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Out-Research the Competition

Chapter 4: No platform? Then Out-research the Competition. 

How Research Helped My Book 
My music book stood out for its research. At the time, church leaders who spoke on controversial music issues based their opinions on personal opinion and personal experiences, while throwing in an offbeat psychological study or two to try to give it some intellectual credibility. This left a niche (see chapter 3) for me to fill. 

I proposed taking the arguments pro and con for the church using modern music, subjecting them to rigorous research in the appropriate fields, and reporting my findings in an objective manner. I actually felt that a respected professor of Psychology, another of Church History, and other scholars should collaborate. But fifteen years ago, the intellectuals weren’t taking the issue too seriously. Christian rock was just a bunch of leftover hippies from the Jesus Movement who decided to mix their newfound faith with rock music. If the big intellectual guns bowed out of the fray, I felt somebody needed to dive in. 

So I used Georgia State’s Psychology library to go through decades of research on the psychological and physiological impact of music. I used Emory’s excellent religious library to study the history of church music, discovering that most of the hymns we consider traditional today were often taken from tunes already popular in the secular world at that time. 

By pulling together the legitimate research that had already been done in various fields, I offered something of value that others didn’t.  Read more: Out-Research the Competition

The Spin

Chapter 2: Put the Right Spin on Your Vocation and Experience. 

Who wants to read a book by the minister of youth at Flat Creek Baptist Church in Fayetteville, Georgia? Nobody. So I pitched myself as “serving on the ministerial staff of a large, metro Atlanta church.” Most of the fellow youth ministers I hung out with had Masters degrees, with professional training in fields like Psychology and Education. I felt very comfortable describing my position in different terms. 

By putting the appropriate spin on my vocation and experience, I helped publishers to overcome a huge hurdle to publication. 

Let’s say you’re a checkout lady at Wal-Mart and you’re writing a book on finances. How do you spin your work and experience as a platform? How about, “I work with financial services in a Fortune 500 company.” If you’ve trained other cashiers, you’re additionally a “trainer at a Fortune 500 company,” or “team leader.” 

Let’s say you’re writing on real estate and you’re a realtor. Are you a member of some associations that you could work through? Have you taught a seminar? Put those ideas in your file and figure out creative ways to spin them. 

Now think about your current writing project. What vocations and experiences do you have that can be spun in a direction that readers and publishers will respect?

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Look for Chapter 3 Next Week
©2008 Steve Miller

Find a Niche

Chapter 3: No Platform? Then Find a Niche. 
Don’t just find it; prove to publishers that it’s a legitimate niche. Why? Because if your manuscript is no different than 100 other books in its field, buyers will consistently choose the big name authors over the no name authors. Rich Dad Poor Dad was published and became a best seller. I doubt the author had a platform before the book was published. But it stood out because of its unique angle on finances.  Read more: Find a Niche

No Platform?

Chapter 1: No Platform? Then Start Thinking Like a Publisher

 Authors tend to think that publishers are simply looking for great writing on an interesting subject. But if we’re to sell our ideas to publishers, we must learn to think like a publisher. 

Here’s how the acquisitions editor, who currently has your query letter and proposal sitting in a huge pile next to his desk, may be thinking: 

"I love great writing, but my children are hungry. Convince me that your book will sell and make us a profit." 

Sure, they love great books. But more than that, they love great books that sell. To publishers, strong platforms mean strong potential sales. Imagine the acquisitions editor with 10 manuscripts on his desk, all of them about personal finance. Why risk publishing the unknown financial writer when he could take the guy who teaches successful financial seminars from coast to coast? When you’re sending a proposal, do more than point out your unique angle and convince him that you can write; convince him that you can sell the book. 

And by the way . . . start working on solutions now! Don’t wait until you’re trying to pitch it to publishers. If you’re on the first chapter of your first book, set up a file on your computer or in hard copy and label it “Marketing and Platform.” As you get ideas, drop them in the file and mark your calendar when to implement them. Much of what I say is much easier to do when you’re still researching your book. 

So the first—and I think most important—point, is to begin thinking like a publisher. Following are some things I’ve done as a result.

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J. Steve Miller ( www.jstevemiller.com ) writes books, articles and web-based resources from his home in Acworth, Georgia. A self-styled "Wisdom Broker," he collects wisdom from everywhere, particularly from biography, and puts it in a form useful for writers, speakers, public school teachers ( www.character-education.info ), pastors and youth workers ( www.youth-ministry.info ). He writes a helpful blog for writers at http://www.freelancewriterblog.blogspot.com/ . His wife, Cherie (also a writer), and seven boys keep his writing thoroughly grounded in reality. His upcoming book (December, 2008) is Enjoy Your Money! How to Make It, Save It, Invest It and Give It ( www.enjoyyourmoney.org ).

Look for Chapter 2 Next Week!
©2008 Steve Miller