Ready to say goodbye to your ego? Unless your name is John Grisham, it has no place in choosing the overall concept of your novel. We all have a tendency to believe that everyone likes what we like — at least they should, right? But in order for any book to sell, it has to have an audience. And that audience has needs and desires, which may not match what your ego is telling you it wants to write.
Cooking up a good book
As a long-time freelance writer, I’ve always likened myself to a good short-order cook — flipping a big stack of pancakes for one client while scrambling eggs for another.
But writing a book is far more complex. It requires a chef capable of focusing all their attention on not only creating a menu that attracts customers but preparing and serving the dish of their dreams.
I actually used to own and operate a restaurant, and I assure you, its success was entirely wrapped up in my ability to serve what customers wanted to eat. Every. Damn. Week.
How did I determine what they wanted? I looked at my competitors. I hung around in nearby restaurants to see what people ate. And I listened to people in my neighborhood when they told me what they wished I would serve.
Here’s how that translates to the novel I am writing. (And no, it’s not about food.)
Here are my 12 detailed steps to help you research your novel’s concept:
I locked my ego in the closet, vowing to follow the research to a better book.
I normally write about travel and I knew that I wanted to incorporate travel into the novel, so that’s where I started. I searched Amazon books for “travel fiction.” That’s not an actual genre, but the search turned up quite a few novels with travel themes, some with high rankings, and plenty of positive reviews.