Why did you write a book?

The amount of effort that goes into crafting a manuscript, revising it, sharing it, eating some humble pie while you revise it again, and then entering into the publishing process ... it can be a huge burden for normal humans.

What is it about writers that drives them to not only begin a manuscript but to actually see it through to the end product: a book?

Why do we do it?

For some writers, particularly fiction, it's the incessant voice of the muse pushing them to tell a story. They cannot help but write. If they have an audience already waiting for the next installment, they've not only created a fictional world where their imagination has been able to develop, but they've created a real world of people who want to share that imagination because it sparks something in them: emotional memory, living vicariously through the characters, or maybe just the entertainment of an alternate world. They connect through stories.

For other authors, the need to share a message with the world is so strong that a book -- or two or three -- is the place they can place all their thoughts and have those ideas reach an audience. Not only do these tomes offer a place of expression to share a passion, but they help the author and the readers connect with each other over a message. If a book's message is strong enough and is shared by many, it can create change. Nothing is more powerful than a message supported by passion and connection.

For business people, a book is a way to share expertise. It is a format that potential clients can take home with them, study, read, and learn from an expert. It can even be a way to prime a client before they embark on hiring you for your specialty. For example, a company that sells knitting supplies: yarn, needles, patterns, and that even offers classes, would benefit from having a book about knitting for beginners. How? Not only will the beginning knitter be better informed about the process, the need for practice, the tools they'll require, and exactly what to expect, but the book will have them already believing in the knitting store as their source for all their questions and supplies. They'll trust the store because they wrote the book on the subject.

We often get bogged down in the idea of how to sell a book, how to market it and find an audience--all incredibly important details to the success of the work. However, with all the time and effort that goes into a project as determined as a book, it is good to remember what your intentions were, are, and will be.

Writing for the Market

Most authors write a book and then hope that it will be well-received.

What if you could plan for your book to be an in-demand source?

You can.

By doing some preliminary research before you sit down to write, you can scout out where there are literary holes in the market.

This is particularly important for nonfiction, but it also works for fiction. Getting ready to right that young adult novel about a young boy wizard and his friends? If you aren't going back in time and snaking J.K. Rowling "Harry Potter" franchise, you might want to consider a different angle.

Let's stay with that example. What is it about the Harry Potter series that is so popular? Magic, mystery, danger, wizardry, and a relatable set of characters for young and old readers.

Consider penning the next young adult novel with similar themes but taken from another angle. You can tie into the reading zeitgeist of supernatural fiction without having to compete directly with the unbeatable.

You may be saying to yourself, "OK, genius book publisher, what DO I write about then." Here is where it is pointed out that YOU are the writer...

As for nonfiction, this is a much easier task. If you are writing about a nonfiction topic, that means you are an expert in the area you are writing about. You are aware of the subject matter and what resources are out there. That means you know what is missing.

Here's an example of a market with an open niche: Riding equitation.

There are tons of books about horses, raising horses, training horses, riding horses, etc. However, there only about three books available in print about saddle seat equitation. Saddle seat is a very specific type of riding. If someone had the knowledge and resources to write a book on modern day saddle seat equitation, they'd quickly become a top seller for that niche.

This doesn't mean that you will become a millionaire. However, being a bestseller in a niche is a sure way to steady sales if there is demand for you book.

Just remember, no matter how nicely your book fills a niche, if it isn't a quality book--professionally edited and designed--you'll have a hard time convincing readers you're an expert and leading them to buy your NEXT book.

"Dialogue bookisms interrupt the reader," she harped.

I was hanging out on http://bloodredpencil.blogspot.com, one of the many book-oriented blogs I visit throughout the day, and was reading their post about "bookisms" and whether they should be used.

It touched a nerve with me as a reader, writer, and occasional editor.

The "bookism" in this case is referring to the use of emotional tags in dialogue attribution to tell the reader how the speaker is feeling. Here's an example:

"You are standing on my foot," she exclaimed angrily.

You, the writer, do not need to tell your reader that your character is upset that someone is on their foot. This is a common experience most of us have been thorugh many, many times. Feet have nerve endings and pressing upon them excessivley causes pain that will raise anger and irritability on the stepped-on party's emotional thermomenter rather quickly.

In this particular dialogue scenario, the magic of the exclamation point could be employed.

It would look like this:

"You are standing on my foot!" she said.

Another option, if you're really are determined to use the phrase "she exclaimed angrily" you could do this:

She exclaimed angrily, "You are on my foot!"

The best option, in my opinion, is to let the dialogue carry itself.

"You are standing on my foot!"

"I am so sorry, I didn't see you there."

"That's OK. It just surprised me. Wow. You have really big feet."

"Well, I'm 6'4". Tall people generally have the big feet. Short people with big feet kind of look like Weebles. Don't you think?

"Get away from me, you weirdo."

See? Successful dialogue that required nary a speaker ID.

Here's the bottomline:

By using bookisms, you slow the reader of your words down. The content is what is important and the story cannot continue for your reader if they are consistently popped out of the story to decide what "exclaiming" feels like.

Keep the dialogue flowing. If you need to use an ID, use a simple "she said" and you'll keep your reader clear on the speaker and keep their eyes moving across the page.