If you have a small business or blog and a message to share with the world, you may be just what book publishers are looking for.
In this guide we look at the many components that a potential publisher will look at when they consider you, your book idea and whether they will give you a book deal. This guide is very general as, each publisher is different and each genre of book may have specific requirements. This guide will give you an overall picture of what will help sell you a a potential author.
In no particular order.
1. You
Unsurprisingly, you are a very important part of a book deal! A publishing deal is a partnership and they need to know that they can work with you over a period of time, and that they can rely on you throughout the process.
Publishers want to know that you have a commitment to making the book a success and that you have the right personality to sell the book once it launches.
So as well as the ability to write something awesome, they need to think that you are awesome in other ways too.
2. Your platform
Size matters when it comes to your platform, which is relative to the country in which you will sign your book deal. If you have a blog, an active community of readers and customers, a decent social media presence and a steadily growing database you are going to tick many boxes for potential publishers.
Some people ask me if this is the same for fiction and then answer is yes! If your publisher can see that you have a large engaged audience for your blog who hang off your every word they are going to take your manuscript more seriously.
3. Speaking
Speaking is part of your platform, but it is so important that it deserves a section of it’s own. If you are getting up and sharing your message/expertise/stories with an audience on a regular basis, you are hot! Speakers can create a really genuine personal connection with their audiences and that is music to publishers ears.
4. Your track record
Did you release a free eBook and 2000 people downloaded it? Are you already selling eBooks on Amazon and sold thousands of copies? All of these things help show that you make good business sense as a potential author.
5. Are you hot right now?
Did you just achieve something incredible and newsworthy? Are you an expert in something that is trending like crazy in social media? Your author potential increases if your book topics are selling like hotcakes.
6. Can you write?
Duh! This is kind of important!
In non-fiction land a percentage of people get a ghost writer to write for them, this works for things like a sports autobiography or business book by a super guru. In these cases the book deal is entirely based on who the author is rather than their skills as a writer.
For the rest of us it is all about getting our ideas to shine on paper, and for fiction – you gotta be good!
7. Do you have more than one book in you?
No-one wants to be a one hit wonder… and your publisher doesn’t want that for you either. Hopefully you seem like the kind of person who can come up with the goods and write a few, that your book deal is the first of many.
The BLOG to BOOK course
If you are ready to take the leap into book publishing and see if you have what it takes to get a book deal, the BLOG to BOOK course is ready to take you there!
More information on the FAQ!