Is there an association of people who might help? In our Healthcare for Pets
example, there will be numerous veterinary associations and kennel club associations
of people who could provide valuable information.
Create an Acknowledgements computer file. Whenever someone helps you
with information for the book, type their name into the Acknowledgements file.
People get a kick out of helping an author with a book, and the best way to thank
them is to make sure that their name appears on the Acknowledgements page in the
book.Assess the market for your book
(^)
1. Visit large bookstores
Start by visiting some large bookstores. Take your notebook and a pen. Copy the
Tables of Contents of books that treat the same subject matter that your book does.
You will want to make your book significantly different from other books which
cover the same topic. If your book is exactly the same as other books on the topic, no
publisher will be interested in buying it. However, you shouldn’t be discouraged if
there are many books covering the area which you intend to cover. Lots of books
mean that this area is very popular. For example, publishers bring out dozens of diet
books each year. And there's room for yours, too!
Aim for at least three to five points of difference. This doesn’t mean that you
must come up with all new information. In fact, presenting completely new
information is impossible. Sticking with our diet book example, there's only one way
to lose weight, and that's to take in fewer calories than you expend. Authors reveal
this ghastly news to their readers in many ways. Therefore, it's how you present the
material that counts. If you can show readers a new way to diet, and you can prove
that your method works, you're in, with a hot seller on your hands.2. Visit your library
Next, drive to the library. Ask the librarian for Books In Print. This is a multi-volume
set of reference books which lists all the books currently available by author, subject
and title. Your library may have the books, or it may have the BIP CDs. If your
library's BIP is on CD, get a printout of all the books in your subject area.