So You Want to Write a Book . . .

I have a few questions for you.

• Are you writing how-to (prescriptive) nonfiction?
  If your answer is no, then I can’t help you.
  

• Do you have a business that is related to your book and will promote it?
  If your answer is no, then I can’t help you.
  

• Is what you’re writing about proven to work and get results for people?
  If your answer is no, I suggest that you focus on that.
  

• Have you proven that people are interested in what you have to say?
  If your answer is no, I suggest that you start sharing your message — publicly.
  

• Do you have an audience?
  If your answer is no, building an email list and social media following should be your top priority.

These are the questions that my team and I ask when people apply to work with us. 

It might seem harsh, but I’m trying to help you. Here’s why I ask these questions.

• If you’re writing another kind of book — fiction, narrative nonfiction, memoir, children’s — the advice I give may be unhelpful, even wildly inaccurate. That’s why I suggest folks who are writing other books — or who want to self-publish — unsubscribe. It’s not for me, but rather for you.

• It’s incredibly hard to build an audience just to promote a book. I don’t recommend building an entire brand around a book, which is why I work with entrepreneurs and experts for whom a book is just one piece of a greater business and brand puzzle.

• Results matter the most — to your business and your book. If the method you’re promoting only works for you, the publisher has no reason to believe it will work for anyone else.

• If no one is interested in what you have to say . . . your book is unlikely to sell. 

• Books don’t sell themselves — which is why publishers require authors to have an audience (aka an author platform) — to help them promote and sell a book. 

Hopefully this has done its job — and helped you understand what will make you successful in your goal of getting a traditional book deal.