How To Discover The Best Topic For Your Booklet

Have you been contemplating what to write your booklet about?  Maybe you’ve got more than one idea and you’re trying to decide which one is best or which one you should write first.  Or maybe you love to write but you just can’t think of what to write about.

Either of these problems are easily solved when you go with the old saying, “Write what you know.”

Your Treasure Trove Of Knowledge

You have knowledge that is worth something to someone somewhere.  You may not realize it, but it’s there.  Your own life experience and interests has provided you with a wealth of knowledge that you could easily turn into a booklet. The key is finding the right knowledge inside of you to use – the knowledge that you’re most passionate about and that you enjoy sharing with others.

There’s Always Someone Who Knows Less Than You Do

Your life experience is literally worth a fortune. Have you been through a nasty divorce and come out a winner?  Did you plan the perfect wedding?  Are you good at getting hired where you want to?  Do people come to you for advice?  Have you raised a child with a disability and helped them to live a better life than was expected?  Have you ever owned a successful business?  Do you know how to study to improve your test scores?

All of these things and much, much more would make an excellent topic for a booklet.  No matter what kind of life experience you have, there is always someone out there who knows less than you do and can learn from you through your booklet.

Why Your Booklet Will Be Special And Worth Reading

Writing what you know sounds cliche` but, it’s exactly what you should do.  First, because it’s easy.  You won’t have to do much, if any, research.  And second because your experience is unique, and therefore your booklet will be too. It will stand alone in the marketplace as something special and worth reading.

Think about your own life experience and interests.  Which ones do you feel the most passionate about?  What, out of your experience, is most needed today by others?  Which of your interests excites you most or is the most fun?  Asking yourself these questions will help you decide which topic to write your booklet about.

To your riches!

Kim

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Need A Topic To Write About? Here’s A Great Idea Booster

Have you been searching for the perfect topic to write about for your booklet?  Ultimately, you should write about something that you are passionate about.  But, sometimes you will find yourself questioning your passions.  That’s when you need a little help.

A Great Idea Booster

Here’s a little idea booster to help you come up with some great ideas to contemplate.  It’s simply this – watch the headlines.  When you’re online and you go to Yahoo, notice the news headlines.  Or, if you’re offline and standing in line at the grocery store, look at the headlines on the front of the major magazines. By watching the headlines you’ll not only spark some ideas for your own writing, but you’ll also get a good idea of what the public is interested in.

Make It Specific

Of course, you don’t want to write about just any topic, even if it is a major headline with a large publication.  You still need to consider your own passion and experience and how it relates to that headline.  And a great way to use the headline tool for your passion is to target the headlines you read.  For example, if you’re passionate about traveling, you should watch the headlines on travel magazines and related websites.  If travel is your thing, it won’t do you much good to watch the sports headlines.

Putting The Specific And The General Together

Being aware of headlines, both specific to your passion and in general, will ignite your thinking and spark some ideas.  The targeted headlines will give you ideas for writing about your passion.  The general headlines will tell you what the public is interested in.  When you put the two together you’ve got the formula for a successful booklet – one that both you and the public can be passionate about!

To your riches!

Kim

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Coming Up With New Ideas For Booklets – How To Feed A Hungry Market

Once you have a booklet on the market and it’s selling, you’ll find you have a market that is hungry for more.   This is good, but you must satisfy their hunger by continually giving them new booklets and/or other products.  If you don’t, your market will either lose interest or buy someone else’s products.

You might be thinking this is easier said than done.  After all, it was all you could do to come up with a topic for your first booklet.  And now, you have to do it again.  But, it’s not as difficult as you might think.  Here are some ideas for you to consider when it’s time for you to come up with more to offer your market.

Keep A File For Your Ideas

You should keep a file just for your ideas.  You can write your ideas on paper as they come to you, and then put the paper in the file.  You should also add any articles that interest you from magazines, newspapers, newsletters and online sources.  You’ll probably never use all the ideas you come up with, but when you want to write a new booklet and you’re drawing a blank you’ll have a rich resource to turn to for ideas.

Look At Your Life Experience

Do you have a new interest that would be of interest to your market?  Have you learned something new about your subject area?  Did something recently happen to give you a new perspective on something?  Your life experience can be a valuable resource for ideas.

Other People’s Life Experience

You can also use other people’s life experience to spark ideas for new booklets.  Pay attention to the conversations you have with people as well as what you read online.  Every once in a while you’re bound to find a good nugget you can use and create a booklet around.

Your Passions

What are you most passionate about?  What do you enjoy doing so much that you would do it for free?  Your passions can provide you with ideas for entire series of booklets.  No writer has ever had a difficult time writing about something they loved or enjoyed.

Look At What You’ve Written In The Past

The writing you’ve done in the past can provide you with ideas for new booklets to write.  You can even re-use some of your old content.  You can spin new booklets from old ones, or continue writing about a subject you’ve written about before, adding more information in the new booklet.

Ideas are everywhere.  If you are continually seeking ideas, keeping your mind open to possibilities around you, you’ll find you never run out of them.  You’ll have more ideas for new booklets than you could ever use.

To your riches!

Kim

PS:  Like this post?  Please share it on del.icio.us or StumbleUpon.  And don’t forget to click on one of the links at the top right of this page to subscribe so you never miss a single, important post.  Remember, it only takes one idea to start the riches flowing to you!

How To Turn Your Hobby Into A Gold Mine

Have you ever started a new hobby that excited you?  If so, you probably spent every spare second you had learning about and doing your hobby.  You ate, slept and breathed that hobby and it still wasn’t enough.  You wanted more.  You may have bought books and subscribed to magazines about your hobby, purchased equipment or supplies or other related merchandise, and you may have even bought some unrelated merchandise that identified your hobby such as a t-shirt with a related phrase on the front or a key ring with some cleverly related saying.

Golf – Every Merchant’s Dream

Golf is one example of a hobby which consumes it’s participants.  Most golfers are not pros, but don’t tell them that!  They’ll buy just about anything that is golf related, especially if they think it will help them win the game more often.  Golf is very profitable for merchants who sell anything related to the sport.  But, the same can be said for just about every hobby, whether it’s playing chess, collecting and creating model railroads, needlepoint, or gourmet cooking.

Hobbyists Will Snap Those Booklets Right Up

For every hobby there is a niche of people who are willing to buy anything and everything related to that hobby because, like you when you first started a new hobby, they just can’t get enough.  This means that a booklet written about any particular hobby will be well received by those who participate in it.

When most people begin a hobby, they want fast, concise information so they can get started right away.  Then, once they get going, they’ll want more detailed information.  Your booklet will be just the thing to help people get an overview of their hobby, and get the basics they need.  They’re fired up and ready to go.  They don’t want to sit down and read a book.  They want to participate in their chosen hobby now!  Your booklet will help them do that.

They Will Come Back For More

Once people buy your first booklet they will come back to you for more.  This gives you the opportunity to create and sell more booklets to the same buyers.  Hobbyists are a hungry crowd when it comes to information about their chosen passtime.  If they buy a booklet from you about basic doll collecting, they’ll probably buy your next one on dolls from the ’50’s, and your next one on dolls from the ’60’s, and so on.  They’ll come to appreciate your information because it is brief, but informative – giving them just what they need for a minimal amount of time spent.

If you’re searching for a topic to write about, you may need look no further than a hobby you enjoy.  By creating a booklet or a series of booklets about your hobby, you can literally turn it into a gold mine!  Ask anyone who sells golf merchandise and they’ll tell you that there are riches in hobbies!

To Your Riches,

Kim

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Booklets And Tweens – A Perfectly Rich Match

In the U.S. today there are more than 21 million children who fall into the “tween” category.  These 8 – 14 years olds make up a very lucrative market.  If you have a child or grandchild in this age group and you’ve been trying to come up with a topic for a booklet, writing for or about tweens might just be the topic for you.

Booklets Are A Perfect Fit With Tweens

When was the last time you saw an 8 – 14 year old sit down and read a book that wasn’t required reading for school?  Probably never.  Although some tweens do read books, the vast majority would rather spend time online, watching tv, or talking on the phone.  Reading books takes too long, and tweens generally don’t have the attention span or the patience that reading a full length book requires.  This is why booklets are perfect for this market.  They give the reader the facts in a short, concise manner.

Booklets are also convenient for tweens to carry with them in a purse, backpack or tote.  This age group loves to share things they like with their friends.  Booklets are easy to share because they’re easy to take along wherever the tween goes.  Once the tweens friends see the booklet, they’ll want one too.

Topics That Interest Tweens

So, just what do tweens want to know more about today?  High on the list of priorities are:

• Fashion
• Hair Care
• Make Up
• Room Decor
• Food
• Fun Websites
• Electronics
• Music
• Celebrities
• Sports
• Relationships (especially with friends and the opposite sex, but also includes parents and God)

Writing about any of the above will get a tweens attention, and if you can find a way to make your booklets collectable tweens will share them, trade them and keep them.

Writing About Tweens

Writing a booklet for tweens isn’t the only way to capitalize on this market.  Writing a booklet for parents or grandparents of tweens, or for teachers or sports coaches, or for another professional who works with tweens on a regular basis can also be very lucrative.  Some topic ideas for these categories might include:

• Tween Parenting – How To Have A Better Relationship With Your 8 – 14 Year Old
• Grandparenting Tweens – What Today’s Kids Are Into And How To Connect With Them
• Teaching Tweens – How To Get And Keep Their Attention So They Love To Learn
• Overweight Tweens – Why Diets Don’t Work And What You Can Do About It
• How To Talk To Your Tween About Sex
• Busy Tweens – How To Help Your Tween Balance And Enjoy Middle School life (or Jr. high)

This is a short list, but you can see there are a variety of subjects having to do with tweens that would make an excellent booklet.  The key is to provide well written, helpful content so that people will not only purchase your booklet, but they’ll be happy to tell others about it as well.

The Tween Market Is Diverse And Profitable

As you can see from the above examples, the market for tween booklets is wide and varied.  You can write booklets directly to tweens or write them for their parents.  You can write booklets for teachers and coaches too.  But the market is even further reaching than this, because you can sell those booklets to companies who sell to tweens, such as magazines.

There are many avenues for profiting from the tween market.  If you have a tween in your life or you work with tweens, you’ve got riches right under your nose just waiting to be mined!

To your riches!

Kim

PS:  Like this post?  Share it with a friend!  And don’t forget to click on one of the links at the top right of this page to subscribe so you never miss a single, important post!  Remember, it only takes one idea to get the riches flowing to you!

Discover What The Big Guys Are Doing And Get Rich

If you want to be successful as a booklet author, one way to do it is to tie into a current trend – one that’s HUGE!  What’s the one thing on everyone’s mind right now?  Money.  Regardless of whether you buy into the media’s frenzy and scare tactics or not, you can’t argue that everyone is concerned about money and whether or not we are headed into the next great depression.  And while the media is busy spewing forth its bad news about the stock market, job losses and foreclosures, there is some very good news for you as an author if you’re paying attention.  What is this good news?  Simply this – that if you can write about finances or spin your topic to focus on some aspect that will help people financially, your booklet will do very, very well.

What?  You’re not a financial wizard?  You’ve got no background?  You can barely add 2+2, you say?  Then we have something in common.  But, those facts didn’t stop me from writing 60 Ways To Make Fast Cash, or its sister title 119 Ideas To Save You Money Now.   These were written from my own experience as an at home mom who found creative ways to make a quick buck or stretch it as far as I could.

You probably have some skills or life lessons concerning money that you could pass along to others in a booklet.  It’s probably something you do so often you aren’t even aware that someone else would find that knowledge valuable.

Even if you’re not planning to write about finances directly, you may be able to tie in a financial angle with your chosen topic.  For example, if you plan to write a booklet for parents of girls who participate in pageants, you might write about how to cut pageant expenses as your main topic or in a section of the booklet.

Writing about finances doesn’t mean you need to write to everyone.  You still need to stick to your chosen niche.  And it doesn’t mean that you must write about the stock market either.  It simply means that you take the topic of finances and spin it so that it fits your niche and your topic.

When you want to know what the current trend is, what people are thinking about most and what they are buying in terms of information, the best way to find out is to go to the top.  Look at the top publishers and what they’re buying and churning out in large numbers.  Look at what’s selling.  Right now it’s all about money.  But, don’t take my word for it.  Here’s a few examples for you:

According to Riverhead Books,  Suze Orman’s financial titles have sold 3,200,000 copies all totaled.  Her latest title, Suze Orman’s 2009 Action Plan, is due out December 30th and is expected to be another best seller.

Dave Ramsey, author of Total Money Makeover, has been on the New York Times best seller list for 71 weeks.  Thomas Nelson, a publisher of inspirational and Christian books, has reported sales of 1.5 million copies of Dave Ramsey’s books.

Jim Cramer’s lastest book, Real Money: Sane Investing In An Insane World, is due on the market January 6th.  Published through Simon and Schuster, the first printing will consist of 160,000 copies and the publisher currently has more than 2 million copies of Cramer’s other titles in stock.

David Bach, who often appears on Oprah, has written eight books about finances and currently has 5,350,000 copies on the market.  His newest title, “Fight For Your Money” will be on bookstore shelves March 3rd.

This is but a small taste of the financial titles coming out in ‘09 and the successful authors behind them.  And yes, these titles are all traditionally published.  But, we can learn from the big guys, because they are extremely picky about what they put money into.  We can clearly see the trend.  People are scared right now.  They aren’t sure what’s going to happen.  They don’t know where to invest.  They’re looking for ways to cut back their spending and save some money.  They’re looking for ways to make more money.  And all of this is very good news because as writers we have the answer someone is seeking.  We don’t have the answer for everyone.  But, we do have the answer for a particular niche.  And that’s all that’s needed to make the riches flow!

To your riches!

Kim

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20 Hot Money Topics To Write About

Money is always a hot topic to write about because everyone always wants more.  But, with the economy in such a slump this topic is hotter than ever, and if you have any ideas or expertise on how to get ahead in today’s economy, you can write a booklet that will be welcomed in the marketplace.  Here are a few ideas to get you started:

1) How To Start A Business (this might include turning a hobby into a business, starting a sideline business, or starting a full time business).

2) How To Use A Down Economy To Invest For Big Profits

3) How To Save Big On Everything You Buy

4) How To Plan A Thrifty Vacation

5) How To Stand Out As Exceptional To An Employer

6) How To Save Money When There Is Nothing Left After Payday

7) How To Sell Your Home During Tough Economic Times

How To Qualify For A Home Load During Tough Economic Times

9) How To Find Money For College

10) How To Re-enter The Workplace After Being Home With The Kids

11) How To Save Money On Household Expenses Such As Heat And Water

12) Easy Part Time Jobs That Pay Big Money

13) How To Market And Sell Your Crafts

14) How To Ask Your Boss For A Raise

15) How To Turn Your Trash Into Treasure And Make A Profit

16) Thrifty Living – How To Have More Paycheck At The End Of Your Month

17) How To Save Money On Childcare Expenses

18) How To Get Out Of Debt

19) How The Rich Get Rich And Why The Poor Stay Poor

20) The Hottest Businesses To Start When The Economy Is Down

Some of these ideas are better than others, but hopefully they’ll spark something in your mind and get you started thinking.  No matter whether the economy is good or bad, people will always be interested in money so it’s an evergreen topic that will never get old.

To your riches!

Kim

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The 20 Hottest Health Topics To Write About

Health related information is on the list of the hottest topics to write about today. If you have specific knowledge in any niche having to do with health, you can cash in with a booklet. Here is a list of the 20 hottest health topics to write about today.

1) Weight Loss (are you really surprised at this one?)

2) Diabetes (goes hand in hand with weight loss. These can cross sell each other).

3) Weight Lifting/Body Building

4) Skin Care

5) Healthy Eating (in general – organic foods, etc.)

6) Vegetarianism

7) Natural Remedies For Colds, Flu, Etc.

Prevention From Getting Colds, Flu, Etc.

9) Starting An Exercise Program

10) Low Carb Eating

11) High Protein Eating

12) Weight Loss For Kids

13) How To Have Healthy Looking Hair

14) How To Eat Low Fat

15) Eating Healthy On A Budget

16) Healthy Foods For Toddlers And Children

17) Detoxing Your Body

18) No Sugar/Low Sugar Diet

19) Quick Meals That Are Healthy

20) Creating A Healthy Home Environment

These are just a few ideas to get you thinking. You can probably come up with many more ideas on your own. And don’t forget, pets need to stay healthy too!

To your riches!

Kim

Twenty Topic Ideas For Writers Of Children’s And Parenting Booklets

Did you know there were 4.3 million births in the U.S. in 2006? The birthrate hasn’t been this high since 1961. What does this mean for you? It means babies are big business!

Even in a recession parents will spend on their children. They’ll spend on everything from a new car (gotta have more room for baby), to baby equipment, to computers and education and everything in between.

If you write for children or for parents, there is a big opportunity here. Parents, especially new ones, are always looking for information to help them raise their children and be better parents. Here are a few ideas for booklet topics you could write about to reach this massive market.

1) Parenting Teens

2) Bringing Baby Home: What New Parents Need To Know

3) How To Baby Proof Your Home

4) Healthy Eating For Two

5) Teaching Manners To Children

6) How To Choose The Right Daycare

7) How To Choose The Right Pre-school

How To Begin Homeschooling

9) How To Choose The Right College

10) How To Save Money On A College Education

11) Writing A Will: What You Need To Know

12) Tips For Parenting The Special Child

13) How To Find A Caregiver For Your Special Child

14) Toilet Training Tips

15) Time Saving Tips For Busy Parents

16) Quality Time: Making The Most Of Your Time With Your Children

17) How To Start A Holiday Tradition

18) Birthday Party Tips And Ideas

19) Bedwetting Cures

20) How To Save Money On Everything For Baby From Diapers To College

That’s 20 right off the top of my head! Surely you can come up with many more ideas. And, if you like to write stories for children, why not give them a special theme that parents and children deal with in real life, such as the first day of school, feelings, dealing with death, the birth of a new sibling, or manners. These themed stories will make excellent booklets that parents will want to read to their children.

To your riches!

Kim

What Are The Hottest Topics To Write About?

When writing booklets, you should stick to subjects you know about or are very interested in. Realize that people will believe you’re an expert on the subject because you wrote the booklet, so make sure what you write about is something you won’t mind being known for.

Here, then, in no particular order, are some timely topics as well as some evergreen ones for you to consider:

1) Pets – pets are the new kids for the boomers who now find themselves empty nesters, but you don’t need to focus only on boomers. Booklets for parents about how to choose the perfect pet for their family or child, or booklets about pet care would find a waiting market place.

2) Going Green – Anything to do with going green at home or in the office. This is huge among businesses right now. Booklets about how to go green in the work place will be welcomed.

3) Saving Money – as prices rise this is on everyone’s mind.

4) Making Money – This subject is always fresh. Everyone wants more.

5) Losing Weight – Ever wonder why there are so many diet books? It’s because the market for weight loss products and information is huge. There’s plenty of room here for your booklet.

7) Relationships – Anything from how to have a better marriage to how to find the perfect mate to how to get along with your boss. This is another timeless subject.

Health – My booklets fit into this category. You can write about ways to stay healthy or focus on a specific health issue. You could even write about health hazards in the work place. This is a very broad category.

9) Anything “how to” – “How to” books almost always do well. So do “how to” booklets.

10) Travel – A timeless classic that never goes out of style. Someone is always traveling. You could write about traveling for pleasure or for business.

11) Anything of interest to baby boomers – This is a very large segment of the population today. The market is wide open.

12) Parenting – Too many possibilities to list. Parenting teens, parenting toddlers, foster parenting, becoming a new parent, adoption, and the list goes on! Write about timely issues parents are facing today, such as internet safety, or write about something classic such as toilet training.

13) Education – Everything from how to get into the best pre-school to how to get into the best college. Homeschooling is a hot topic too.

14) Sex – I saved the best for last! This could fall into the relationships category or the health category, or it could be in a category all by itself.

There are tons of things you could write about. Think about what you know that could help someone else.

To your riches!

Kim

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