Competitive Assessment - Making Your Book Fit the Market
One of the most important ways to get a realistic assessment of your
publishing opportunities is to find out if there are similar products
currently in the market and available to your readers. Do your
homework!
You can perform valuable research on the market and the competition in three ways:
~ By visiting your local bookstore
~ By getting online at amazon.com
~ By checking out publishers' websites
Assessing the competition is important for three reasons:
1. It enables you to set your own realistic expectations
2. It provides valuable information for adding a unique slant to your book
3. Your publisher will expect a competitive assessment in your book proposal
When performing a competitive assessment, consider the following:
1. How large is the market?
2. Which publishers publish my type of book?
3. What other titles will compete with my book for readers?
Due to the vast number of books in print, it is highly likely you will
find several titles similar to yours. This is not a negative.
Best-selling competitive titles are a good indication that there is a
large market for your book. Learning about similar titles can also help
you determine a unique positioning for your book.
Let's look at some strategies for performing research.
At the bookstore:
Find a bookstore with a large section on your topic. Look for titles on
the same subject as yours and note their publishers. Make notes about
the number of pages, price, and author, along with dates of publication
and reprints. Also note what you liked about the book and what you
didn't, and what might make this book interesting and accessible to the
reader and what would not.
On amazon.com:
First, search for your own title to determine if it has already been
used. Then search for titles with similar wording. Next, search by your
topic. Pay attention to books recommended by others to find as many
competitors as possible.
On publishers' web sites:
Look for any titles not yet released on your topic. Note the number of
pages, price, author, and the expected release date, along with the
name of the publisher.For all competitive titles, look for an
indication of sales. It is almost impossible to find exact figures, but
there are some helpful indicators, such as amazon.com's rank and number
of reprints.
A competitive assessment is a good way to begin the process to focus on
the topic you've chosen and how you can make your book a step above the
competition.Let Us Help! eWomenPublishingNetwork is the #1 resource
to help women create and promote successful nonfiction books.
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