Do you think there is a difference between someone who writes a fiction manuscript and someone else who authors their own instruction, self-help or "how to" book? This is an interesting question I've asked to many of my book coaching clients, subscribers and customers for our "Ultimate Information Entrepreneur's Success Package" (http://www.infoproductcreator.com) In some cases, people answer no. They don't feel there is any difference. A writer is a writer is a writer. In other cases, I get a firm "YES", there are differences. Problem is, its sometimes challenging to understand what that difference really is. If you understand this one difference between fiction writers and non-fiction writers - you will never struggle with your infoproduct business again! The answer is that there is a very BIG difference, especially between highly successful writers in both fields. You may have a few great ideas you want to write about. There is a hungry market just waiting for product like yours, but you freeze when it comes to knowing how to organize, structure and write a product that will sell? But you get stuck because... You Are Trying To Write A Story Instead Of Organizing Information Let me ask you, would it be easier for you to answer 10 questions about a topic, where the information is often available and the question is well understood? Or, would it be easier for you to come up with 20 pages of a written story on your chosen topic? To be honest, the second option scares crap out of me, and would most people. Sitting down and crafting characters, a plot, chronological order of messages, what to say on the 10th page, 15th page is an extremely painful and lengthy task. Fiction authors take months (sometimes years) and a gazillion rewrites to work this into a format that is even close to being readable. Even then, less than 5% ever get their work looked at by a publisher. Instead, writing in response to what your market wants to know is a task ANYONE can accomplish. You do it everyday! An interesting exercise to follow is to actually make note of how many questions you get asked and provide answers for in one day. I'm betting it is at least 10 - and if you have kids, a wife and a job - you are more likely in the range of 30-40. Answer 30-40 questions on a given topic will give you close to half a book. Answering a typical question in written form takes 2/3-1 page - answer 40 questions and you have close to half an 80-page book. Your job is to... Organize Your Market's Questions Into A Logical Set Of Answers Did you see the word writing in that description? No, because writing is simply a method of communication. What you will sell are organized answers to your market's most pressing concerns, challenges and desires. You could answer them verbally in audio products, through a tool in software, through the written word in written products, or through visual descriptions using video. If your obstacle to turning your ideas into hot selling products is writing - then forget writing - become an information organizer. What a great career description - "Information Organizer". Isn't that a lot less scary than "author"? |
