25 for 25: Picking the right book topic
Choosing the right book topic for you comes down to your experiences, expertise, and goals.
This essay is part of my 25 for 25 book writing series. The lessons in this series are meant to simplify the book writing and production journey. You can find a guide with links to the entire series here.
You could write a book about anything, from tabloid journalism to French Polynesia to actor Humphrey Bogart to running a pet store. Choosing the right book topic for you comes down to your experiences, expertise, and goals.
Experiences
Lived experiences make great book topics. If you have worked as a tabloid journalist or run a pet store, faced a traumatic brain injury or climbed a mountain, writing those books can pull from your own background—there is a solid foundation from your lived experiences.
Those lived experiences, in a sense, represent your credibility. Been there, done that, wrote a book.
Expertise
Anyone could become qualified to write a book if they’ve done the hard work. Interviewing film experts and Bogart’s relatives could make you the perfect expert to write a book about him. Or taking many trips to French Polynesia. But without that expertise, you probably won’t have the knowledge or credibility to write a well-received, thorough book.
Goals
If you are aiming to become an expert or thought leader on a topic, a book can be a great way to do so. But you should have at least some experience or expertise as a foundation for this shift.
If you’re struggling to come up with a topic, you can ask yourself the following questions:
What’s my story? And how will it resonate for others?
What skills or experiences do I have that could be beneficial for others?
What makes me an expert?
What have I accomplished in my career? In my life?
What makes my story unique?
What stories and insights do I have that can help people take the next step in their careers and lives?
Whatever topic you choose, it’s important to home in on what makes your message unique and why it’s worth sharing with the world.
Watch this!
I cover the struggle of choosing the right book topic in this video.