Why you need to understand the bookshop
Publishers and agents are looking for books that they know will sell. This means your idea may have a better chance of being picked up if you can predict which shelves it could sit on in the bookshop.
The best way to get familiar with the shelves is simply to spend time in bookshops. Look at which subjects are upstairs and which down; which books sit on the front of the shelf and which face the back of the store; which titles make it onto tables and which are placed with their jackets face-out.
How much space does your part of the bookshop occupy? What are the trends in your subject area? Make friends with the sales assistants – ask who buys the types of books you wish to write, and which ones should you read.
Do you have a feel for the latest trends in publishing?
Thinking about format and extent
There’s no better way for getting a feel for current trends than handling new books – leafing through newly published books gives you a feel of how many pages and words per page particular types of book need, and whether they require illustrations, quotations or case studies.
It also gives you a sense of the latest formats – short and fat, long and thin, thick tome or pocket-sized. Note whether the books you admire are one-offs or part of a series, and whether they are Richard and Judy book club picks (they have their finger on the pulse).
Let the books that appeal to you be a jumping off point for your own ideas on subject matter and visual approach. And don’t just stick to your area of the bookshop – range further afield to look for fresh ways to shine new light on well-worn subject areas. A cookery book, for example, might spark an idea for a historical romance, or a glut of books on keeping chickens inspire a children’s story.
Do you know which publishers specialise in the type of books you would like to write?
Getting acquainted with publishers
Publishers build lists that specialize in certain areas. Get to know which publishers might suit your idea when browsing in bookshops.
Follow up by looking them up in the Writers and Artist’s Yearbook, and by browsing their websites. Here, you can search the back catalogue and find out whether a publisher accepts unsolicited manuscripts or even offer pitching sessions in cyberspace.
Check out how well your book idea might slot into different publishers subject categories, and try to spot the ways in which publishers reinvent the same subject areas every five years or so.
To find out more
• Look at the Getting published and industry news articles and links.
• Try a mini course in Assessing Commercial Viability, How to Write a Synopsis or Research Skills.
• Once you’ve honed your idea, take a mini course in Getting Published in fiction, non-fiction, Film, TV or Radio.
• Post your work for peer review – the best writers each month, as voted for by fellow writers, win a review from a professional writer, editor or agent.
• Commission a professional review of your work, which will assess its commercial potential.
• Join our Member’s Room to download Brian Perman’s podcast on the future of publishing
Why you need to understand the bookshop
Publishers and agents are looking for books that they know will sell. This means yours stands a better chance of being picked up if you can predict which shelves it could sit on in the bookshop.
The best way to get familiar with the shelves is simply to spend time in bookshops. Look at which subjects are upstairs and which down; which books sit on the front of the shelf and which face the back of the store; which titles make it onto tables and which are placed with their jackets face-out.
How much space does your part of the bookshop occupy? What are the trends in your subject area? Make friends with the sales assistants – ask who buys the types of books you wish to write, and which ones should you read.
Thinking about format and extent
There’s no better way for getting a feel for current trends than handling new books – leafing through newly published books gives you a feel of how many pages and words per page particular types of book need, and whether they require illustrations, quotations or case studies.
It also gives you a sense of the latest formats – short and fat, long and thin, thick tome or pocket-sized. Note whether the books you admire are one-offs or part of a series, and whether they are Richard and Judy book club picks (they have their finger on the pulse).
Let the books that appeal to you be a jumping off point for your own ideas on subject matter and visual approach. And don’t just stick to your area of the bookshop – range further afield to look for fresh ways to shine new light on well-worn subject areas. A cookery book, for example, might spark an idea for a historical romance, or a glut of books on keeping chickens inspire a children’s story.
Getting acquainted with publishers
Publishers build lists that specialize in certain areas. Get to know which publishers might suit your idea when browsing in bookshops.
Follow up by looking them up in the Writers and Artist’s Yearbook, and by browsing their websites. Here, you can search the back catalogue and find out whether a publisher accepts unsolicited manuscripts or even offer pitching sessions in cyberspace.
Check out how well your book idea might slot into different publishers subject categories, and try to spot the ways in which publishers reinvent the same subject areas every five years or so.
To find out more
• Look at the Getting published and industry news articles and links.
• Try a mini course in Assessing Commercial Viability, How to Write a Synopsis or Research Skills.
• Once you’ve honed your idea, take a mini course in Getting Published in fiction, non-fiction, Film, TV or Radio.
• Post your work for peer review – the best writers each month, as voted for by fellow writers, win a review from a professional writer, editor or agent.
• Commission a professional review of your work, which will assess its commercial potential.
• Join our Member’s Room to download Brian Perman’s podcast on the future of publishing
