3 Questions To Ask Before Writing A Book

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Before you write a book, ask three questions: are books in this niche already selling, is the market flooded with books, and can I keep publishing in this genre for the next 5 to 10 years? I didn’t ask any of them when I started, and it cost me readers. Here is how I check each one now.

What did I get wrong with my first books?

For my first book I asked myself one question: what do I know about? That gave me a goal achievement book. The second was on email management, and the third on habit formation. They have little in common, and I was all over the place. I hadn’t checked whether any of those were good markets. I wrote on them because I found them interesting.

Ask yourself what the goal is. If it is to put out books you find interesting and get positive feedback, that is fine. If it is to sell copies and build income, you need a brand with one thing people link to your name. Even J.K. Rowling, who has written other kinds of books, is tied to one thing. When I put out books on random topics I confused readers, and they weren’t eager for my next book. It also hurts your email list, because nobody wants emails on random subjects. And a review team can’t form around a mixed list.

You don’t need to redo or take down books you’ve already published. We make mistakes and learn from them, and the next book is better. Keep a checklist so you don’t repeat them: my free 12-step self-publishing checklist is a good start. If you are still deciding whether to publish yourself at all, read is it better to self-publish?

Question 1: Are books in my niche already selling?

You need to know that actual sales are happening. I use KDSpy for this. It is my go-to tool: you type in the keyword for your niche and it lists the top sellers. Then I check how many of those are in the top 100,000. Kindlepreneur says that a Best Sellers Rank under 100,000 suggests consistent movement, and one above 500,000 usually means infrequent sales. I want to see a lot of books under 100,000. If none show up, it is probably a poor niche.

One of my coaching clients searched with KDSpy for a theme and found very few books selling. The market was weak. Don’t try to create a market, because then you are hoping somebody starts buying. Move to a nearby topic that sells. For example, old dog training had few buyers, but puppy training had many, so we stayed in the dog niche and changed the angle.

Topics that magazines already cover can be a trap, since people prefer magazines for them. KDSpy is a one-time purchase, and the link is my affiliate link. If your first book is in a poor niche, finish it, and put the next one in the better niche.

Question 2: Is the market flooded with books?

Even when books sell, there can be too many. Search the Amazon Kindle store for your keyword. For “roofing for beginners” I’d want results under a thousand if possible. At 10,000 books on a topic, the market is flooded. It may be profitable, but a new book gets pushed off page one by all the others. You want your book on page one or two so people find it years from now. See how to optimize your Amazon book page.

Question 3: Can I publish in this genre for the next 5 to 10 years?

Choose a niche you can stay in. Confused readers don’t follow you. I once watched a YouTube channel that mixed entrepreneurship with karate and taekwondo. I understand the shared discipline, but I wasn’t there for kicks and punches. You lose your audience without a laser-like focus. At the same time you need to be excited about the topic, because that excitement lets other people want to subscribe, review and tell friends. Once the niche is chosen, see how to write a book: 10 simple steps to self-publishing.

Self-publishing doesn’t have to be hard, but you need to stick with it. In my experience it takes 3 to 5 years to build a name, and 5 to 10 years to do really well on a subject. If the first two answers are good, there is not too much competition and books are selling, so you are in a good position to bring out book after book.

Which of the three questions do you think matters most? Tell me in the comments. If you learn better by listening, here is where to find a good self-publishing podcast.

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