- Know yourself: Why are you writing this book? What’s your goal? To make money? Gain new readers? As an appreciation gift to your current ones? Capture the eye of an agent or editor?
- Start with your WHY and you’ll have a clear vision of where you’re going.
- Know your audience: Why would they want this book? Education? Entertainment? Enlightenment? Why should they spend their hard-earned money, attention and time on this book instead of the millions of others out there?
- Keep the readers front and center, focusing on creating an offer that will delight them so much that they can’t say no. This applies if your reader is an agent or editor in NYC, or a reviewer, bookseller or librarian.
- Know your story: Why this story now? How does it fit with your brand? What promise does it make to the reader? What’s your elevator pitch? Why are you so passionate about this particular project?
- Knowing how to present your book in a compelling manner is essential. It means this story has become so much a part of you that you are able to communicate its essence, that evocative primal emotional core that will instantly grab a reader.
New York Times best-selling author CJ Lyons uses her real-world experience as an emergency room doctor to craft the Thrillers with Heart series.
Originally Published
