{"id":2502,"date":"2013-01-20T05:58:11","date_gmt":"2013-01-20T13:58:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/publishingblog\/?p=2502"},"modified":"2013-01-20T05:58:11","modified_gmt":"2013-01-20T13:58:11","slug":"think-like-your-readers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/publishingblog\/?p=2502","title":{"rendered":"Think Like Your Readers"},"content":{"rendered":"

I\u2019m teaching my online book proposal course this month. It\u2019s not too late to sign up. This is a great way to get personalized attention as you tackle the task of developing your book\u2019s business plan\u2014your book proposal. Learn more about this course and sign up here:
\n http:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/course_bookproposal.htm<\/a> <\/p>\n

One student is having a little trouble defining her book\u2014describing her story. She knows it is a memoir based on a family member\u2019s journal. But I have advised her that this is not enough. There has to be a theme\u2014a story\u2014a reason for presenting this story. A family story is often just of interest to the family and close friends. There has to be something more in order to engage outside readers. What did this family member stand for, what was the theme of her life, what did she contribute to society, community, family? What, of value, did she leave behind? What makes her story interesting to others? Sometimes the real story is in a pinnacle of the subject\u2019s life or a low period, a time of extreme courage or simply in the way this person lived. What personality trait, hobby, skill, attitude, emotion\u2026can you expound on\u2014develop\u2014in order to attract interest in your story? <\/p>\n

My suggestions to this author so far have been to start thinking like her readers. This is good advice for any author, certainly one who needs a hook, so to speak. If you read, you know why you do. What do you hope to get from books of the type you are writing? Inspiration? Information? Entertainment? Do you like reading books reflecting the courage and conviction of individuals during certain periods and in certain circumstances? What draws you into the books you choose to read? These are the things you need to focus on when writing your book and certainly when describing it.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve also recommended that my student study the back cover copy for books similar to theirs. Of course, when I suggest this, new authors will typically say, \u201cThere are no stories quite like mine.\u201d So I ask them to isolate books that would be read by their book\u2019s audience. Study the promo they post at Amazon.com. Read the back cover copy. Become familiar with how these authors\/publishers describe the books. What do they point up as the theme in their books? How do they describe the book to make it sound interesting to their potential readers?<\/p>\n

You can\u2019t write an effective query letter or write a good book, for that matter, until you have clearly defined your book\u2019s purpose.<\/p>\n

For more on this topic, be sure to order your copy of \u201cPublish Your Book.\u201d It\u2019s at amazon.com and most other online and downtown bookstores. I saw it in our local Barnes and Nobel just last week. It\u2019s also on Kindle and other ereaders.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I\u2019m teaching my online book proposal course this month. It\u2019s not too late to sign up. This is a great way to get personalized attention as you tackle the task of developing your book\u2019s business plan\u2014your book proposal. Learn more about this course and sign up here: http:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/course_bookproposal.htm One student is having a little trouble […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[12,4],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t