3 steps to picking the killer idea for your business book (without wasting the ones you turn down)

One of the questions which I love being asked as a business book ghostwriter and coach is:

‘I have seven topics I could write about. Each one of them is brilliant and would make the world a better place. How do I decide which is the killer idea?‘

If this is you, it’s a really normal stumbling block. In this post I’ll talk you through how to choose the one idea that’s best, and why that’s important.

First of all, why choose just one idea? Why not write several books at once?

Because you can only do a really good job of writing one book at a time.

Creating a book takes a lot of mental energy and sustained concentration; it’s hard to do justice to  more than one at once.

It’s a bit like starting a business – it involves, planning, strategic decision-making and endless amounts of activity from you. If you’re not a superhero, I suggest you take it one at a time.

Your book will stand a good chance of being finished if you pick just one topic (always a bonus). And think how great you’ll feel when you’ve taken that one amazing idea and made it work for you in a brilliant book.

Now I know you have lots of fabulous ideas in your head and you’d love to write about them ALL.

But I’m not saying that you can only ever write one book. You can pick one to write about this time, leaving your other ideas for a later date.

In fact, it’s a great move to keep your ideas alive by recording them so you know that they will always be there for you when you need them.

The three steps to picking the best idea for your business book

So how do you choose that one big theme? Here are the steps:

1. Write all your book ideas down

This could be on paper, on a spreadsheet, or even a Word document – whatever floats your boat.

One of my favourite techniques is to use post-it notes: write each idea down on a note and stick it on a big sheet of paper.

Getting your ideas out of your head and in front of you is an important first step, as it means you won’t having that nagging feeling of having forgotten some creative gem that you just know is in there somewhere!

2. Take each book idea in turn and ask yourself …

Is it aimed at a similar audience to my existing business?

This is super important. You’ll want to be able to market and sell your book successfully when it’s written, so being able to utilise your current mailing list, social media profiles and other marketing platforms will make this a lot easier than starting with a whole new market.

In addition, if your book is aimed at a readership which is similar to your existing customers and clients, it’s much  more likely to be aligned with the core purpose of your business (see below).

Is my book idea supportive of my business?

For instance, if you’re a speaker who talks about female leadership in male-dominated industries, is this what your book is about?

I know it sounds like an obvious question and I don’t mean to insult your intelligence, but you’d be surprised at easy it is for many authors to get carried away by a bright, shiny new idea that’s little to do with their existing business.

If your book is for your business then it needs to help you to make more money: it could be via the extra speaking engagements that you’ll get, the new clients that you’ll attract, the list building opportunities that it gives you, or simply the raised profile that you will achieve.

It won’t do these things for you if it’s not written on the subject upon which your business is based.

Can I leverage my book idea?

This relates to the point above, and what it means is: are there ways you can use your book to win more business for yourself? One way of doing this is to sell (or develop) online products which your readers are attracted to as a result of reading your book.

Do I know my stuff?

You need to feel confident that you’ve got the expertise to write on the subject that you’ve chosen, otherwise you’ll be unlikely to finish it with confidence.

This doesn’t mean that you have to know everything about your topic, as you can bring in guest contributors and do some extra research. But it stands to reason that a successful book will be written from a place of knowledge and expertise.

Could I combine one or more of  my ideas into a single book?

Sometimes themes which seem disparate can be brought together.  For instance, if you have two ideas – one about a nutrition guide and another about how to cook healthy meals – you can easily see how they could be combined into an ‘all you need to know to eat healthily’ book.

3. Reality check your book idea

Hopefully by now you’ve narrowed down your ideas to a shortlist of no more than two or three.

You need to test if your idea(s) is really what your audience wants: will they buy this book, or is it based on your own preconceived ideas of what they’re after?

Are you confusing what your readers want (ie, what they will buy) with what they need? We never buy anything unless we want it.

The only way to find out for sure is to do some research – you can ask your clients (who should be your ideal readers in any case), set up an email survey, ask on social media, and look to see what else is selling in this field. Does there seem to be a demand for it? If so, you’re on the right track.

If not, you might need to think about whether this is something that people really want to read about, or alternatively find a different angle or take on the subject that appeals more.

And finally, don’t feel bad about the ideas that didn’t make it to the final one. ALL book ideas have value, and what doesn’t become a book could find life in another guise – an online training product, a video series, a blog sequence, or something else.

Even your next book!

The most important thing is that you’ve chosen the idea that will work best for you, your audience and your business.