Nonfiction Ideas

Directories are a great segment to tap into. If you are great at finding information and love it, this is for you. There are limitless possibilities for directories on almost any subject. Take a look at the Directories in Print www.gale.com to give you an idea. You can have free listings and paid listings. You can set up your directory so that others write it, and all you have to do is type in the information they provide you. Again, go to the market first and see what type of directories you might be able to produce.

The nice thing is you can sell copies of your directory to people that are in the directory itself. You can also sell enhanced listings and other advertising in your directory to further increase your revenue.

If your directory is a hit, updating them is much easier and you can sell and resell year after year.

Some examples of directories include: The Yellow Pages, church directories, printer directories, restaurant directories, etc. There are literally tons of possibilities to explore here. Focus on your passions and explorer them further to see if you can think of an idea for a directory relating to your hobby, passion, career or other interests.

The professional directories published by Gale can be quite expensive. Check eBay.com and you may find a slightly used one available for a fraction of the cost.

Check your local libraries to see if they have it – then you don’t have to pay a dime. Another great thing about directories is you don’t have to be a Shakespeare to write one. Compile the information, put it in an organized format, and you’re done!

Check Half.com for an older copy. For idea searching you don’t necessarily need an up to date copy. You can always check the library or current version later.

Keep an eye open for hot new products on the market. A good example of this is when the bread machine was introduced. After that, there was the bread machine cookbook. Other new product examples include the birth of the personal computer, video game systems, digital cameras, etc. As we go further and further into the future you can count on more inventions coming out. Keep on top of new and popular products on the market and perhaps there will be a demand for a book on it.

What is the latest fad? What’s hot? The Rubik’s cube? Furbies? Wacky Wall Walkers? Capitalize on the latest fad and write a book about it. When the Rubik’s cube came out there was Mastering Rubik’s Cube which gave the solution to solving the puzzle. The Beanie Baby craze resulted in several guide books about collecting them and sold in the millions.

If there are millions of people buying fad items - that is a market waiting to be tapped into. A lot of times people will go nuts over certain fad items and they will collect anything and everything related to a particular fad item. It will help if you are crazy about a particular fad and if a certain book existed, you would buy it. Take a look at fads of the past and present at http://www.crazyfads.com.

Fads aren’t limited to products. Fads may include hair styles, clothing styles, dances, fashions, collectibles, activities, events, etc. See http://www.badfads.com as well for fads of the past 100 years.

Make a how to guide to show you how to do the Hula Hoop, Frisbee, etc. When Beanie Babies came out there were price guidebooks that came out several times a year with the latest prices on them. Be ready when a new fad appears. You can bet that others will be ready to write a book as well. If you’re first, that will give you a big advantage.

Trends are longer lasting than fads. A good example of a trend is something like what is now popular – the low carb diet. The earlier trend in dieting was low fat dieting. What are some of the current trends taking place right now? An excellent web site to visit is http://www.trendwatching.com. There you can keep up to date on the latest trends, insights and related hands on business ideas.

Whether you like it or not people are mostly interested in themselves. When someone is buying a book, they really don’t care about you – they are buying the book with the hope and expectation that it will improve their life either in the short term or long term. Keep this in mind when searching for a topic to write about. How can you provide a book that will improve a person’s life?

How will your book cater to the buyer’s selfish desires? Will it make them happier? Increase their income? Help them with their career? Make them healthier? Make them laugh? Make them cook better? Ask not why your buyer should buy your book, but what your book can do for your buyer.

It is sometimes hard to believe there are actually over six billion people living on this planet. It is all too easy to get caught up in our routines. Open your mind and try thinking outside of your world. Think of people living in Japan, Australia or Italy. There are many different religions as well. Different ages and we are all dealt a different hand in life.

Almost any subject that has already been written about may have the potential for the same subject to be written about, but to a more specific audience. There are different customs and traditions throughout the country and the world, different languages, different problems, struggles, climates, views on the world and ways of living.

How are lives of people who live in Alaska different from those who live in Florida? Customs and traditions of those who live in Africa compared to those in Iceland? We are all alike in many ways, but we all have different needs, problems, solutions, perspectives and beliefs to name a few. With this in mind, what ideas can you come up with?

Have you had anything happen in your life that is really crazy and true? Perhaps you have been adrift at sea for many days and have lived to tell your tale. Have you served in the military during war time? Survived a plane crash? Got lost while climbing a mountain? Been attacked by a bear? Met a lot of famous people? What true stories have you lived to tell about. Have you made the news in a good or bad way? Have you had your 15 minutes of fame? What true stories have you lived through that others would love to read about?

If you haven’t had anything major happen that is worthy of writing a book, do you know someone who has? Perhaps you could collaborate and write a book together? Your true story will need to be something pretty exciting in order to sell. Something along the lines of surviving seventy six days at sea, being a jury member of a major trial, being a survivor of September 11th. Don’t be discouraged if your true tale isn’t already well known. Bounce your idea off some people to get some feedback. Would you buy a book about your true story?

Consultants can benefit from questions and help that their clients seek from them. What questions, help and work is asked of you? Keep notes of the projects you work on and see if you notice problems that come up over and over. What are the frequently asked questions? What do most of your customers want and need from you?

If you have been thinking about starting a consulting business, now you have another reason to take action. Start consulting part or full time. Not only can you make money with your expertise, you can compile information for a book at the same time. When the book is done you can earn money from it at the same time that you work.

Keep up to date with the calendar of events in your area or cities nearby. Are there any special events where large groups of people are expected to gather? Perhaps a hot air balloon event or wine tasting event? Any art or craft fairs or garden shows? Take a look at http://eventguide.com for events in major cities. Car shows? Horse shows? Outdoor concerts? What do all of these have in common? They all attract a large number of people with similar interests. Go to some of these events, have fun and try to come up with some book ideas that could be sold to this audience.

You can find other books on many subjects at specialty stores that you might not otherwise find in the bigger chain book stores. You will find more specialized topics. Specialty stores cater to a highly targeted market and you can multiply your market if there are many stores in different cities throughout the world. Take notice of them in your area and when you travel.

Examples of specialty stores include hobby stores, sewing stores, greenhouses, bicycle shops, saltwater aquarium stores, magic shops, ski shops, pet stores, etc. These are stores that already have proven to have a group of people with a similar interest that buy. What book could you write about that would help them out, improve their hobby, solve their problem, etc? Are there any specialty stores that you go to, are a part of the market and know like the back of your hand? What book if it existed would you buy if you saw it in the store? Is there a book missing that should be selling? What void could be filled?

How often do people come to you asking for advice on a certain topic? One of my areas of expertise is with computers and the Internet. If someone I know has a computer or Internet problem they will usually ask me for advice. What about you? Do you have a profession or hobby you have been doing for years that makes you an expert?

Do people ask you all the time “what is wrong with my car” or “my sink is leaking” or something like that? Take note of the questions your friends and acquaintances ask you and eventually that may trigger a book idea for you. Write a book that answers commonly asked questions. Do people tend to ask you the same question over and over? That one question could be the beginning of a book.