Organizing Your Research
You’ve done a lot of research and digging for your book and now you’re ready to get started writing. Wait a second – not so fast! You’re just going to overwhelm yourself if you try to sift through your research as you write. There has to be a step in between that.
The first thing you have to do is organize the research you’ve found. First, eliminate any research or details that aren’t exactly directly related to what you’re going to write.
It will just be a waste of time to have those things in front of you while you write. You might tuck that unneeded research away for later in a folder on your computer so you can access it for a different book if you need to.
Organize your important, relevant research according to the outline you’ve written for yourself. Come up with a table of contents if you haven’t already and organize your research based on that.
Organize sub-topics with the relevant research. That way, when you’re writing, you can easily reference each point of research exactly when it’s needed and ignore it when it’s not needed.
One of the simplest ways to organize your research is to keep file folders on your computer desktop. Put them in folders according to topic or subtopic. Organize them according to when you’re going to need them as you write your book.
There is writing software out there that may help you as well. Scrivener is a great option and it allows you to import web pages, files, and more so that you can easily reference these things as you write.
This software also allows you to split your screen between your research and your writing so you can write without flipping through various folders. It’s all there where you need it – a lot of writers swear by it.
You can also use tools like Zotero, which allows you to easily collect references from all around the web. It will even save the reference information so you can easily cite your sources when the time comes. Zotero is a fantastic, free tool.
These certainly aren’t the only options, but they are very popular options for a reason. Do some digging and find what will work best for you. It will be so much easier for you to work well when your research is well organized.
Starting to Write
Before you get started writing, make sure you’ve organized yourself well. Make sure you’ve written a very detailed table of contents/outline so you can just write without having to think while you write.
If you organize yourself in the right way, then you’ll never run into writer’s block. You’ve organized research, facts, figures, anecdotes of your own and anecdotes of others, and it’s all ready to go.
You don’t have to scramble to find information as you write. You don’t have to wonder what’s coming next. You don’t have to rely on your own brain to try to structure your book in the right way on the fly. It’s all done for you and it’s so easy.
Make sure you’ve done that first step before you get started writing – are you confident your books will sell? You should’ve found a unique, sellable angle. It could be that with just a little bit more research into what’s already selling, you can easily tweak your topic to something that will sell and that you’re really confident about.
Consider whether you’re organized enough. You might think that it’s easy enough to find the research you’ve collected in the various folders or whatever it is that you’re using, but is it truly easily accessed? The easier it is, and the more ready it is exactly when you need it, the faster you’ll be able to write a high quality book.
Your outline should be based on your research and opinion. It should contain what your readers expect to find in a book like yours, as well as additional unique insight that will delight and entertain them. You want your book to be helpful and different from everything else on the market… but you also want to follow what’s already selling.
Consider whether you know your reader well enough to write this book well. It can really help if you picture your average customer in your mind and imagine you’re writing the book directly for them. It’s just as if you’re helping a friend. Write in an easy to follow, conversational tone.
This is incredibly difficult to do if you don’t know your reader. Get to know them a little bit each day. Pay attention to their likes and dislikes. If you release your book and you get some negative reviews, pay attention to why – don’t get mad about it and don’t respond to it.
Accept constructive criticism as it’s meant. Also pay attention to the very positive reviews you get and make sure you rinse and repeat and do the things your readers love.
Remember to make sure you’re setting yourself apart in some important way as you get started writing. You don’t want to write the same old thing that’s already out on the market – you want to write something that’s unique to you that will stand out in the best possible way.
Amazon Sales and Researching Best Practices
I can’t say this enough – you should be continuously studying Amazon bestsellers if you’re going to be an Amazon author. Make it a habit to do this on a regular basis and keep notes on new ideas for content.
Remember that you aren’t just writing one book, you’re going to write many books that serve your audience in different ways.
One important note is that you should be researching possible keywords and title ideas that will help your book sell. Your book still might not sell if people can’t find it. Amazon sales algorithms rely heavily on keywords and titles.
Pay attention to the titles in your niche that are already selling well and make note of how those authors make use of keywords, particularly in their subtitles, as well as categories. This is what you should be doing, especially if you’re combining two closely related best-selling ideas.
Don’t use a generic title or it’s possible that people won’t be able to find or relate to your book even if it would be helpful for them. Your title matters, the category you put your book in on Amazon matters, and the keywords you use when you publish a book on Kindle matter. If you want to sell a lot of books, these are all things you need to pay attention to.
Stay on top of Amazon’s trends. Don’t let a great angle for your niche pass you by just because you do the research once and never do it again. Who knows what the popular topic will be a month or a year from now. Make some time in your schedule to do this on a regular basis. Treat this like a business – you’re not just a writer, you’re a businessperson.
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