Last week, I asked why authors write books – despite the raft of reasons not to, and the pile of obstacles in their way….
Milan Kunderas offered this explanation: He said men write books because their wives don’t listen to them. I guess we need to thank Mrs. Tolstoy, Mrs. Dickens, and Mrs. Melville for their sincere lack of attention. But there is truth behind the joke – writers want an audience. Even shy, introverted, reclusive authors are often hungry for the human connection that occurs between author and reader through the pages of a book.
Of course, there are also people who simply love writing itself. It’s a hobby, like woodcarving or gardening. They are not doing it for money or fame. They are not even particularly concerned about how many people read it, they just love the activity for its own sake. And that is an excellent reason to write — as long as it comes with self-awareness. Taking photos is one thing; dragging everyone you know through a forced march of your photo albums is quite another.
But when you approach a publisher, your reason must be more than just human connection or hobby. In my view, there are three valid answers an author can give a publisher:
1. I am writing a book because I have a message that I feel must be shared with others. This was the reason motivating most Regnery authors; they were usually not professional writers, but subject matter experts and celebrity thought-leaders with insights, information, and perspective their readers needed and wanted.
2. I am writing a book as a strategy for my business. Books are excellent business-builders. They can be prospecting tools for your company, lead generating tools for new customers, authority-building tools for your positioning as a thought-leader and an expert.
3. I am writing a book because I hope my story is something others will love to read. This is what typically drives fiction writers, and the reason fiction authors are so much more likely than nonfiction authors to write multiple books.
I urge every author to figure out which category they fall in before they start writing. The answer will provide some important guardrails. If you are in category #1, you must focus on making sure your message is unique in some way. You must provide new understanding, new information, a new way of looking at a topic, a perspective that can only come from you. Yes, the topic must be of interest to your readers, but in addition, there must be something in your book they cannot get anywhere else.
If your book is a business tool, your focus must be on providing clear value to your readers, in tangible ways they can recognize. Your advice, strategies and/or information must make them better off, in some specific way. You must also remember to craft your book so that it establishes a connection between you and the reader, since you are hoping the book leads to a business relationship.
If your book is all about the love of reading, it has to be a helluva good story, and it has to be masterfully told. In this category, it’s all about drama. Your writing skills must be excellent – far better than they need be in categories #1 and #2 (where great writing is a bonus, but not an essential ingredient). You don’t truly have to be unique — most great storylines are not — and you don’t have to provide practical advice. Rather, you have to be enormously entertaining.
I love working with authors. I love helping them shape their message, organize their ideas, craft their argument, tell their story. Most of all, I love helping them figure out what they hope their book will accomplish. As Simon Sinek says, “start with why.” When you start there, you’ll have a much better chance of completing the journey.