Last week you learned how a book can impact your business in a whole new way, and that’s great and all, but where do you get the ideas from?! What do you write a book about? I know I sometimes ask myself the same question (after publishing 3, you think I would stop asking myself this), but sometimes my book ideas come from spur of the moment. But for you who may not be all “spur on the moment” type, I want to give you ideas on how to find book ideas easily. I have 8 simple ideas for your book when you have no clue what to write about.
Your Passions and Expertise
Maybe this seems quite obvious, but it’s true! Write what your passions are! So which passion do we write about? I don’t know a single person who isn’t passionate about more than one thing, so how do we decide which passion is the one? Here’s a few ideas on how to narrow that down:
- What are some questions people are always asking you that you can answer on the top of your head with no thought?
- What is a topic that you can talk about all day long and never get tired of talking about it?
- What do you spend most of your time doing or researching?
- What is your business foundation all about?
I hope these four questions will generate some ideas on how you can begin generating content for your new book!
The Most Frequently Asked Questions
Do people ask you things that you’re pretty much sick and tired of answering or it seems too common knowledge for you? Why not give them a book instead? Write out the top 7-10 questions people are ALWAYS asking you and you’re tired of answering and make each question a chapter.
Do It Yourself
Did you DIY something? Did you come up with a new concept and it worked? Are you showing people how you did this and how they can too? This is a great idea for a book!
Your Life
Did you go through something dramatic and overcame it against great odds? Do people regularly tell you that you’re an inspiration to them because of your life’s story? Inspire even more people by writing it down in a book! This will not only give you legacy, but also can help you become a motivational speaker.
Fill in the Gaps
Maybe your book idea has been taken or written about so much, you feel like you would drown in the sea of competition! Or perhaps you feel like you wouldn’t know how to separate yourself from your competition. I have a homework assignment for you then! When you are looking at your competition and their books, go and read the comments. See what people are loving and not loving. Read what people want more of rather or want less of. Then figure a way to meet these needs in your book. This is filling the gap of what your competition didn’t do in their book and your book will definitely stand out from theirs!
Workshops
How many of you have taught workshops on the same subject and you’re getting quite tired of talking about it? I would suggest to take your material and make it into a book and move onto something else. Why not?
Speeches.
You can even take outlines from a speech and turn it into a book. And this counts for a webinar as well! Write Your Book in No Time came from a webinar I created and decided to make it into a book. Easy peasy.
Special Interest.
Do you have a special interest that you enjoy learning about (this is NOT your expertise!)? Maybe it’s medieval times, fashion, entrepreneurship basics, or off-roading? Do a bit of market research first and figure out what people are craving to know more about inside of your special interest and see where you can fill a need.
Mind Map
If you’re getting a clue on what you want to write about, then mind map the possibility of what this book could look like. I have provided a free Mind Map download for you so you can begin the process of discovery on what information your book can contain inside of it! Here is how to use the Mind Map:
- Put your main idea in the center, or the biggest circle (example: Writing a Book)
- Now list 4 main ideas that you can cover in your book (example: Outlining, Writing Goals, Writer’s Block, Staying on Track)
- Within each of these topics are two circles or ideas you can expound on inside of your 4 main topics (example: Using Writing Goals, my topics would be Developing weekly goals and Creating monthly goals)
Using a Mind Map can show you what your book can look like by giving you a visual on the topics you could be writing about! If you’re ready to dive deep and explore possibilities, then download my FREE Mind Map below to get started!
