You sit on a park bench, get a flash of inspiration, and start scribbling. You got the most brilliant of all unique story ideas, ever. This book, your story, is so unique you’ve literally never seen or read anything like it.

This book has to be written.

Stop.

Breathe.

Think for a minute.

Why Do You Want to Write?

If it’s just to write, awesome. I’m thrilled and here to help.

Is it to win awards? Great. Be warned, you’ll need to grow a thick skin and the patience of Jobe. You may need to be even more patient, as depending on what you believe, Job apparently only waited seven days and it could take you way longer to be recognised. Don’t be in a rush to get that lovely statue for your bookcase or byline for book cover. No judgment, it’s a wonderful reason to put pen to paper.

Want to Sell Books?

Here’s where it gets messy, or simple as. First, forget that unique idea. Don’t delete it altogether. Drop it in a ‘one day’ folder to come back to later when money isn’t your goal. To sell books, you need to give people what they want.

Bookshelf

Is it a thriller, a biography, a murder mystery or a Young Adult vampire book? Great. You can walk into your local bookstore or library and check out the competition. 

It’s a romance, but the heroine dies and doesn’t get a happy-ever-after. The baddy turns into a werewolf, takes over a nearby planet and finds a treasure chest buried on the moon. It may be difficult to find in the library. In short, or to state the blindingly obvious, you need to sell your book to make money. To sell it in your bookstore, be it online or IRL (in real life) the vendor needs to put it somewhere. If the shelf doesn’t exist, they won’t put your unique book out there and it won’t sell. Harsh, but true. 

You’re Unique

Your idea is not unique. If it is, you can still write it, but don’t expect to make your fortune. But you have a great story to tell. I get it. It’s frustrating as heck. I rebelled against the idea for far too long. I don’t want to fit nicely in a genre box, but I finally accepted the truth. If your story is ‘like nothing else’, that’s great, but it probably won’t sell.

If you want to sell books, you need to write books that people will spend their hard earned money on.

Write What You Know

Don’t write a sci-fi space opera if you hate them and never read them, but hey, they sell, right? No matter what you write, you need to do it to the best of your ability. You need to hit the tropes, those pesky stereotypes people know and love. Then you need to add a spice of your own, just to make it your own. Different, but not too different.

Write What You Don’t Know

This applies more to non-fiction. It can be a great way to construct a book for education or information. Learn about the topic as you go and take your reader with you. This won’t work so well on fiction, but it can be done. Allow time to grow. I started writing a new genre last year. I had ‘dabbled’. It was in a genre I read, I loved, I was passionate about. Writing a new genre, one you haven’t written before, will involve some serious reading to understand reader expectations. Now, a year on, I finally think I’ve got my head around it. Notice I didn’t say I know it all. You will never know it all. 

Finished is Better Than Perfect

Can’t afford an editor? No worries, go back later when you can, but make sure you self edit. Use beta readers. Run it through editing and plagiarism apps. Some writers will say you must never publish without an editor, but cost can be prohibitive. I’m not undervaluing the work they do. They need to earn a living just like the rest of us, but if you haven’t got the money, you haven’t got the money. Life is tough right now. If you have a book that is the best you can do, get it out in the world, then write another.

Every writer I’ve ever spoken to says their first book is rubbish. But they did it again, and again, and again. Write your best book for now, then write another one. 

Publish and Be Damned 

Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington

It’s called a ‘best-seller’, not a ‘best-written’. Marketing is the key to book sales. The best book in the world will earn nothing if people can’t find it. That said, the book that is still tucked away in the back of the drawer, or hidden on a hard drive, sure as heck won’t sell either.

Don’t think getting a publishing deal will let you off the marketing hook. They still expect you to market the heck out of your book. Why not go indie, get the book out there and keep all the profits?

Still Want to Write it?

Awesome. Go write it. I truly hope it sells and you retire to live alongside James Patterson or whomever you aspire to be. If it doesn’t sell, why not try writing something readers know and love? 

I’d love to hear about your current writing project. Is it a labour of love, or to pay the bills, or joy of joy, a combination of the two?