How to Write a Book That Sells
Posted by
Ann Yager on Thu, Sep 01, 2011 @ 06:18 AM
If you are trying to break into the forensic science or criminology field, you know that writing a book is a sure way to gain credibility and authority.
Book writing however may seem an especially difficult and lengthy process.
To gain some insight into how to write a book, and specifically, how to write one that sells, here is a tip for capturing your audience:
Your readers must quickly grasp and gain an interest in and understanding of your material.
Your readers want to solve their problems and improve their lives. Help, and they will buy your book!
Have you ever gone to the library to look up a book on a certain topic you know very little about? What did you do? Open the book, and promptly flip to the index or table of contents to find that word or topic you think is related to what you’re looking for?
Indexes connect your book with the audience because they really understand the relationships between things in the text, and provide appropriate cross-references and links to subtopics.
Most libraries (especially university libraries), won’t accept books that don’t have a proper index, because they know that an index will make the book that much more readable and research-able for the broader audience.
Creating a Book Index
Writing an index is one of those tasks that can lengthen the writing process, and no one wants the book writing process to drag on. Especially for science authors, it is important to stay abreast of the latest developments and research findings in the field.
As the writer, you may not have the time or distance from the text to produce a solid index. Instead, you might even end up rewriting your book all over again!
Takeaway
Use a professional indexer. They provide the middle ground between the author and his/her text and the audience by both understanding the complex material, but being able to concisely organize it for the mind of the untrained audience. It’s a great way to connect your book to the audience and get it on its way to selling well!
Book authors are often surprised to learn that their editors and publishers expect more than just a great book. Publishers often ask authors to create an index or find a book indexer. If you've never created an index before, it can really be time consuming.
The key to success is not only the book writing process itself, but paying attention to the index as well.
Image Credit: katerha