Nonfiction Ink

Is your topic relevant?  Does it solve a reader’s problem or make their life better? Non-fiction books (and eBooks) stand or fall on the delivery of the promise to help the reader.  Regardless of your genre, you are either helping the reader fix a problem (most self-help, how-to, reference, inspirational, travel guides, and cookbooks serve this purpose – “The Insider’s Guide To Surviving the Recession”, “Web Marketing for Dummies”, “What To Expect When You’re Expecting”, “The Alzheimer’s Answer Book”, “How To Train Your Golden Retriever”, “Think and Grow Rich”, “Frommer’s Guide to Las Vegas”), or providing information to expand a reader’s knowledge and world view (most memoirs, biographies, autobiographies, historical accounts, and current events books fall into this category – “John Adams”, “Bailout Nation”, “Easy Riders, Raging Bulls”).

Here are three tips to help you find relevant topics that sell:

BE AWARE OF LIFESTYLE SHIFTS AND READER’S NEEDS
The economic downturn, concern for the environment and depletion of natural resources, and an aging generation of baby-boomers are just three major elements affecting reader’s lifestyles.  As baby boomers age, they are planning for their parent’s medical and care-taker needs and focusing on staying healthy and in-shape.  The financial crises has lead to many people looking for unique ways to find jobs, repair their credit and create debt strategies, avoid foreclosure, and create new streams of revenue (which leads to an increase in entrepreneurship and a need for books on running and marketing small businesses). Many readers are looking for ways to save money by vacationing close to home (leading to an increase in sales of regional and local travel books) and do their own repairs and home improvements (DIY book sales are on the rise). Environmental concern has created an enormous opportunity for  ’green’ books: “It’s Easy Being Green”, “Living Green”, “365 Ways to Live Green”, “Gorgeously Green”, “Go Green and Live Rich”.

REVIEW THE CALENDAR
Everything from the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square uprising to the 30th anniversary of the release of the film “Star Wars” can create reader interest in a specific subject.  The bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln’s birth this past February saw the release of a plethora of historical books.  That other little holiday in the month of February produces an increase in sales of romantic self-help guides.

LOOK FOR TRENDS
Whenever a book becomes a bestseller, publishers and readers look for more of the same.   The popularity of “Marley and Me” lead to similar books about owners and their dogs.

You must be invested in your subject, so write what you love, but also look for topics that are timely and relevant.  See if you can find a way to tie your idea into the calendar, current trends, or reader’s immediate lifestyle needs.

YOU TELL ME: How do you find relevant topics that sell?

Stay-Tuned: In the next post I will provide a Book Idea Checklist.

Related posts:

1. Marketing Tips for Authors: Getting Into “Entrepreneur” Magazine
2. Five Steps to Highlighting Key Ideas
3. How To Use Your Table Of Contents To Sell Your Book
4. Planning Your Book Publicity
5. You, Too, Can Write A Bestselling Title

Tags: book trends, readers needs, readers wants, relevant book topics

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