Ep 3: How To Validate Your Book Idea

[00:00:00] Welcome back to another episode. Today, we're going to look at genre and idea validation. We're going to look at what it means to have a good book idea and we're going to look at the three aspects of validating your genre. Because when it comes to writing your book, you really need to be clear in where that book is going to be sitting in the market and. This episode is going to help you come up with that winning book idea. So you're confident in getting your book written and published. When it comes to using your book to generating leads and revenue, The winning book idea is key, why?. Because it's more than a book, you're essentially stepping into ultimate authority, credibility and ultimate clarity. So you might be asking what makes a winning book idea? A winning book idea is a book that makes an impact in your personal and professional life. I want you to ask yourself. What can I offer in my book that I know people will invest in? Validating a winning book idea involves two steps. The first step is genre validation.

[00:01:12] So where does your book fit in the market? And the second step is idea validation. This is mapping out your book idea and that's a three-step process.

[00:01:22] Let's begin with genre validation. So where does your book fit in the market? There are three aspects to validating your genre and fulfilling a great book idea. The first one is an already existing market needs to exist. Two: confirmation that the market is willing to buy your book. And three: your book needs to have a low barrier to entry. When it comes to the first aspect, your book should cater to a market that has demand. Who in your current network would read your book. Are there already people who have written a book on your topic or idea?

[00:01:57] If so, this is awesome because you know, that that idea is validated. A good example would be writing a book in a genre that's been proven. For example, business, marketing, cooking, personal development, those genres have an established market with readers, looking for something new, a bad example. You might be thinking of creating your own niche or genre or writing a book that no one is searching for. It's really crucial to set yourself apart in the idea and not necessarily the genre. You want to make it as easy as possible for your reader to pick up and read your book.

[00:02:35] So, how do you know if there's an already existing market for your book idea? Tell your current network about your idea, float your ideas out and have them ask for honest feedback and opinions. You can also research different books on Amazon that are connected to your book idea. You can then also look at those reviews and.

[00:02:54] Uh, sneaky ways to also look at the also bought section under Amazon. So when you look for a book on Amazon, There are sections below the book description of customers who have purchased these books and there are related to the current book that, that you're scrolling on. So looking at the reviews and the also bought section under Amazon is another powerful way to really establish if there's already an existing market for your book idea.

[00:03:20] The second aspect, when it comes to validating your genre is a market that is willing to buy. The difference between an already existing market and a market willing to buy comes from your idea. You may have an idea that fits into an appropriate genre, but is there a market for it? Let's look at two different examples.

[00:03:42] So. A good example. Digital marketing strategies to help small businesses. Another example, marketing strategies and ideas to help organizations. Do you notice a difference between the two? One is more specific than the other example, one digital marketing strategies to help small businesses.

[00:04:03] It's clear, it's concise, it's targeted, you know, exactly the type of marketing and who the idea is targeted towards. Example two. Marketing strategies and ideas to help organizations isn't as targeted and it can really get lost in a sea of marketing books. So your idea really should be specified to a certain target market.

[00:04:29] The third aspect of genre validation is having a book that is low barrier to entry. Does your book make learning accessible? What I mean by that is are you providing a book for your reader, which makes it easy for them to learn and take action, because after all you are taking, you read up on a transformational journey throughout that book and are solving their problems. Also when it comes to having a low barrier to entry book. Are there people who can benefit from your book? Are there groups out there who are looking to have their problems solved by reading? You can establish this in your own network. You might have a Facebook group where you can send out your idea or an email list where you can promote your idea. You want to choose a niche that you're experienced in, for instance, if you have a background in online business, Writing a book about how to build an online business can open more doors for you and you can make more of an impact with that book. And writing will kind of a lot easier to you than you think.

[00:05:31] So when it comes to publish to impact or run you through the three aspects, an already existing market for me, the already existing market where business owners, coaches, and leaders looking to become an author. , what about a market willing to buy?

[00:05:46] I looked at the market willing to buy it, and it was personal and professional growth through writing publishing and launching a non-fiction book. What about the barrier to entry? The barrier to entry. I set up my book, which had practical guidance showing that it is possible for anyone with expertise to write a book so they can pick up my book and realize how possible it is. Because if I gave them a book that was super hard and challenging to understand then it's highly unlikely. It would make a big of an impact as I wanted it to have. Now let's switch to validating your idea. There are three steps to validating your idea. Step one, you need to find clarity in your idea. Step two. You need to look at the structure of your book. Step three, you need to understand how you are solving your reader's problem. Idea validation is all about connecting your idea to your reader. So ask yourself, what expertise do you have? What programs or services can help with your book? What problems do you solve for others? What about the transformations you've undertaken? and what were the results of those? transformations?

[00:06:58] You really want to think about your idea, you, your growth in your expertise and how you want to help the other person you're writing your book for. And how is it? You find that clarity? Well, you've got to really connect with the message. you're trying to send the reader, and the problem trying to solve. You've also got to establish why you're writing your book. So we've published to impact. I wrote it because I believe that. Every business owner, every coach, every person who has an expertise in a certain area has a book inside them. Published to impact God's business owners, coaches through that process of becoming an author within six months Making it known that it is possible..

[00:07:42] So my book is much about the process as it is about the outcome. That's the message I'm trying to convey in my idea to the radar.

[00:07:50] Step two in validating your idea. Is what's your book structure? Is it going to be a, how to, is it an interview star book memoir? Think of your favorite books

[00:08:01] and imagine how your idea fits in with that type of structure you want to write. Are you going to have a few parts with a lot of easy to read chapters or maybe it's strictly only chapter book. Published to impact is set up in three parts. It's. Writing your book, it's publishing your book, then it's launching your book.

[00:08:21] It's that entire process. It's that entire journey. Think about the transformation you'll take your reader on. The third step in validating, your idea is how are you solving a problem? What is the problem you're addressing to your reader? How will deliver the solution. So will you. I provide practical examples in your chapters or end of chapter exercises. What anecdotes stories, what statistics can you use to enhance the impact of your book? Those are things to consider to really create a powerful solution. Then you need to consider what research materials you use for your book.. You might have a whole course. That's built on the idea of your book. You could look at interviews, podcast, episodes. There's so many materials that you have at your disposal that you can help bring that idea to life. And finally. you also want to demonstrate empathy and understanding of the problem and the needs of your reader. So that means really holding the rate is hand as you guide them through each step of your book.

[00:09:28] Now at this stage of the episode, I know, you're probably wondering. how you can come up with the right idea. And it's a fair question to ask because. Those questions I asked of you before, Which were. what do you love to talk about? How can you help someone? What problems can you solve for others? Do you offer any programs or services? Those are really important questions to answer, because once you've answered those questions, you can then use those responses and start testing your book idea out. You can test your book idea out in many ways

[00:09:59] and one of the most powerful ways to validate your idea is by addressing that pain point so you can help others overcome similar situations. You can also test your idea by writing a guide. How to books are quite common these days, and for good reason, because they're concise they're to the point and they're written in a way that readers can apply a step-by-step actions. You may have read other books to cover some aspects of a topic or they haven't covered a topic you think is important.

[00:10:28] Fill in those gaps that other books haven't addressed, and that way you can deliver maximum impact to your reader. You can also test your idea by re-purposing content. If you're a business owner, you will likely have content created

[00:10:44] that can be repurposed into a book. If your audience has shown interest in what you've given them, then repurposing, your content is a no brainer. It's a powerful way to write a book efficiently, knowing it's going to be hit with your readers.

[00:10:58] So consider thinking about those three. Addressing a pain point, writing a guide and repurposing your current content.

[00:11:05] And if you use content, you already have, you're saving on writing and thinking time while working on your manuscript.. If you're clear about the pain points of your readers, you can then write a how to book based on previous experiences and your expertise from the content you've created.

[00:11:22] So, when do you know is the right time to move forward from your idea? You're ready to move forward when you can answer these questions. Am I passionate about my idea? Is my book likely to succeed? under the definition of my own success. . Will I address the reader's pain points and solve their problems? How am I going to test my concept with an audience?

[00:11:46] And if I don't have an audience, is my book idea something the market wants. Once you've got validation in your idea, it's then time to take that next step. So think of all the ideas for your book, you believe you have enough knowledge and write them down. See what lights you up more than any other and then. you'll be in the position to start outlining your book.

[00:12:08] Let's now recap what we've spoken about in this episode when it comes to genre and idea validation.. We first looked at what it means to have a good book idea. To have a good book idea. Your book idea needs to have an already existing market. Confirmation that the market's willing to buy your book. And a low barrier to entry.

[00:12:30] Them, we looked at mapping and validating your idea in three steps.

[00:12:33] The first step was to find clarity in your idea, you're connecting your idea to your reader. And this is where you ask yourself about the expertise you have and the problem that you can solve for others and the transformations that you have undertaken originally.

[00:12:48] Then we looked at validating your idea, and that began with three steps. Step one was finding clarity and new idea.

[00:12:55] So that's when you consider the message, you're trying to send the reader, the problem you're trying to solve and why you're writing your book. We then looked at the structure of your book. So what is your structure? Is it going to be a, how to, is it going to be a memoir, Maybe it's interview style. A really good way to nail this is to think about what you. enjoy reading and ask yourself. Is this the type of book I want to write.

[00:13:19] Then step three, we looked at how you're solving your problem for your radar. So what's the problem you're addressing and how are you going to deliver the solution to the problem? Again, is it through practical examples or end of chapter exercises? You want to make sure you can meet your reader at their level, and you can communicate your solutions to their problems

[00:13:40] So to end this episode, I want you to let you know that when it comes to idea and genre validation, It's really about establishing what your reader wants and using your expertise. to solve their problem in a transformational simple way from beginning to end. So when do you move forward from your idea? You can move forward. After you've asked yourself, am I passionate about my idea is my book likely to succeed? And will I address the pain points and solve the Raiders problems.

[00:14:12] If you don't have an audience, is it something that the market wants, which you then go through research on Amazon and look at other different book ideas in your genre. Once you've got validation in your idea is then the time to move on to the different type of non-fiction book, you're going to write.

[00:14:30] Now, that's all we have time for today. I hope this episode really helps in getting you clear on what it takes to validate your idea and position your book in a genre. That's going to be really powerful not only to make an impact in your professional life. But in your personal life as well, because a book is a really powerful experience. So if you have a book idea and you want to chat about it, reach out to me on Instagram at Blake underscore divorce, it's available in the show notes. You can have a look there, but also Kate believing that a Bookie's possible. because it is