A Book Inside, Writing, publishing, and selling your story

By Carol Denbow

Who Can Write a Book?

Is there a book inside you? 81 percent of Americans say yes. With so many people having the desire to see their story in print, why does only a small percentage pick up the pen and write? Maybe it's because writing and publishing a book seems like such an immeasurable task. But with proper direction, all writers have the ability to see their story in book form. You're not alone in this venture, there are about 195,000 new titles published in the U.S. each year-is yours next?

What to Write?

Do you have an expertise which may benefit others? Has your imagination run wild with thrilling mysteries others may enjoy reading about? Or do you simply have a story to tell? If you feel there is a book inside you, the first step to turning your idea into a book is of course, writing it. First and foremost, write what you know. With experience comes knowledge, and you will enjoy writing more when you are familiar with your subject. Later, when you are promoting your book, you will need to be very familiar with the information included to be comfortable discussing your book with potential buyers and others.

When you choose your book, the subject matters. Check your resources (library or internet) to make sure the book market is not already saturated with similar books. It's always good to look for a niche, something new that hasn't been previously published or puts a new twist on a subject. Make yourself familiar with researching the library or internet; you will be spending many hours there, especially if your choice is to write non-fiction.

Avoid a book idea which requires the reader to make notes in the book. Libraries and some booksellers prefer not to carry books which include several work sheet pages because they lose value once written in.

Who's Your Audience?

Before you decide exactly what to write, figure out who will be buying and reading your book. If you are writing a family history, for instance, your audience may be limited to your friends and family members, and book sales won't be a concern to you. But if your plan is to sell your book and make profit, you need to research the market to determine what your audience will want to buy. People buy non-fiction books to learn about something; they purchase fiction books for the pleasure of reading. Consider non-fiction for your first book, they're easier to write and considerably more non-fiction books are published than fiction. In fact, non-fiction generally outsells fiction by two to one.

Half of all books sold in 2006 were sold to people over age 45. Women buy 68 percent of all books sold, so it might be wise to consider targeting your book idea to include a more mature and primarily female audience as well. The highest percentages of books sold were mass market paperbacks and college text books.

The following are statistics on what age groups purchase which type of books. Results are based on telephone interviews with 1,001 adults, aged 18 and older.

The top three for ages 18-29 were:

• 72% - Biographies or books about history
• 60% - Self-improvement books
• 58% - Thriller or suspense novels

For ages 30 - 49:

• 72% - Biographies or books about history
• 60% - Religion and theology
• 60% - Self-improvement books

For ages 50 - 64:

• 74% - Biographies or books about history
• 60% - Self-improvement books
• 59% - Current literary fiction

For ages 65 and over:

• 76% - Biographies and books about history
• 58% - Religion and theology
• 53% - Current events books and mystery novels

The balance of genre choices in the poll included business management and leadership books, classic literature, horror novels, personal finance books, science fiction and romance novels. All rated between 7 and 48 percent. For a complete list visit http://gallup.com

How Do I Put it All Together?

Slow down and take writing one step at a time. It may seem like an impossible journey right now, but over time, and following the right cycle of things, you will eventually see your book in print. You can subscribe to a free monthly ezine through Plain & Simple Books (sign up at http://www.plainandsimplebooks.com/85/index.html or view the current issue at http://abookinside.blogspot.com ) which walks you through the journey of writing, publishing, and selling your book. But for now...

SIT DOWN & WRITE!

Since 1986, Carol Denbow has built, owned, operated, and sold three successful companies, including one of the largest public equestrian centers in the state of California.

Hidden behind the "hard-core" business woman and devoted mom was an author with a book inside. In 2002, Carol Denbow finally sat down and wrote the introduction to her first book. Two years later, "Are You Ready to Be Your Own Boss?" was in print fulfilling the need for new business owners to achieve success.

Again, the writing began. In 2007, after nearly three years of research, "Stress Relief for the Working Stiff" was headed off to the publisher (to be released in 08).

Wasting no time at all, the third adventure began, and in 2008 we can expect to see the results of Carol's next writing project.

A tad bit of obsession keeps this author writing, and it's a good thing, because the literary market needs this type of expertise.

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