0:03

Today. On the you Can Heal

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Your Life podcast, you'll hear a

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chapter from Get Signed the brand

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new audio book by literary agent

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Lucinda Halpern, Offering practical advice, real

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life examples, and a road map

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for evaluating and refining book ideas,

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this excerpt provides valuable insights for

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aspiring authors aiming to secure a

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book deal. Lucinda explores the art

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and science of transforming small ideas

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into impactful narratives, ensuring they resonate

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with literary agents, publishers, and. Readers:

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A You can listen to the

0:36

full audio book free with a

0:38

trial of the Empower You unlimited

0:40

audio app to start a trial

0:43

and start listening to Day visit

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heyhouse.com/empower You. Step.

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Been. Discover. Your

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big idea. Dear.

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Lucinda. I. Have a

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book idea, but how do I know

0:57

if I'm even on the right track?

0:59

Michelle. I. Was city

1:02

Iowa. There. Are three

1:04

keys to getting an agent and

1:06

the subsequent book deal. One.

1:09

A big and bold idea. To.

1:13

Excellent. Writing. Three.

1:16

In. Undeniable platform. Here.

1:18

Are some encouraging news. You.

1:21

Only need to of the three

1:23

to succeed. All three

1:25

would be fantastic. But. Only

1:27

two are required. In.

1:30

This step. We're. Going to uncover

1:33

the first key. Every

1:35

book starts with an idea. But.

1:37

Many of these ideas will

1:40

be seen by publishers as

1:42

small. In. The Language of

1:44

Agents and editor's. A good

1:46

idea is a big idea. But.

1:48

What does that mean? Why? Would

1:51

any idea be small? And

1:53

how do you know if yours is big

1:55

enough? This. Is

1:57

the first metric you have to get

1:59

right? Oh himself. A lot

2:01

of problems for my authors but is

2:03

there idea doesn't work? I can only

2:05

do so. Much to dress up the

2:08

pitch. To. Discover your

2:10

big idea. There are

2:12

proven tactics that will command.

2:14

The attention of a literary agent, It.

2:17

May take trial and error, but you don't

2:19

have to shoot in the dark. I

2:22

will now walk you through exactly

2:24

how to evaluate and tweak your

2:26

idea. To. Ensure it makes

2:28

the impact you wanted to with

2:31

agents, publishers and reason. I.

2:33

Can't tell you how many writers come

2:36

to me believing they had a specific

2:38

book to write? And eventually

2:40

learned that they were wrong. Happily.

2:42

In the end, See his

2:45

sciences and leaders of all

2:47

kinds struggle with the vulnerable

2:50

and humbling process of putting

2:52

themselves on the page. I'm

2:55

sure as they are saying anything of

2:57

value. Olson. These

2:59

writers are a mix of confidence in

3:01

themselves are in their careers. Itself

3:04

doubting an anxious as they

3:06

enter this entirely new arena.

3:09

Understanding that there is so much they do

3:11

not know. Once he's accomplished,

3:13

individuals realize that they do have

3:15

a message. Or story worth sharing.

3:18

There's. An unexpected liberation.

3:21

What's more, The most

3:23

promising idea is the one

3:25

you overlooked because it seemed

3:27

to natural simple. Or. Easy.

3:31

Take serene a clause. Leah, My.

3:33

First coaching seasons. Who.

3:35

Came to me wanting to write a

3:37

novel. As a commercial real

3:40

estate except is. She was

3:42

accomplished in her field and set

3:44

forth to achieve her dream of

3:46

publishing with the same drive and

3:48

determination she had with everything in

3:50

her life. Her. Novel,

3:52

drawing from her personal experience

3:55

as a professional dancer in

3:57

Las Vegas, showed promise

3:59

and thrill But she couldn't

4:01

get an agent to read it. The

4:03

dream that she had harbored since childhood was

4:06

on life support. Why couldn't

4:08

she succeed? When

4:10

I first met Serena over Zoom, I could

4:13

see how lost and overwhelmed she

4:15

was by the conflicting information she

4:17

had researched. I

4:20

felt compelled to ask, how are

4:22

you sure that this is the book

4:24

you were meant to write? To

4:27

this she looked bemused. She

4:29

answered that she honestly did not know. Over

4:33

several sessions, I learned that Serena

4:35

had grown up in a small

4:37

Kansas town with nothing to her

4:39

name, survived breast

4:42

cancer, and risen to the

4:44

top of her field twice. She

4:47

had so much to offer by way of

4:49

advice. Her passion and

4:51

expertise were palpable, and

4:54

most of all, she had empathy.

4:58

Usually she had every marking

5:00

of a great self-help author.

5:03

As soon as I realized this, I told

5:05

Serena, I think you're a

5:07

role model for younger women who

5:10

have had to work their way to

5:12

the top and who have faced obstacles

5:14

at every turn just like you. You

5:17

deeply understand what these women are missing

5:19

in their lives because you work with

5:22

them every day. You

5:24

can speak well to their challenges. In

5:27

our sessions together, I had

5:30

never seen Serena emanate such

5:32

radiance as she did in

5:34

that moment. I encouraged

5:36

her to let go, break free

5:38

from whatever prestige she associated with

5:41

writing a novel, and

5:43

share all of the wisdom she had learned,

5:45

the wisdom organic to her that would

5:47

help so many others. There

5:51

is a magic that happens when you

5:53

land on the idea that you are

5:55

uniquely positioned to write. agents

6:00

will see it. Take

6:03

your idea from small to big.

6:07

Manting on the first key, the

6:09

right concept can take experimentation

6:11

and time. But there

6:13

are parameters to follow that will tell

6:15

you if you've truly discovered your big

6:18

idea, one that grabs an agent

6:20

at first read. Mining

6:22

for it is an art, but it is

6:24

also a science. You

6:26

are named the strong foundation

6:29

that will shape everything that

6:31

follows. The two

6:33

necessary conditions for a big

6:35

idea are, one, it

6:38

has a universal theme and

6:41

a unique point of view. Two,

6:44

it is timely and

6:46

timeless. Your

6:49

whole career trajectory can change

6:51

when you understand this. It

6:54

is the simplest way to get

6:56

at the essence of your message. And

6:59

for nonfiction authors, you'll find that it

7:01

will inform and then transform

7:04

your brand and your business.

7:07

You may have entered the world of

7:09

books because you've always loved reading and

7:12

writing or dreamed about

7:14

becoming an author since childhood. But

7:17

go deeper. Why did you

7:19

decide to write a book? Your

7:22

idea begins with you, but it

7:24

must be bigger than you. Did

7:27

you encounter a challenge and look for a

7:29

resource to guide you but couldn't find one?

7:32

Or is there a topic you always wanted

7:34

to immerse yourself in to learn more about?

7:38

Or maybe as a novelist, you

7:40

couldn't stop fantasizing about a particular

7:42

plot or set of characters. Your

7:45

why for writing your book is

7:48

knowing the end effect you want to have on

7:50

a reader. Your big idea

7:52

is not the outline of your book,

7:54

but rather the core message that it

7:56

brings to light. Ready

7:59

for some tough loves? The book

8:01

idea you're considering or actively pitching

8:03

to agents is probably

8:05

too small. It's one

8:07

of the most common mistakes, and

8:10

agents and editors will pass

8:12

on an idea that's seen as

8:15

familiar or niche, aka

8:17

small. Here are

8:19

some real examples from the slush pile

8:22

that we see regularly. Characters

8:26

about healing based on a

8:28

person's life story, devoid of

8:30

other characters or themes. The

8:34

overly done and derivative self-help

8:36

book, empowering us to be

8:38

authentic without a novel observation

8:40

or uncommon method. Biographies

8:43

or histories of a person or

8:45

time period not well known without

8:48

a compelling reason why this

8:51

particular story has contemporary appeal.

8:54

Novels, whether in romance, fantasy,

8:57

mystery, or other genres, without

9:00

a surprising twist or standout

9:02

character. Business

9:04

books that lean too heavily on memoir

9:07

and promote the same how-to

9:09

principles without any fresh insights.

9:13

Your book will need to contribute something

9:15

new to the category or conversation, and

9:18

that quality of differentiation is

9:20

what truly makes a book stand

9:23

out, but don't despair. Big

9:25

ideas often start small. Here's

9:28

how they can grow. Universal

9:31

theme plus a unique point of

9:33

view. An engaging

9:35

concept is born of a universal

9:37

theme as old as time, such

9:40

as love, loss, health,

9:43

affliction, money, or

9:45

relationships. Being fashioned

9:47

with a unique point of view. First

9:51

let's focus on how to assess whether

9:53

your theme will resonate. In

9:55

Order to succeed in the marketplace and

9:58

strike a chord with anyone who... It's

10:00

your book. The. Idea driving

10:02

it must capture reader's

10:04

mind with something widely

10:06

cells or understood. A

10:08

universal same applies to nonfiction,

10:11

and six, and a at

10:13

is also most easily identified

10:15

in memoirs. So. Little to

10:17

them as an example. Successful.

10:19

Memoirs aren't just about someone's

10:22

personal story. They. Touch

10:24

on something larger. Maybe.

10:26

This is pain, romance,

10:28

nature, spirituality, or a

10:31

combination. When. I

10:33

spoke with Tracy Straws. A

10:35

vice president at his shirt One

10:37

of the big five publishing houses.

10:40

she was a the sentiment. When

10:42

a memories too personal. To

10:45

insular. And doesn't bring in the

10:47

broader world. That. To me as

10:49

a mistake. You. Have to have

10:52

something. That. Makes people cares,

10:55

It's an important point. Readers

10:58

are always wondering subconsciously.

11:02

In it for me. Your. Story

11:04

can transfixed them. When you include

11:06

a sweeping seem that applies to

11:09

many people, notice those you know.

11:13

In addition to a comprehensive seem.

11:15

Spinning your saurian a new way

11:17

that speaks to the current moment.

11:20

It can stand the test of

11:22

time is a proven combination. Tell

11:25

me something I don't know about

11:27

a subject I love. I've

11:29

heard one of my age and colleagues say.

11:32

In. Other words contribute something new to

11:34

was already been said and you

11:36

will claim your seat at the

11:38

table. Adam Grounds, the

11:41

best selling author of Given Take

11:43

and think again. So. Just thinking

11:45

about it this way. In

11:48

nonfiction, having the topic that

11:50

interesting and important isn't enough.

11:52

You. Also need to have something distinctive

11:55

to say. The. Ideal First

11:57

Book is one where your personal

11:59

expertise. and experience give you

12:02

a novel perspective on an issue

12:04

that readers find fascinating and consequential.

12:08

I love that word. Consequential.

12:11

Readers are unlikely to pick up any book

12:13

where the stakes don't feel high, whether

12:16

it's a matter of their own survival

12:18

or the survival of a fictional character.

12:21

An editor can easily spot a book

12:24

that matters. Fiction

12:26

writers are not exempt from this formula.

12:29

My client Jane Allen, who

12:31

you'll hear from a few times

12:33

in this book, wrote the novel

12:35

Black Girls Must Die Exhausted. Jane's

12:38

characters grappled with race,

12:40

infertility, and loss, but with

12:42

a healthy dose of levity. Her

12:45

novel broke through because over the course

12:47

of her research, she identified a hole

12:50

in the market for depictions of contemporary

12:52

black women tackling

12:54

difficult but common realities with a

12:56

balance of joy and humor. For

13:00

self-help authors, my client Dan Martel

13:02

offers a different example. Well

13:05

known in the software world, Dan

13:08

regularly coaches CEOs, entrepreneurs, and

13:10

high performers in his industry.

13:13

Business owners I coach have trouble letting

13:15

go, he told me in pitching his idea.

13:18

They're burned out because they try to do

13:20

everything. They wish they could clone

13:22

themselves. They can't. To

13:25

solve this chronic and universal challenge,

13:28

Dan developed a framework to buy

13:30

back your time. This

13:33

might not seem too exciting at first.

13:35

Isn't that just another take on

13:38

delegation? Pretty standard advice,

13:40

right? But Dan's idea

13:42

had a unique pivot. His

13:45

recommendation was that CEOs do only 5%

13:49

of what they do really well and do it

13:51

all the time. In

13:53

fact, he advised that 95% of

13:56

your current job is busy work and should

13:58

be outsourced. That's pretty

14:00

radical. Here's the biggest

14:02

clue to whether your concept is as big as we

14:04

need it to be. It's

14:07

unexpected or counterintuitive. At

14:10

my agency, we're always looking for the

14:12

surprise twist in a pitch, suggesting

14:14

that CEOs quit doing 95%

14:17

of what they currently do

14:19

is remarkable, even

14:21

groundbreaking. Publishers found

14:23

Dan's angle exciting, easily digestible, and

14:26

memorable enough that the book attracted

14:28

an auction and a major deal

14:31

with Penguin Random House. When

14:34

it launched, buy back your time,

14:36

quickly hit multiple bestseller lists. Something

14:39

similar happened with Dr. Marissa Franco's

14:42

book, Platonic, how the science of

14:44

attachment can help you make and

14:46

keep friends. Marissa

14:48

didn't have a huge platform, a

14:50

concern of many aspiring authors, and

14:52

one will address in step three. When

14:55

she received an offer from Michelle

14:57

Howery, an executive editor at Putnam,

14:59

an imprint of Penguin Random House. But

15:02

Marissa did have a small and thriving

15:04

newsletter and a few media hits under

15:06

her belt. Most

15:09

important, she had a great big

15:11

idea. She contextualized attachment

15:13

theory through the lens of friendship.

15:16

Attachment theory, a psychological approach

15:18

often used in therapy, usually

15:21

explains romantic or parent-child relationships,

15:24

but it's not commonly seen

15:27

as useful to platonic ones. Universal

15:29

theme, friendship, meet unique

15:32

angle attachment theory. Marissa

15:34

also had what every agent and editor

15:37

is looking for in an author partner,

15:39

the determination to be the go-to person

15:41

in their field. Platonic

15:44

became a New York Times bestseller in

15:46

its first week, because Marissa's

15:48

unique angle easily grabbed

15:50

the attention of many readers interested in

15:52

the topic of friendship. First,

15:55

let's identify your book's universal

15:57

theme. Some

16:00

examples could be good versus evil,

16:03

power and corruption, or identity.

16:06

Search your favorite online retailer for books

16:08

that are similar to yours. When

16:10

you read their descriptions, what are

16:13

the key words that keep coming up? What

16:15

qualities do these similar books have? Are

16:18

there descriptive words or phrases you

16:21

see over and over again, such

16:23

as a story of love and

16:25

loss or a

16:27

humorous coming of age novel? This

16:30

can be a good starting place for

16:32

determining the universal theme of your book.

16:35

I've provided several examples in the

16:37

supplemental PDF. If

16:41

your novel is an 18th century romance,

16:44

your universal theme might be the

16:46

dynamics between women and men throughout

16:48

history, or it could be

16:50

related to a lesson or teaching, such

16:53

as building relationships or unlearning toxic habits.

16:56

Maybe there's a great David and Goliath

16:58

story to be written from out of

17:00

your detective novel or narrative nonfiction, but

17:03

you've been focusing on the obvious character.

17:05

It's the character you overlooked who is

17:08

wrestling with feelings of inadequacy, desperate

17:10

to prove himself, universalizing

17:13

the underdog in all of us.

17:17

Pick up a book from your reading pile. When

17:19

you flip it over to read the description, you

17:22

should see at least one theme mentioned in

17:24

the last paragraph of the synopsis. Now,

17:27

what differentiates your book from these titles?

17:30

Do you have a different perspective on these themes

17:33

or a personal experience that adds something

17:35

else? Is there a

17:37

fight you wanna pick with commonly heard advice?

17:41

If you can't think of anything that separates

17:43

your book from those you admire, you

17:45

need to rework your idea. The

17:48

timely, timeless equation.

17:52

Now that you've identified your universal theme

17:55

and unique point of view, let's

17:58

explore how your book meets. the second parameter for

18:01

a big idea of being

18:03

both timely and timeless.

18:06

A book is timely when it fits

18:08

within a larger cultural conversation, specifically

18:11

one that has been given attention by

18:13

the media. It answers the

18:15

question all agents and editors ask every

18:17

time they receive a pitch. Why

18:20

is this book important right now? Have

18:23

there been regular news stories or social

18:25

media chatter relevant to your

18:27

subject? Is there a

18:29

prominent television series connected to your work

18:32

that has everyone talking? In

18:34

the industry, we refer to timely books

18:36

that are destined to capture media interest

18:39

as having front list appeal. This

18:42

basically means that because your book

18:44

concept is zeitgeisty and fresh, it

18:47

should sell well in the short term, gaining

18:50

momentum right out of the gate. Publishers

18:53

wish to see timeliness because

18:55

it poises you for national

18:57

news attention, where a wide audience

18:59

will learn about your book through television, radio,

19:02

print, online features, podcasts,

19:04

or social media. For

19:07

Paul Whitlatch, executive editor at

19:09

Crown, an imprint of Penguin Random

19:11

House, it's always the dream

19:14

that a book is not just responding

19:16

to events, but that the book

19:18

is so good it can actually drive the

19:20

story and create revelations.

19:23

The supplemental PDF includes a visual

19:25

showing how the industry thinks. Agents

19:28

need to think like book editors, and

19:31

editors need to think like the media.

19:34

What do these parties have in common? A

19:36

vested interest in the reader. Two

19:40

of Jodie Percoc's novels, 19 Minutes

19:43

and the Pact, address the

19:45

heartbreaking but topical circumstances in the

19:47

United States of a school

19:49

shooting and a teen suicide. Similarly,

19:52

the book We Need to Talk

19:55

About Kevin by Lionel Shriver hit

19:57

such a nerve about teen violence, it

19:59

was soon. adapted into a movie. Book

20:02

review coverage has been diminishing for

20:04

years, and arguably, novelists

20:07

have been the most sorely affected. When

20:10

you touch on a hot-button issue,

20:12

authors can find their work

20:14

exponentially amplified by the media. Even

20:17

better, when one book benefits

20:19

from press attention, it points

20:21

to how a future book can benefit too.

20:24

Matthew Walker's New York Times bestseller

20:26

Why We Sleep gave the topic

20:28

of sleep a moment in mainstream

20:30

culture. Capitalizing on

20:33

the hot topic, Ada Calhoun

20:35

published Why We Can't Sleep,

20:37

Women's New Midlife Crisis. As

20:40

her perfect title suggests, she

20:42

discusses the common condition of insomnia,

20:45

but from the uncommon angle of

20:47

midlife women and their specific burdens.

20:50

She smartly gave the media and readers

20:52

a new way to talk about a

20:54

topic of fascination and consequence.

20:58

Try it. Is your book timely? A

21:02

few soft data points can be used

21:04

to measure a book's timeliness. Answer

21:07

these questions to see what could be timely

21:09

about your idea. What

21:11

are those around you talking about? Is

21:14

there a trend in those conversations that your

21:17

book can capture? What's

21:19

the point of contention? What

21:23

are the books in your genre

21:25

that everyone is avidly discussing? Any

21:28

combination of these data points will lead

21:30

you toward the timeliness factor for your

21:33

book. But that's

21:35

not all. You still

21:37

need to think critically about how

21:39

your book could be considered timeless.

21:42

A timeless book is a

21:45

long-term earner. While the industry

21:47

is appetized by media attention, we're

21:50

not looking for flash-in-the-pan success. If

21:53

your idea does not have the enduring value

21:56

to carry it beyond the

21:58

transience of the media reader's

22:00

short attention span, it

22:03

usually won't be a book publishers

22:05

will value seriously. Even

22:07

more critical than front-list appeal is

22:10

what's called back-list appeal, the

22:13

book that back-lists can sell

22:15

several years following its publication

22:18

or even many years after that. Delia

22:22

Owens' Where the Crawdads Sing provides

22:25

a model example of this perennial

22:27

quality. It blends

22:29

a coming-of-age story and ode

22:31

to the natural world through a

22:33

young girl who finds friends in the

22:36

seagulls and peace in the sands that

22:38

she can't find in proper society. As

22:41

a very different example, in

22:44

the searingly dystopian The Handmaid's

22:46

Tale, Margaret Atwood describes a

22:48

future where a woman's freedom is

22:50

taken from her and she has to

22:52

find the will to survive. These

22:55

themes that explore the human

22:57

condition, independence, opportunity,

23:00

and societal roles will

23:02

be germane for years to come. The

23:05

Body Keeps the Score is one

23:07

of my favorite examples of striking

23:10

the perfect balance between timely and

23:12

timeless. Eight years after

23:14

it was originally published, it became a

23:16

household name and held a number

23:18

one spot on the New York Times bestseller

23:20

list for over 200 consecutive weeks.

23:23

Its massive spike in popularity occurred

23:26

around the onset of a global

23:28

pandemic that sparked people's curiosity about

23:30

how the brain and the body

23:32

influenced each other. At that moment,

23:34

mental health was in crisis, trauma

23:36

was the word of the day,

23:38

and with a sudden increase in

23:41

time spent alone indoors, people began

23:43

reevaluating their relationships with themselves. The

23:46

author took a timely approach to

23:48

health, a timeless topic. Try

23:51

it. Is your book

23:53

timeless? Here are a few questions

23:55

to evaluate the timelessness of your book

23:57

idea. Have you ever

24:00

incorporated universal themes? Are

24:04

there similar books to yours published years

24:06

ago but still being

24:08

discussed? Does your

24:10

book have the capacity to make a difference

24:12

in people's lives? Could

24:15

someone buy this book years down the line and

24:17

still be able to apply it to their life?

24:21

Striking the balance between timely

24:23

and timeless. Imagine

24:26

we were at a writers conference together

24:29

and you were speed pitching me. How

24:32

would your book capture both the timely

24:34

and the timeless? The

24:36

following are two demonstrations of what this

24:38

might sound like to practice out loud.

24:41

Pitch one, a non-fiction book

24:44

on how to solve burnout and

24:46

fatigue and restore cognitive function. My

24:49

take, there is a vast

24:52

and urgent problem you're solving which is

24:54

a selling point but what

24:56

distinguishes it from so many

24:58

burnout books out there? The

25:00

reframe. Argue that

25:02

the core problem with our energy

25:04

levels lies within ourselves particularly

25:07

with the mitochondria. Spotlight

25:10

in this little-known term in

25:12

the book's pitch makes it

25:14

timely and intriguing while maintaining

25:16

scientific integrity. Pitch

25:19

two, a work of

25:21

fiction about a woman whose fiance dies

25:23

young Depressed, she

25:26

thinks her life is over until she

25:28

somehow finds a way to enter a

25:30

world where he is still alive but

25:32

everything is different. She bounces

25:35

between two worlds but no

25:37

one believes that she possesses supernatural powers

25:40

and she can't decide which world she wants.

25:43

My take, what is

25:46

the main characters struggle? Why

25:48

doesn't she just stay in the world with

25:50

her fiance? The reframe.

25:53

A novel about a

25:55

young woman whose fiance dies in a

25:57

car accident and she finds a doorway.

26:00

through which he can live two lives, one

26:02

where his death didn't occur and she

26:04

is with him, and one where he does

26:07

die and she has to live on without him.

26:10

The main character toils between these

26:12

two lives, struggling to decide which

26:14

life she wants and considering a

26:16

new person who wants her to

26:19

stay. One of

26:21

my favorite stories to tell writers

26:23

is the story of my client,

26:25

Susan Pierce Thompson. Susan,

26:28

the author of two New York

26:30

Times bestselling books, Bright Line Eating

26:32

and the official Bright Line Eating

26:34

Cookbook, began much like you did

26:37

with just the whisper of an idea. Susan

26:41

had me transfixed at first

26:43

pitch. She was a

26:45

former drug addict who, against all

26:47

odds, became a neuroscientist,

26:50

only to realize her coping mechanisms

26:52

came from never having felt comfortable

26:54

with her own body. Inspired

26:57

by her own struggles, she began

26:59

studying the issue. When

27:02

she discovered the science behind food

27:04

addiction, she found that this was

27:06

the toughest addiction to kick. We

27:09

discussed the possibilities of a memoir, but

27:11

something was telling us both that this

27:13

idea was smaller than it had the

27:15

potential to be. A

27:17

compelling personal story has its place

27:19

in any self-help book. It's

27:21

vital that our teachers practice what they

27:24

preach so we can relate to them

27:26

as human beings who are just like

27:28

us, flawed and aspiring to

27:30

be something better. But in

27:32

a best case scenario, the

27:34

teaching extends far beyond the teacher.

27:38

At the time of our first conversation,

27:40

Susan had a small but successful

27:42

business where she was onto something

27:44

interesting, a game changing,

27:47

science based approach for thinking about

27:49

weight loss with a genuine empathy

27:51

for food addiction. That was

27:53

not limited to the obese or

27:55

those struggling with eating disorders. This

27:58

wasn't your typical day. diet book, and

28:01

I recognized that immediately. Whether

28:03

physical or psychological, Susan

28:06

had tapped into a timeless nerve,

28:08

wellness. And given

28:10

the current obesity crisis in America,

28:13

there was an urgency to address the

28:15

issue immediately. Susan

28:18

had also developed the great hook

28:20

of a self-assessment tool and

28:22

diet for those who struggled with food

28:24

addiction to finally find the

28:27

right sized bodies they longed for. Now

28:30

this was a great package, one

28:32

that I could not take the chance of missing. Susan's

28:35

why was to help the thousands of

28:37

people worldwide who struggled with food and

28:40

weight gain, and to fight the larger

28:42

global obesity crisis. Her

28:44

angle, unique point of view, was

28:47

to do it through the neuroscience of food

28:49

addiction. Try

28:51

it, discover your big idea.

28:55

Discovering your big idea is something that

28:57

will take time and effort to

28:59

help you. Here's some guidelines with

29:01

an exercise to put it all together. One,

29:05

determine your area of passion

29:07

and expertise. Let

29:10

your natural curiosity lead you to the

29:12

area you will explore for readers. Whether

29:15

you're writing about parenting, sports,

29:18

science, young adult romance,

29:20

a family history, or the future.

29:23

Really any topic that would excite you

29:25

to talk about, not for months, but

29:28

for years to come. Let's say you

29:31

are a sociology professor who is

29:33

passionate about discussing diversity's role in

29:35

the world of parenting. Your

29:37

big idea almost certainly exists within

29:40

your realm of expertise. Two,

29:44

figure out what's popular in your space.

29:48

Following in the vein of the parenting book

29:50

example, look up what the

29:52

most popular parenting books are right now or

29:54

in the last three years. You

29:57

might notice many of the books

29:59

include mindfulness. and emotion-focused

30:02

discipline techniques, or

30:04

new terminologies like gentle parenting

30:06

or paleoparenting. Parents

30:10

will always want to get better at parenting. That

30:13

is universal. In recent years,

30:15

they have often looked to accomplish this

30:17

by understanding their child and the latest

30:19

research. How can you

30:22

build on that conversation within your topic? For

30:26

another example, let's look at romance novels

30:28

which are selling better than ever, pointing

30:31

to a global craving readers are experiencing

30:33

to escape from their own lives. The

30:36

more exotic and adventurous the

30:38

better, as people want to imagine

30:40

themselves anywhere but in the confines of

30:43

their homes. This

30:45

rudimentary understanding of your genre can

30:47

guide you toward creating something commercial.

30:51

Three, pinpoint what you

30:53

uniquely add to the conversation. If

30:56

there are countless books about parenting in

30:58

the modern world but no one has

31:00

yet written about it through the academic

31:03

lens of research on diversity, then you've

31:05

found a possible hook. If

31:07

you're writing a novel, maybe your

31:09

idea is a zombie or vampire character

31:11

who has an interesting trait like a

31:14

love for animals and an ability to

31:16

communicate with them. Four,

31:20

ensure that your big idea requires

31:22

a written book in the first place. This

31:25

last step has become a major

31:27

challenge in recent years. If

31:30

your idea already exists as

31:32

free web, video, speech, or

31:35

podcast content, there needs

31:37

to be something contained in your

31:39

pages worth a price that cannot

31:41

be mimicked online. You

31:44

might follow steps one to three perfectly,

31:46

but if your book idea

31:49

can be covered in an essay

31:51

or podcast episode, you still haven't landed

31:53

the plane, and agents and

31:55

editors are likely to reject your work.

31:58

Your big idea should have a simple headline

32:01

promise, but with more detail

32:03

and nuance to unravel. There

32:05

needs to be meat on the bones, as we

32:08

say. The

32:10

biggest ideas are out there. You

32:12

just need to grab them and package

32:14

them in a compelling and relevant way.

32:17

Allow yourself room for inspiration

32:19

and creativity, but let this

32:21

flow hand in hand with your research. In

32:25

today's market, saturated with content

32:27

of every kind. I

32:30

see too many writers make the mistake of

32:32

dusting an old book off the shelf or

32:35

locking themselves away in the proverbial

32:37

ivory tower, then simply sending their

32:39

work out into the world. The

32:42

more investigating you do, the

32:44

clearer you will be about the unique value

32:46

of your work. How

32:49

to do that exactly will become more

32:51

evident to you in the chapter ahead.