Table of contents:
- What do people frequently ask you for help with?
- What kind of transformation have you helped people achieve?
- Do you want to be associated with this topic for the remainder of your career?
- How is your approach or perspective different from the conventional wisdom?
- Do you have enough content to fill a 10-15-chapter book?
Some aspiring authors decide from the outset that if they write a book, it will be in collaboration with a talented writer who has publishing experience — meaning a ghostwriter. They recognize that to make that big leap forward in their career, they want someone alongside them to keep them on track, much like a professional coach or consultant. Or maybe they already know they don’t have the time to devote to such a big project and they need to delegate the heavy lifting to a pro.
Others have wanted to be an author and have repeatedly heard from those in their inner circle that they “should write a book.” However, they haven’t had the time to investigate what all that involves and if it’s even a good idea to write a book. They get stumped researching the first steps.
And then there are some people who know there is a book in their future, but they’re not exactly sure what that book will be about. It could be a memoir about their time starting a new venture. It could be a corporate history about their successful company. It could be a how-to guide designed to help others follow in their footsteps. Or it could be a self-help title focused on that one thing that they believe has led to their success, just to name a few options.
All three of these scenarios describe future authors who are not ready to hire a ghostwriter. If any of these sound like you, you are also not ready for a ghostwriter.
Granted, you could proceed to hire one — no one’s stopping you —but you will probably end up spending more time and money than you need to in figuring out your topic.
Start with What
With apologies to Simon Sinek and his terrific title, Start with Why, in this case, I think you need to start with what.
Unless and until you are clear in your own mind what your book is about and why you’re writing it, don’t hire a ghostwriter. Yet.
The truth is, you could probably write several books, given all of your varied interests and life experiences. But what book topic or approach makes the most sense now, in terms of what a book could do for your business or career?
Some questions to consider as you brainstorm and assess the various topics you could write about are:
What do people frequently ask you for help with?
What is the most common issue, situation, or topic that colleagues, clients, friends, family, supervisors, or people in your network turn to you for help with? For example, are you the person who seems to have a good answer for every question about landing a TED Talk?
What is it that your name is often associated with, as far as subjects or types of problems? For example, are you the person who is a whiz at creating Canva templates or PowerPoint presentations? Or are you the finance expert who helps companies trim their expenses to the bone without impacting growth?
When people come to you with questions, what are they typically about?
That’s one starting point in brainstorming potential book topics you’d be qualified to write.
What kind of transformation have you helped people achieve?
Whether through mentoring, informal coaching, or business contracts, have you helped people transform some aspect of their lives? Or have you helped businesses turn themselves around? Maybe you’ve helped startups quickly scale?
Think about situations where there was a problem that someone needed help with and after you stepped in to offer advice or guidance, your solution saved the day or helped them achieve a milestone they weren’t sure was possible.
That type of transformation could be the topic of your book, especially if you have an approach or framework you could teach others to use.
Do you want to be associated with this topic for the remainder of your career?
Before you invest months of your life and tens of thousands of dollars, make sure that you want to be associated with this topic from now on. After your book comes out, your name may be attached to the story you share, the topic you address, or the perspective you document.
Is that your goal? If it is, a book is a great idea.
On the other hand, if your goal is more to create something entertaining or because you think you could make a ton of money short-term, think long and hard before proceeding. Many books help authors generate revenue through improved marketing, new speaking opportunities, new business ventures, or consulting gigs, but rarely does a book generate a significant income on its own without some serious marketing behind it. If your book is unrelated to your business or role, be careful not to get sidetracked.
How is your approach or perspective different from the conventional wisdom?
Are there existing books on your desired topic that are similar but different? How?
Have they done well? If they have, that may be a sign that there is a lot of interest in the subject. Most publishers want evidence that books on your general topic have sold well because that suggests related books could also be successful.
The key is figuring out how to come at the topic in a new or unconventional way. You don’t want to write a book that is a carbon copy of one already in existence, but if you have a different take on it, it could be a good idea.
For example, James Clear’s book Atomic Habits has done extremely well and has led to plenty of additional opportunities for him. You wouldn’t want to try to replicate his approach to forming new habits, but the success of his title indicates that there is a lot of interest in new habits, productivity, and maybe even related topics like time or project management.
How would approach this topic differently? That’s the question you need to be clear about.
Do you have enough content to fill a 10-15-chapter book?
Sometimes authors have terrific ideas or impressive case studies, but the amount of relevant information does not add up to a 50,000- or 60,000-word business book. A long feature article of 4,000 or 5,000 words might be more appropriate.
If you start drafting an outline and quickly run out of content, that could be because your topic is not broad enough.
Once you’ve considered these questions and are clear both about what your book covers and why you’re writing it — that is, what you hope to have happen as a result — then you’re ready to begin a search for a ghostwriter.
I have a handy guide I’d be happy to send you.
If I can help, please get in touch at marcia at marcialaytonturner.com.