How to choose the best book genre

Choosing the right topic for your book is a big decision to make, and is among the biggest challenges that a writer has to face. Even if you know what category you want to write on, you need to be specific for the book, and there are so many sub-categories to choose from that you would find it hard to wrap your head around it all. It is important to choose the topic that you want to write on, but there are so many that you would love to write a book on, and it becomes difficult to narrow it down to one single topic, and start writing without looking back.

Here are some tips that you should know in order to pinpoint that one topic, among so many, that you would write on.

Follow the trail of your interests

Even if you have chosen a category to write a book, let’s say, food, you still have a long way to go. Explore your passions, and find out where your heart lies. Look into all the different sub-categories of the category you have chosen and pick out the ones that you are interested in.

Eliminate the topics that you wouldn’t want to write. This is the best way for any writer to narrow the topics down according to their style. For example, a more daring writer would opt for a challenging topic that includes a lot of research (e.g. The history of the Italian cuisine and how it evolved), while a writer who would like to introduce to the world something that they have experienced themselves would go for a topic that has a sentimental value to them (e.g. The best traditional Italian recipes).

Following your passion would narrow down your topic to a great extent, and you would be left with a number of topics that you can manage with.

Choose your target audience and get to know them

In writing, nothing is more important than knowing who you are writing for. If you don’t know your target audience, your words would be flailing around, not having any focus. On the other hand, if you know who your target audience is, you will be speaking directly to them in your book, and when they read, they would feel as if you are talking to them specifically. You need to make your readers feel this way, which is why you should take the time to really know your audience.

This tip would also help you earn more, since you can work on the pressure points of the audience and choose a topic that would be helpful to them, e.g., a book on healthy recipes for people on a diet.

Check out www.surveymonkey.com. It’s a great survey tool that you can use for free, or pay a small subscription for some more advanced features.

Mould your writing relevant to your target audience

Once you know who your target audience is, you can choose a topic that is relevant to them. If your book is for an absolute beginner, you need to make sure you avoid using jargon or add in references to advanced concepts because your words will go right over their heads.