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A good idea is the foundation for any nonfiction book proposal. It's the intangible product you're trying to sell to a publisher. Good ideas are everywhere. But it takes a keen eye and know-how to shape an idea into a book proposal and ultimately a sale.

Finding Your Hook

What makes an idea good? Innovation and a focused target market give any idea an edge--or hook. Finding a hook is the process of taking a complicated idea and describing it in terms that resemble a "soundbite" teaser for... the next Oprah Winfrey show. Your hook is the focal point from which your book proposal can be formed. This hook must be intriguing enough to pull an editor's attention away from your competition.

As you scan the universe for book ideas, you have to find just the right focal point. But your book idea does not have to be entirely original. If you can write a unique or superior treatment of a particular subject, it doesn't matter if there are similar books on the market. If you're confident, innovative, and can meet the competition head on, you might have what it takes to convince a publisher.

The first thing to consider when choosing an idea for your nonfiction book proposal is whether the idea can be expanded into a book. Many ideas can sustain a CNN factoid, but not a 200-plus-page book.

Some ideas can support only a magazine article. Magazines are good places to introduce concepts, but books require much greater depth.

Targeting Your Market vs. Market Saturation

Even if your idea can fill the pages of a book, the key consideration is whether anyone would buy it and read it. If you want commercial success, you must think commercially. The mating habits of obscure sea creatures may appeal to a certain segment of the population, but a book on the subject would not be a hot topic at most dinner parties.

If you want to write for the commercial market, you have to be aware of the possibility of market saturation on any given subject. When you're forming a book idea, you should first research the topic to see what's already out there. Go to a bookstore; go to a library and check Books in Print, a periodically updated publication available in book form and CD-ROM that contains extensive listings of books by category.

If there are complementary books but yours can fill a unique and necessary gap, move forward. If you can't find anything that would separate you from the fold, move on to another subject. Don't be overly alarmed about books that are old and not currently being distributed. Many very good books simply have been ahead of their time. If a subject is important enough it can often be cleverly resurrected in an updated format.

If several books in your topic area appear suddenly in the bookstores--from different publishing houses--take this as a good indicator of market saturation. For example, after the first books on codependency appeared on the shelves, we received innumerable book proposals on different aspects of this recovery movement. While there are still territories yet uncharted, we found publishers tired of the subject and reluctant to see anything more.

The Makings of a Good Idea

One way to spot a potentially marketable idea is to be aware of popular trends. But being tuned in to what is happening now is not enough--you have to be able to gauge where the public's interest may be when your book comes out. Nothing is more dated than a time-sensitive idea whose time has passed.

Keep in mind that the publishing industry operates at least six months to a year ahead of the bookshelves. Spotting trends and potential new markets requires an almost visionary quality. You can get around the "I can't stand to hear another word on that topic" syndrome by being creative. If you can distinguish yourself through a new approach to the material, you can still write in a somewhat saturated topic area. Start your own bandwagon; don't wait to jump on someone else's.

Spot trends and then try to stay ahead of them. Spotting trends also requires a good understanding of popular interests. Do not rely solely on the electronic media to reflect trends in the types of books people want to read. One does not necessarily offer an accurate guide to the other.

Popular culture magazines are helpful in seeing developments in the reading public's interests. They are often more immediate and should be included in your research. Even "rag magazines" such as the National Enquirer reflect popular taste and are useful for getting a sense of what people find interesting. Some people say the readers of the rags don't buy books. They are discounting the people who read them at the checkout or those who sneak them home so their neighbors don't find out.

Don't forget the Internet. Writers today are fortunate to have such a limitless resource. You can check which books are hot sellers or can check out newsgroups and chat rooms. The Internet offers a tremendous amount of information at your fingertips.

Trips to the library and bookstore will help you, but your greatest wealth of ideas will come from leading your life. Attend workshops and lectures that interest you. Pay attention to the questions people ask and the topics they focus on so you can get a handle on what kinds of books they might need. Look to your own profession and what you know best. If you are passionate about something, you can develop it into a book idea.

Once you find your hook and begin to shape your idea, you need to look at it objectively. If it is a thesis that can be expanded and fleshed out to support an entire book, then review the following questions:

• Why would anyone want to read this book?
• Who is my target audience?
• What is my unique hook in 25 words or less?
• Can the hook support an entire book?
• Will I be telling my readers anything they don't already know?

For example, if you're like most of us, the straight details of your life would not sustain a book. But if you can tell a good story or spin a good yarn, you can certainly liven up your book with entertaining anecdotes. You then need to put your anecdotes into a context that will serve as your hook.

Sharpening Your Focus

To shape an idea into a book proposal, you need to refine and polish it so it can be communicated in a logical fashion. Nonfiction writing is intended to convey information. Do not try to be literary. Concise and readable means that no one has to refer to a dictionary after every paragraph. In nonfiction, there should not be several shades of meaning, as you would find in classic literature. Narrative nonfiction may use creative techniques, but with the exception of examples, the proposal should stick to basic, clear language.

Having a focused idea is imperative. An unfocused idea is one of the main reasons why a book proposal will be rejected. Aside from your hook, you'll need to state your expanded thesis in one concise paragraph.

If you can't convince someone of the book's merit in six lines or less, you need to be more focused. We've seen some exceptionally talented people waylay their careers with unfocused book ideas. Even the best lecturers and speakers in the world can't find a publisher for a bad book. If your idea would only lead to something self-serving or dull, give it up and start again.

You need to be both objective and flexible in the writing business. You need to be tenacious and persistent, but not stubborn. Do not try to force a bad idea into the system. If you become too emotionally attached to an idea, you may not see a better one when it comes along.

Sometimes a book idea has a gestation period of many years before it's ready to be born. Don't give up if some of your efforts never seem to go anywhere. Keep a file of good ideas that need more time to develop. With time, you might acquire the insights or ingredients to make them work. Let the book grow with you as you learn how to package and market yourself.

When you have an idea for a book, you should see where it takes you. Good ideas can have a life of their own when you give them a chance to thrive.