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1. YOUR AREA OF EXPERTISE- The Author’s Blueprint: Mastering the Craft of Writing Your First Book

YOUR AREA OF EXPERTISE

 

 

You have decided to write a book, right? Before starting to write a book, think about yourself. Who are you? What is your area of expertise? What are the set of skills and talents you have? Your experience in specific area can help you write a unique book. If rightly chosen, you will end up writing an impressive book that attracts both newbies and experts.

In this chapter, we discuss about how to find a topic for your book.

1.         Find out your interests

There is no action without motivation. The motivation generates from your interest in the topic. If you don’t have passion in the topic you are writing, it is possible that you can’t finish writing it. So, identify your interests.

How to identify your interests?

You can start by listing your skills. Make a list of all the skills you have. Try to recall the skills you have acquired through education, training, or employment. Find both soft and hard skills that you have. .

You can also ask your friends, relatives, coworkers and teachers to help you list the skills that you excel. Some times, others know yourself more that you know. 

2.         Focus on your expertise:

Knowledge is power. In modern world, we can say ‘Expertise is power’. Knowledge is widespread across the globe and easily accessible by a very little effort. What matters in today’s world is something that you know a lot, not something that you know about everything. Although you may be a walking encyclopedia where you know something about everything, you cannot make any influence on others. You need to be expert on something and excel in that specific field.

You have interest, but do not have expertise on the topic; chances are that you will not be able to write an impressive book.

Choose five areas of expertise and then shortlist them to three. Now you have clear picture of your areas of expertise. Start with one area where you find more comfortable. You need to be comfortable when thinking about the topic. The topic that you select makes you enjoyable.  Leverage your ideas on that topic. Do brainstorming and mind mapping. 

I can assure you that you will end up authoring a very engaging book if your start is from this kind of quest and hunt that spark from your inner self. You get motivated through out the work and definitely, one day you will finish it. You will be dreaming about that day when everybody can read your thoughts and ideas.

3.         Research the market:

Got to Amazon and search for a book similar to what you are planning to write. You can visit bookstores or even do an internet search. You will find many books on the topic. You will find the topics that are currently in demand or popular.

You can ask a question to yourself: where my book stays compared to these best sellers. Imagine how your book looks like when it sits and shows in the shelves. Does it compete with other books? Now it is time to do a review of those competitors.

Read those books. Read the reviews written by the readers. You will get many ideas by reading reviews. You may find some forums where the book is discussed and evaluated. Check for any other topics written by same authors.

Always go through the best sellers on the topic that you want to write. Also, read academic journals on that topic. Go through the table of contents. Ask yourself. Is there any area of knowledge that is missing or that needs more clarification. You may find some misinformation or outdated information. You are eager to rectify them or give proper guidance and instruction. Here your inner self calls you to do something. You take pen and paper. You start writing.   

4.         Consider your audience:

Are you writing fiction or non-fiction book? The audience differs according to the category you write. Considering the right audience is the first step in writing the book. One should not write book for himself, rather he should write for others.

Put yourself in audience shoes. Think as if you are a reader of your own book. What the audience interested is your area of investment. The title and topics need to change according to audience. Tailor your topic and writing to such a way your audience engage and react.

5.         Brainstorm ideas:

As told in an ancient saying, the mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled. Brainstorming is one of the most used techniques to generate new ideas. When you think freely without any restrictions, many ideas will flash in your mind. Let the ideas flow and write them up. Do not judge or evaluate.

After listing out all the potential points of your topics freely without any restrictions, start evaluation. Prioritize the importance and relevance of the points. Classify and arrange them in order. Have an outline of the topic in your mind.

Brainstorming is the good start to select your topic. It will help you finish the topic on time.

Remember, choosing a topic for your book is an important decision that can impact the success of your book. Take the time to research, brainstorm, and evaluate your options to choose a topic that you’re passionate about and that will resonate with your readers.