The big idea is the driving force behind the rest of your book. It’s the foundation for everything that follows. Get it right and your book will almost write itself, people will talk about it, the packaging will be strong, the marketing will seem effortless and journalists will love you. Get it wrong and the writing will be tough, people won’t notice it, the packaging will be bland, the marketing will seem impossible, journalists will ignore you.

Score your book on the following components as follows:  0 = disagree totally, 1 = agree slightly, 2 = agree totally

My Book…

• Makes a big promise that’s attractive to readers.
• Answers one of life’s big questions.
• Solves something no other book has solved.
• Stands strongly for a particular thing, idea or belief.
• Stands strongly against a particular thing, idea or belief.
• Fits well within a universally popular interest or trend.
• Is considered unique, cool, outrageous, contentious or dangerous.
• Fits a niche market with at least 3 associated magazines.
• Provides timeless wisdom/principles that won’t go out of date.
• Provides hard-to-find how-to information on a particular subject.
• Is written by a ‘go to expert’ on the subject.
• Is the first or best on a hot new topic or trend.
• Makes people say, “You’ve just got to read this!”
• Is packed with sound-bites that people can share and quote easily.
• Can be summed up effectively in one sentence.

YOUR SCORE

0-9: Back to the drawing board! This isn’t a good idea yet and if you go ahead without trying to improve it then you’re going to have to work hard to make it sell. So ask yourself, “How can I make this idea tick more boxes?” If you’re not sure keep reading the articles here for tips and tools to help you.

10-19: Room for improvement! Your book, with the right promotion, will probably do okay but isn’t it worth making the idea better before you go through all the hard work to come? So, ask yourself, “How can I make this idea tick more boxes?” Then keep exploring to learn some tricks.

20+: We would probably publish it! Your book idea is truly a thing of beauty. But the idea is just the first step on a long publishing journey. You’ll need to execute the writing, packaging and marketing impeccably to really benefit from your idea’s full potential. Talk to us at www.leanmarketingpress.com/authors if you’re looking for a non-fiction publisher.

30: You cheated! Some of the components of a winning book idea conflict with others. So, please re-do the test and actually read and think this time! However, if you really did score 30 then we’d like to hear your idea and maybe interview you so get in touch!

In the next article we’ll help you hone your book’s title and help you say yes to the question: Does Your Book Have A Killer Title?