your peers, colleagues or clients on your book, having an objective viewpoint is essential. Your peers may already know you and your process, but most of them won’t realise all of the elements that you need to put into your book to ensure that it actually builds your business!
But before you get to that stage, you need to make time to write it. In our recent Make It Happen day, one of our ladies openly admitted that there were many other things happening in her life on that day that she could easily distracted herself with. But as she’d invested in the day, she focused on the task in hand and her writing! You can find out about upcoming dates at https://librotas.com/make-it-happen.
The marketing
You can write the best book in the world, but unless you have a marketing machine set up before you launch your book, it may well fall flat. That’s why I always suggest you build your community whilst you write it.
Although you can’t market a book you’ve not written, once your book is underway, it’s time to start talking about your book, sharing snippets and building a community of people who want to buy it. As well as raising your profile, you’ll be getting valuable feedback from your ideal readers.
And when you know what you want people to do after reading your book, you can ensure that you tell them, and also put plans in place – if you need to – to ensure that the next steps are available when your book launches.
Do you want me to review your book?
If you’re just getting started, or you’re writing and you’re questioning whether your book is any good, then let’s have a chat.
I have a knack of helping people to quickly get to the heart of their message and help them to get clear on what they’re writing within a short period of time.
If you’re writing a book that is likely to be the book that will build your business, raise your credibility and authority, then it makes sense to get feedback early on so that it hits the mark when it’s launched.