What Publishers Want

An Author’s Guide

Abstract:

This guide serves as a tool to familiarize aspiring authors with the key elementspublishers look for when evaluating a potential project.

Intro:

If you have already written a book, or even if you are just considering writingone, you may have asked yourself what it is that publishers look for.Unfortunately, there is no magic formula a writer can follow for guaranteedpublication. What works and doesn’t work varies by genre, publisher, and otherfactors outside of the writer’s control. Still, there are some basic elements everypublisher considers when evaluating a potential project. Those elements are:content, market, competitive titles, and author platform.

Content

A great idea is a start, but it won’t go far if the idea isn’t paired with qualitycontent. Whether it’s fiction or nonfiction, a book needs meat, substance,something readers can really sink their teeth into and get value from. If it’sfiction, this means entertaining the reader with compelling characters and anengaging plot. For nonfiction, it means providing the reader with usefulinformation and tools that enhance the reader’s life, all presented in a logicalprogression.Truly compelling content is delivered with style and skill. The elements of styleand the skills of execution are beyond the scope of this paper, but we haveincluded some resources in our appendix to help you develop your overall skillsas a writer. For now, we will only cover the basic elements of content (besidesgood grammar and usage) that every publisher looks for when evaluating bothfiction and nonfiction.

Nonfiction Content

Voice

For the most part, the purpose of nonfiction is to educate, but in order to keepthe reader interested, the author needs to convey this information in anengaging way. You, the author, must draw the reader in, as if in a conversation,and guide the reader through the message of your book. Your authorial voiceshould reflect your personality and your unique way of communicating, withoutsacrificing the conventions of style and grammar required by publishers.Even the most technical information requires an appealing voice. That is whatmakes it

accessible

to the general public and increases a book’s chances ofachieving success in the marketplace.

Message

What is the purpose of your book? What meaning or information should thereader take away from it? The answer to those questions is your message. Yourmessage, also known as your hook, is the unifying theme tying all of theelements of your book together. Examples include inspired leadership,sustained weight loss, improving your relationships, better self-esteem, etc.

There are many types of content that can support a message, including:

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Statistics

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Quotes from trusted sources or people with firsthand experience

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Anecdotes and case studies

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Graphs, diagrams, and other visual representations

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Tasks and action plans that help readers directly apply the content to theirown lives

•

Tips and insightsWhen considering what elements to include in your content, ask yourself: Doesthis tie into and further convey my overall message? If the answer is no, then itis better left out.

Differentiation

No one wants to read a rehashing of content they’ve already heard over andover. Readers want a fresh take, a new approach, or even a completely originalidea. We will discuss identifying your competitors and setting yourself apart laterin this white paper, but it is important to note that the most significant way todifferentiate yourself is in the content you provide.

So, when looking at what to write about, first consider what’s already being saidon your topic. What’s missing from the conversation? Do you disagree with anyof the particular methods or opinions on the topic? Do you have a new orimproved way of approaching this topic? Do you present it in a more interestingor engaging way? All of those things can help you develop content that is freshand unique.

Structure and Organization

In fiction, the flow of a book is referred to as its narrative arc. But nonfictionbooks need arcs, too. You may be conveying a mass of complex information. Ifreaders don’t understand where they’re going or how each piece of contentbuilds on and relates to other content, they won’t learn much, and the book’spromise will be unfulfilled. If the book can’t deliver, people won’t recommend it,which in turn hurts sales.The elements of your message must be organized in a logical fashion, allowingthe reader to build on one concept and then another, until they understand thegreater message know how to achieve their goal. Typically, you can approachyour message from two ways:

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Broad to specific

: Start out by introducing the reader to the generalconcept, then slowly peel away the layers into more specific components.

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Specific to broad

: Start with specific elements and build on them, puttingthem together to achieve the big picture at the end.One method is not necessarily better than the other, and which approach youdecide to take largely depends on your topic, personal preference, style, andaudience.For more resources on developing content for nonfiction, see the list ofresources in the appendix.