Here's another interesting question posed to me on my Facebook Fan Page
Question: Arielle, should I try out my book content in the form of blogs and articles first to see if there is interest before I write my book?
Answer: I am still of the mindset that you write the book that wanting to be written. The book should not be a researched process. I am suspect of people who come to me and ask what kind of book they should write. If you don't know you should not be writing a book. Writing a book can be a painful, arduous process and there is too little money in it to put out all of that effort. For instance, I have a writing colleague who always asks her potential clients why they want to write a book. If their answer is that they want to become rich and famous, she does not collaborate with them. Her belief is that their passion is misdirected and it is a great filtering question to have right up front.
To write a book from the perspective of trying to get rich and famous feels false. You write the book that wants to find its way out of you. You write the book so you can share your wisdom and experience and help others as a desired, authentic outcome. Hopefully it makes you money in the process. I am not against making money. Books are a great way to increase your visibility and credibility but that should be a byproduct and not the primary driving force.
It would be similar to if I asked, "what can I invent that will make my millions of dollars?" Invent the next pet rock and don't try to do it with a book. There can't be many more things harder than trying to make a million dollars by writing a book.
If you are getting positive response from blogs and articles that you are writing about a subject that you are passionate about, that is a good indication that you have an audience for your work. The movie Julie & Julia is a good example of someone who wrote a blog about her passion and a book became a byproduct (not an end game) of that effort and love of cooking.
Arielle Ford has launched the careers of many NY Times bestselling authors including Deepak Chopra, Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Neale Donald Walsch & Debbie Ford. She is a former book publicist, literary agent and the author of seven books. To learn how to get started writing a book please visit: www.HowToWriteMyBook.com