How do I know if I’m writing the right book?

Occasionally I have a panicky email from one of my clients or a conversation that goes something like this… Am I writing the right book?

How do you know if you’re writing the right book?

When I say the right book, this is likely to be ‘THE book’.

It’s likely to be the one that you hope will elevate your business, raise your profile and make a huge positive difference to your visibility among your clients and prospects.

It’s likely to be the one that you’ve been talking about writing for a loooonggg time and the thought of doing it makes your heart pound and butterflies may well be fluttering… But you know that it’s the thing that you have to do to move yourself forward as well as helping others through your knowledge and experiences.

But writing a book is a bit of a scary thing, isn’t it? And you might worry about what happens if you get it wrong!

If you’re worrying about whether you’re writing the right book, one of these things may be taking place:

• You’re following your process and you start to doubt whether you know enough and whether you have enough expertise.
• You start to wonder whether you actually want to work with your ideal readers and question where you want your book to take you or who your ideal client actually is!
• You may have a wobble because you have so many ideas and think that perhaps this isn’t the right book to focus on first.
• And you may start to worry about sharing your journey, what other people might think and whether you can do your book justice.

But I’d hate you to write your book and then realise later that you’ve written the wrong one. Because, believe you me, it wouldn’t be the first time I’ve heard this from someone, and I would prefer not to hear it again!

So how do you know you’re writing the right book? 

In my view, the right book is the one that’s going to help you to build your business – if that’s your goal, of course. You may simply want to share your story and inspire people, and that’s fine, but be clear about its purpose before you get going. And if you want to generate sales and prospects, don’t forget to build your community and profile as you’re writing it.

You’ll probably find that your book’s content is likely to be aligned to your business already or you’ll be using it as a positioning tool, aligning your message as you go.

Being clear on who your ideal clients and readers are, what problems they’re facing, where they want to be, and how you can take them on this journey is a good starting point.

Your book will ideally have a clear hook and angle that makes it different from the books written by your competitors. In my view, the right book is likely to be niched deeply, thus appealing to your ideal readers and clients and helping you to get known in this sector.

You’ll be sharing your journey or story because, let’s face it, you’re probably doing what you are doing now and writing this book because of the things you’ve gone through. This may fit best in a memoir style book where you take people through your journey, or a ‘how to’ book taking people through the steps that you follow with your clients. I find with some clients, their book is aimed towards their younger self and is the book that they wish they had when they were going through a difficult experience. For others, they may well be following the practical approach they take their clients through. Or it may be a mixture of both. But deciding this before you get started is essential.

It’ll help you to leverage what you do. Your book will inform the products, services, and programmes that you offer off the back of your book, so it’s important that these are all aligned.

And if you don’t have all the knowledge you feel you need, you may bring in other experts to share their wisdom, just like I did when I wrote Book Marketing Made Simple.

Ultimately, I want to ensure that you write the right book right now. Remember that this may not be your only book and may simply be your starting point. If it helps… My first book wasn’t the right one, but it was the right one then. My message has evolved and yours might too.

Are you writing the right book?

So, what should you do if you’re not sure whether you’re writing the right book or you’re having a wobble about what you should be writing about?

Here are some of the questions that I ask clients who wonder if they’re writing the right book:

Why are you writing your book?

Who are you writing your book for?

What is the aim of your book once you’ve published it?

What are the next steps for your readers once they’ve read it?

Where do you want your book to take you and your business? 

And after we’ve discussed these questions, on the whole, a few minor tweaks is all that’s required to get them back on track.

I do hope that you are writing the right book, and if you’re not sure that you are or would like some help to define what this right book is, then please get in touch and let’s have a chat.

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