You might think the saying, pick a niche and grow rich is just some silly cliche. The truth is if you try to write to everyone, no one
will read it.
But when you laser focus on a specific topic and target market, you can sell more to fewer people than selling less to more people.
Joe Garris, creator of Product Idea Profitability Evaluator (PIPE) Software, suggests answering four basic questions before choosing a
niche market…
1. Is the market easily defined and reachable?
- Where do they hangout?
- What publications do they read?
- Do they have clubs or events that bring them together?
- Are they looking for information online?
2. Is the market small enough that there are few competitors but large enough to allow you to make a profit?
3. Does the market actually have and spend money?
- Do they actually buy stuff?
4. Does the group have a ridiculous amount of passion for the hobby or topic?
- Do they eat and sleep the hobby?
Finding a niche requires balance. You don’t want to speak to so many people that no one hears you. Nor do you want to get so specific that not enough people fill the target audience.
We have all become heavily reliant on information to help us do just about everything. Although the average person admits to reading less than half of a book they’ve started, more than a billion books were sold in the last year alone.
People are buying books, but you must determine what they are buying and how they are buying them (i.e. online vs. bookstore, pBooks vs eBooks) before you write and publish your book.
Determining this before hand is your best way to ensure there is an interest in what you’re preparing to write.
There are undoubtedly some books that you are better suited to write than others, as well as services you are especially suited to
provide. Whether you feel like you have a good handle on what that is or not, you’ll want to:
- Study the market carefully to find profitable opportunities
- Ask potential buyers about a particular problem they might have
- Research books that already exist on the topic and note their popularity/success
- Identify at least five places/people groups that you can market your book to
- Visit online forums and bulletin boards related to your topic. Read and post relevant messages
- Identify the networks and resources that can supply the targeted outlet for your message.
Also, “Target Marketing” magazine is great resource for finding a niche market and learning how to use target marketing techniques such
as direct mail, e-mail campaigns and focused ad placement to reach your profit center.
I also recommend Joe Garris’ Product Idea Profitability Evaluator (PIPE) Software. It will help you to identify if an idea or topic will
be profitable when sold online before you to invest the time to create it. You can even test the software out for 10 days free of
charge.
Sanyika Calloway Boyce author of 4 self-published books and 7 Things You Must Know Before You Self Publish teaches how to write, publish and promote for self publishing success. For a FREE 7-day ecourse: selfpublishingbasicsdotcom