hemingwaywantabes

Hemingwaywantabes, many beginning writers with traditional publishing aspirations decide to write a book about a subject too small in scope. One writer told me his book idea about a cyberspace killer stalking fellow players of a video game. The idea was unique, but the stakes weren’t high enough to garner interest from agents or publishers. I suggested one of the players be the son of the Secretary of Defense. The twist elevated the story to provide a national scope, one affecting an official of the United States government.

The non-fiction arena provides similar challenges. Whether your work is a biography, chronicle of an event, or debate of an important issue, the scope must be of significant importance to gain national interest. Otherwise, agents or publishers will pass, believing the book audience is limited.

Many aspiring authors want to write an autobiographical story about special events occurring in their life. There are exceptions, but most often the scope of such a story is too limited to interest a literary agent or publisher. One writer focused his book on a youth summer camp he attended where a tragic death occurred. The story was important to him, but too personal to interest a broad readership. I suggested he write about another topic. When he becomes well established, perhaps the summer camp story will have a greater chance of success. Once again, uniqueness is the key – will readers really be interested in your story?

Assessing the market potential for any book you contemplate is essential. Literary agent Caroline Carney suggests aspiring authors estimate anticipated sales before contacting a literary agent or publisher. “One of the easiest benchmarks,” she states, “is to look at the size of the most popular association in your field (or, in the case of fiction, in a field reflecting the enthusiasm of your main character).” Carney further advises writers to visit the library and consult Bacon’s Magazine Directory to discover the circulation size of the largest magazine catering to their primary reader’s particular interest, or to note sales figures listed on paperback reprints of popular titles in a particular genre.

Carney believes the aspiring author must pay attention to guidelines within his or her field of interest. “Those contemplating a sports book,” she explains, “should adhere to the old saying, ‘the smaller the ball, the higher the sales.’” This means literary agents and/or publishers, based on past sales figures, will be more interested in books about golf, tennis, and baseball than they will about football or basketball.

Good tip, one applicable to all book genres.