Vol. 1 / Welcome! Who Can Write A Book?

A Book Inside

Ezine
Volume 1

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Who Are We?

Plain & Simple Books, LLC is a small publishing house started by author Carol Denbow in 2005 in an attempt to self-publish her first book, Are You Ready to Be Your Own Boss? The plan was not only a publishing success for Denbow, but the company grew to represent and assist several other authors in promoting and selling their books. Today, after being twice self-published, and once traditionally published, Denbow shares her experience freely with new and upcoming authors from around the country.

Welcome!

Welcome to the first volume of our free monthly ezine. This and future newsletters will help you develop your writing skills while assisting you through the process of composing your book and selling your story. Expert contributors will share with you their writing and publishing knowledge and help you stay on the right track throughout. Our goal is to offer easy-to-comprehend information to the subscriber. If you would like to unsubscribe, click here and write “unsubscribe” in the message box, then send.

Who Can Write a Book?

Is there a book inside you? 81 percent of Americans say yes. With so many people having the desire to see their story in print, why does only a small percentage pick up the pen and write? Maybe it’s because writing and publishing a book seems like such an immeasurable task. But with proper direction, all writers have the ability to see their story in book form. A Book Inside monthly newsletter will guide you through the process of writing and formatting your story, the pros and cons of all types of publishing and how to go about the process, and show you the best and most unique ways to sell your book.
You’re not alone in this venture, there are about 195,000 new titles published in the U.S. each year-is yours next?

What to Write?

Do you have an expertise which may benefit others? Has your imagination run wild with thrilling mysteries others may enjoy reading about? Or do you simply have a story to tell? If you feel there is a book inside you, the first step to turning your idea into a book is of course, writing it.
First and foremost, write what you know. With experience comes knowledge, and you will enjoy writing more when you are familiar with your subject. Later, when you are promoting your book, you will need to be very familiar with the information included to be comfortable discussing your book with potential buyers and others.
When you choose your book, the subject matters. Check your resources (library or internet) to make sure the book market is not already saturated with similar books. It’s always good to look for a niche, something new that hasn’t been previously published or puts a new twist on a subject. Make yourself familiar with researching the library or internet; you will be spending many hours there, especially if your choice is to write non-fiction.
Avoid a book idea which requires the reader to make notes in the book. Libraries and some booksellers prefer not to carry books which include several work sheet pages because they lose value once written in.

Who’s Your Audience?

Before you decide exactly what to write, figure out who will be buying and reading your book. If you are writing a family history, for instance, your audience may be limited to your friends and family members, and book sales won’t be a concern to you. But if your plan is to sell your book and make profit, you need to research the market to determine what your audience will want to buy. People buy non-fiction books to learn about something; they purchase fiction books for the pleasure of reading. Consider non-fiction for your first book, they’re easier to write and considerably more non-fiction books are published than fiction. In fact, non-fiction generally outsells fiction by two to one.

Half of all books sold in 2006 were sold to people over age 45. Women buy 68 percent of all books sold, so it might be wise to consider targeting your book idea to include a more mature and primarily female audience as well.[1] The highest percentages of books sold were mass market paperbacks and college text books.
The following are statistics on what age groups purchase which type of books. Results are based on telephone interviews with 1,001 adults, aged 18 and older.[2]

The top three for ages 18-29 were:

· 72% - Biographies or books about history
· 60% - Self-improvement books
· 58% - Thriller or suspense novels
For ages 30 – 49:
· 72% - Biographies or books about history
· 60% - Religion and theology
· 60% - Self-improvement books
For ages 50 – 64:
· 74% - Biographies or books about history
· 60% - Self-improvement books
· 59% - Current literary fiction
For ages 65 and over:
· 76% - Biographies and books about history
· 58% - Religion and theology
· 53% - Current events books and mystery novels

The balance of genre choices in the poll included business management and leadership books, classic literature, horror novels, personal finance books, science fiction and romance novels. All rated between 7 and 48 percent. For a complete list visit http://gallup.com/

How Do I Put it All Together?

Slow down and take writing one step at a time. It may seem like an impossible journey right now, but over time, and following the right cycle of things, you will eventually see your book in print. Stay subscribed to this newsletter and follow the suggested path. Each month, we’ll take you one step closer to your dream. But for now…
SIT DOWN & WRITE

January Suggested reading:

Choosing a Non-Fiction Book Topic
Choosing a Topic for Your Self-Published Book
Search Amazon for Book Titles

Website Author:

Carol Denbow
Author, Are You Ready to Be Your Own Boss? (2006 Plain & Simple Books, LLC)
Stress Relief for the Working Stiff (summer 2008 Publish America)
A Book Inside, Writing, publishing, and selling your story
(summer 2008 Plain & Simple Books, LLC))


Please visit our websites at:

Plain & Simple Books
Support the Arts
Author’s Den
Oregon Authors
Signed Copies
Author’s Den of Oregon
More Sites of Interest:
Aptly Spoken

Your related website listed here! Send your information to cdenbow@plainandsimplebooks.com

Interested in contributing to our ezine? Please send your comments, stories, requests, and questions to cdenbow@plainandsimplebooks.com

Copyright © January 2008 by Plain & Simple Books, LLC
All rights reserved. The text of this publication, or any part thereof, may not be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the publisher.
We are always happy to share the information provided in our ezine as long as credits are included. For reprint permission please e-mail cdenbow@plainandsimplebooks.com

[1] Lou Aronica, Publishers Weekly, March 22, 1999
[2] Gallop Poll, Do Reading Tastes Age?, February 4, 2003


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