How to Discover If Your E-Book Idea Will Sell – Before you Actually Write It, or 26 Subjects That Will “Always” Sell

by Joe Vitale(c) 2002 Joe Vitale

Jim Edwards sent out a survey about e-books. He asked a variety of questions. But the number one thing everyone wanted to know was this: "How do I find out if my e-book will sell—before I write it?"

Obviously, that's a great question. If anyone could accurately determine the salability of an e-book before it was written, that person could be a billionaire. Every aspiring author would hire him, or her, to judge their idea.

The truth is, there is no guaranteed way to 100% accurately test an idea for an e-book before you actually begin to sell it. Yes, you can run ads for your e-book and see if it will fly or not. But that's not totally accurate. Or guaranteed. And if people buy and you don't deliver that e-book within 30 days, it's also illegal.

But there *is* a way to massively improve the odds of your e-book being something the public will want. This is something you can do right now, before you write a word of your e-book.

Let me explain this system to you:

I researched the 1800s to write my book on P.T. Barnum. I researched the 1920s to write my book on Bruce Barton, I researched the last 150 years to write my book on ads.

And I've been researching ancient Roman history to write a forthcoming book on old world marketing practices. What I discovered in the most unforgettable way is that in every era, people wanted the exact same things.

People never change. They will always have the same basic desires. Technology will change. People won't. Today we have e-books. That's a new technology. Yet what people want to read in those e-books will remain the same as always. Human desires are hard-wired into our DNA.

That's good. By knowing what people want, you can profit from their desires. And since their desires are predictable, your ability to make money from your ideas just got a lot more bankable, as well.

So, what exactly do people want to read about?
First, the top three general categories are these: Food, sex, and money.
There will *always* be a market for new cookbooks, new books on love, and new books on ways to make money. That will never change. Ever. So if you have an idea that fits in one of those categories—and if it's a new spin on existing ideas—you may have a wining race horse.

Second, Jim Edwards and I identified the TOP Ten tried and true subjects for e-books in our own e-book, "How to Write and Publish Your Own e-Book in as little as 7 Days."

Our own research proves these ten resaons are just as reliable as the three more general ones that I discovered. These are the subjects people will *always* want to know about. Since those subjects are listed in our e-book, I won't discuss them here.

Third, after Jim and I wrote our e-book, we discovered 16 more subjects that people always want to know about. These, too, are proven hot buttons for people. When I reviewed my studies from the last several years, I realized that these 16 topics are things people will always want to know more about, too. Here they are:

11. To attract sex.
12. To keep their possessions.
13. To have more fun.
14. To satisfy curiosity.
15. To protect their family.
16. To be in style.
17. To have beautiful possessions.
18. To quench their appetite.
19. To emulate others.
20. To avoid trouble.
21. To avoid criticism.
22. To be an individual
23. To protect their reputation.
24. To grab opportunities
25. To be safe.
26. To make work easier.

So, how does this system work?

Okay. Say you have an idea for a book on how to make money in network marketing. Will it sell? Since people want to (20) avoid trouble and (26) make their work easier, I'd say chances are good it would. Add to this formula the fact that people always want to know how to make money (one of the top three subjects hard-wired into our make-up) and yes, the book could sell.

And what if you have an idea for a book on how to find cool things at garage sales? Would that sell? If you tied the title to a direct benefit—such as to make money—then your idea could work. In other words, title the e-book something like, "How To Make A Fortune In Garage Sales" and you just made it fit one of the basic human desires. If you can also tie it to (14) satisfying their curiosity about garage sales, all the better.

What if you have a technical book idea, such as an e-book on how to filter out spam? No sweat. People want to save time, so you might tie your idea to that benefit. "How to Save Time By Eliminating Spam!" might work. Or you could even tie your idea to (23) protecting their reputation. Then your e-book might be "Protect Your Name By Stopping Spam!"

Get the idea? You can take almost any e-book idea you may have and improve the odds of it selling by simply matching it to one of the 16 categories above or the TOP 10 listed in our e-book. It's easy.

Now, before the critics rush in and shoot at any holes they see in this system, let me add these final words:

A book that sells is more than "a good idea." It's an idea well expressed. It's an idea packaged in an irresistible way. It's an idea targeted at a specific niche audience. And it's an idea that works once people begin to implement it.

In short, make your book idea fit one of the key categories people are proven to want more information on. Title it to reflect benefits people want. Describe it in your sales letter in ways that activate people's basic desires. Just be sure you deliver what you promise.

Do all that and your e-book will sell—guaranteed!