3 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Writing A Nonfiction Book

I bet you’re reading this right now because you’re excited about becoming an author.

People have told you things like “you should write a book” and “you have a book in you” and after years of nervously laughing in response, you are ready. Right?

Not exactly. 

You see what I’ve come to realize is that many, many people are thinking of writing a book prematurely — before they’ve really considered their goals or what publishing a book requires. Over the past few years, my team and I have spoken to so many people that we felt were “kicking the tires” of writing a book or “picking our brains” about what a book could mean for them. And while I love to help out, it’s not sustainable when there are thousands of people reading my content every week. 

(Also — thank you!)

So — here are three questions that I’ve come up with that have helped people really understand whether they want to traditionally publish a book (or attempt to). 

Question #1: Why do you want to write a book? What do you want to see happen? 

Get practical about this. 

“Inspire people” or “change organizations” are not real answers. 

“Use my audience to help thousands of teachers stay in the classroom” is.

So is “Hit the bestseller list by building an audience of thousands and a reach of millions.”

Question #2: Are you willing and excited by the prospect of building your audience to thousands (maybe even millions)?

If you’re not — then it’s likely that traditional publishing isn’t for you. 

Traditional publishers expect to sell at least 20,000 copies of every book — in the first month — and to do that you need an audience of at least 100,000 people. If you’re not willing to grow your audience (and business) to that level, then traditional publishing is likely not a good fit. 

(And what I offer won’t be a good fit either.)

Question #3: Are you willing to work on your book for 2 to 5 years? 

Because that's the timeline. 

If you want to move faster, for any reason, I suggest searching for either a hybrid publisher or a self-publisher, who can work on your timeline.

I want to be clear that your answers to these questions are not right and wrong.

It’s simply to help us both figure out whether your goals are a good fit for traditional publishing (and what I’m able to help you with) — or not. 

That said, when you do decide  

I want to go big

I want to go legit

I want a six-figure advance and to see my name on the bestseller list for real 

— I’m here for you. Take the quiz to find out your next step, and I will automagically share ways for us to work together and accomplish those goals.