Figure Out Your Book Idea

“Explaining things that matter: Be simple. Then simpler than that. Just say what happens. The part of reality that any given person needs to know is naturally riveting to them.”

—Anne Herbert

Now it’s time for the fun part: nailing down your book idea.

Book ideas often shift once the objectives and audience become clear, so we leave this task for the end of the positioning process. It’s much easier now to get your idea right, because you know exactly what you want to accomplish and what audience you must attract with your book to reach your objectives.

Before you write down your book idea, be sure to avoid the biggest mistake that authors make:

Don’t write the book you think your audience “should” read. Instead, write the book your audience wants to read.

This is a subtle yet very important distinction. If you can answer the next two questions well, then it should be positioned properly.

BOOK IDEA QUESTION #1: IN 200 WORDS OR LESS, DESCRIBE YOUR BOOK

Write a one-paragraph description of exactly what the book is about. DO NOT worry about writing the perfect description. Just get something down in less than 200 words that answers these three questions:

1. What is the book about?
2. Who is the ideal reader for the book?
3. What will the ideal reader get?

You don’t have to get it perfect at first; you just need to get something down that gets you pointed in the right direction. You will have plenty of time to get it perfect later on. For now, distill the book idea into 200 words or, better yet, less. If you can’t do it in 200 words, you don’t actually know what your book is about, who it’s for, or why they will care.

If you are struggling with this, then think about your favorite book. Tell me in a few sentences what your favorite book is about. OK, what would that be for your book?

EXAMPLES OF WELL-WRITTEN BOOK IDEAS

This book will be an informative, easy-to-digest guide to hand safety in construction and manufacturing workplaces. The author will share what companies can do to educate their teams on hand safety and how to reduce hand injuries amongst their employees outside of just purchasing gloves. He will explain the methodology and safety tips needed to prevent hand injuries before they happen, and what to do if they do happen to prevent them from coming up again. He will include case studies, helpful tips, and practical applications that safety managers can use to prevent the majority of hand injuries in these companies, which is a huge risk each day.

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This book explores a series of critical flaws that represent the most common root causes of poor performance in organizations and are the primary reasons why organizations fail to achieve peak performance. What’s challenging about these flaws is that they lie underneath the surface of poor performance, so many organizations are not aware of them. Even when people may be somewhat aware, they may not realize how deep they go. And if/when they realize, they may not want or be able to treat them—especially alone. This book is for C-Suite executives who lead organizations that aren’t performing as well as they need to or could. It will help them diagnose and cure these flaws in their organizations, thus positioning their organizations for optimal business results; scalable, sustainable growth; efficient and effective operations; happy and engaged employees; and satisfied customers. On a personal level, this book will help these executives become more effective, less stressed, and happier in their professional and personal lives.

After you read the examples above, you could explain to someone else what the book is about, who it is for, and what they will get out of it.

EXAMPLE OF A POORLY WRITTEN BOOK IDEA

Jim Smith is known as the “Deal Maker of Business.” He got his start at the age of eighteen and hasn’t stopped since. Now, with seven bestsellers and a reputation for his success as a digital nomad, Jim is looking to become a big deal with entrepreneurs.

In his book, Jim will reveal his country roots and his struggle with education as a high school student to set the stage for his readers to understand that the only thing holding them back is their mindset. Though he is known as a real estate success and has written extensively about cornering that market, this book will pull back the curtain to reveal that Jim’s success isn’t about real estate alone—it’s about the self-awareness required to do well in all areas of life, not just business.

Jim will challenge his readers to give up their throne as the King of Dipshits, to surround themselves with people who challenge them, to identify and own the things they are not great at, and to stop working like $10/hour employees when they are running a million-dollar business. Most of all, Jim will use his experiences and his humor to bring fresh insight to entrepreneurs who want a life like his, but aren’t sure how to get it.

What’s this book about? Who is it for? What will they get? I couldn’t say with confidence, and I doubt you can, either.

BOOK IDEA QUESTION #2: WHAT’S THE “COCKTAIL PARTY PITCH” FOR THE BOOK?

This question is a check on your book idea. The goal is to make sure it works well.

Picture your ideal reader in your head, the exact person for whom you wrote your book. Now, imagine they’re at a cocktail party, drinking with friends. They mention the topic that your book is about.

Another person perks up—because they’ve read your book. Now they are about to recommend that this person read your book as well, since it is on the exact topic they are talking about.

What do they say to recommend it?

This is the one-sentence explanation that a real person would actually say out loud to describe your book to their friends, not what you want them to say. That’s the cocktail party pitch.

This is NOT your book description. This is NOT ad copy. This is about getting out of yourself and describing your book in the way that a real person would.

EXAMPLES OF COCKTAIL PARTY PITCHES

Grain Brain

• Good: “The book explains why bread is poisonous to humans and makes us fat, and then tells you what to eat instead.”
• Bad: “This book is a scientific, systematic, and detailed examination of the health problems caused by eating grains and grain-based foods, and a thorough, detailed plan for what foods best replace grain-based foods.”

How to Trade Options

• Good: “It tells you exactly how to easily trade options. I can barely add, and I got it. It’s made me a bunch of money.”
• Bad: “The book explains why the Simple Options Trading System is the greatest trading system there is and proof the author is a genius.”

I Got There

• Good: “This guy has an amazing story; his dad was a pimp, and now he’s a baller CEO.”
• Bad: “The book is a story of enlightenment and accomplishment, set against a backdrop of love and loss.”

REFERENCE: At this point people tend to have three main questions about what goes in their book; all are covered in these reference sections: 9.5: How Much Should You “Give Away” In Your Book? Advertorial vs. Editorial Content, 9.6: How Much of Your Story Should Be In Your Book?, 9.7: Don’t Put Everything You Know In One Book.