Seven Ways to Select a Book Topic That Sells

by: Judy Cullins
Since a book title is the number one "Essential Hot-Selling Point" for your book, it's a good idea to choose one that sells well.
1.Write what you are passionate about. Write about a topic that will still interest you in two years. Your book is an extension of you, your talks, and your profession. If you don't love your topic, you won't be successful. One common mistake authors make is to put attention on writing another book before there first one has been promoted.
2. Write down five topics that stir your passion. Ask your inner author which one should you pay attention to first. After choosing, gather and organize everything you already know and want to know about that topic. If you need more knowledge on a topic, research it. Read other authors' books in your field, check out related Web sites, and subscribe to newsletters. You become the expert as you write.
3. Write a book your audience needs or wants. People want their problems solved. Among fourteen other books, three on memory and a speed-reading manual I wrote 15 years ago have sold over 155,000 copies, and still sell today. Business books sell well. People need writing, reading, speaking, computing, communication, math, sales, marketing and Internet skills. Nonfiction self-help or how to titles sell best. When your nonfiction books sells well, you can finance your novel.
4. Research your target market. Who is your preferred audience? Who will read and buy your book? Who will pay the $15-$35 price tag? How many possible buyers are there? How does your book stack up to your competition? What is your unique selling proposition? What benefits does your book bring its readers? How many in your audience? The targeted book Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul sold three million copies more in one year than the original Chicken Soup sold in three years. That tells you that a book with an angle is a good idea.
5. Compare your book with other reputable, good sellers in your field. What way is your book like theirs? What makes your book unique from others? How is your book better? If your book is the only one of its kind, it could be more difficult to sell because mainstream buyers don’t know about it. Check out what category your book fits in by visiting your local bookstore. Ask the bookseller to help you. Turn to the back covers--look at the upper left side to see the two or three categories usually listed there. Which ones does your book fit under? Let your book develop a new angle on the problem to be solved. A book on breast-feeding sold far more copies when the author aimed it at working mothers.
6. Survey your market. While some of us get our title instantly and know that it is the right one, many of us need help. Brainstorm with, and ask for feedback from, friends and associates. Let them vote on the best of ten titles and subtitles, chapter titles, back cover information. While some get their title instantly and know it's the right one, many of us need help. Knowing that your book title is the top “Essential Hot Selling Point” makes time spent on it worth it. When you use the synergy of more brain power, you receive so many more ideas. Don't be attached to your choices. Feedback helps build a better book.
7. Create a winning vision for your book. Know that your book will be published. You can self-publish if you are not famous. Before you finish the book, specifically name the outcomes you will see, hear and feel. Place this winning vision in color on a card. Put it near your workstation. (Use today's date including the year) Now that my book (title and subtitle) is finished and is a huge seller. For example:
I see (smiling people at my talks buying it) or (hundreds of orders from my Web site)
I hear (applause from multiple audiences affirming it)
I feel (exhilarated, confident and pleased that it's such a hit)
Give attention to your book title. When it's good, it can sell thousands more copies than a mediocre one.