by Blythe Daniel @ByltheDaniel

One of the most challenging areas for writers is coming up with a unique book idea. I mean if Ecclesiastes 1:9 is true (and it is!) then there is nothing new under the sun but then where does that leave me for a book that there isn’t anything like?

Have you ever noticed that the word unique starts with you? I don’t mean “you” with the proper spelling. But u! Where I’m from that equates to shorthand for you or y’all!

Really, we need to think of ourselves as having the creativity to come up with an idea that editors at publishing companies go, “Wow, I haven’t seen anything like this and I love it!”

Probably the area I tell writers to work on the most is their unique idea. And I know it can create a blank stare or a long pause if they are hearing me share it verbally. It’s as if they are staring back, “How am I supposed to do that?” And to that I say.. be creative. Use your creative mind to think about where there is a hole in the market and try to fill it.

This takes proper research to begin with. You need to go into an actual bookstore and look at many of the books in your category or genre. And read some of them to get a feel for the way they present their material. Another way to research is to go to Amazon or ChristianBook.com and enter key words to try to find books on the same subject. I like going to both of these because often they will pull up different searches. Both bring up helpful titles and formats of books that you can check out. You can look up devotionals, Christian fiction, non-fiction, children’s, and more.

I’ve seen writers skip this step entirely, thinking that when they find books that compare to theirs, publishers won’t want theirs. It’s actually the exact opposite. We know as professionals in publishing that there are books that are similar to most every idea we review. We need you to show us how your book is different from those. And not showing any comparative books shows us you haven’t done thorough research.

So it’s okay, and actually helpful, to show that readers of a particular author/book are the target market for your book. But then show you are putting your creative foot forward to make yours stand out for the audience that will resonate with your book.

After all, you are in touch with readers and no one has the exact duplication of an audience that you have. You are what make your readers want to tune into what you are writing. So make sure you’re capitalizing on that as you write your book and as you come up with marketing plans that will resonate with readers.

Now, for the real zinger. You need to be willing not just to assume that because you’re writing the book that it will be unique because it’s your story. But that’s not necessarily true. Many people writing books are all writing from a personal experience. And chances are, a good number of those writing books will have had a similar experience as you and writing from that perspective.

So what we need for non-fiction is to see your hook, your approach to the topic, the angle you are taking in your book. The topic may not be new, but your approach will be. 

For fiction, even if you are writing a story that is based on a family member or that’s a real story you know about, it still needs to have a storyline that is unique and not like other storylines out there. You want to think about the value of the story since, after all, fiction is for those who want a great story, an entertaining read.

Sometimes when writers write from a personal story that happened in their family or in their geographic area, they are so focused on telling the story just as it happened that they won’t give themselves any creative licenses to go outside that. And then the writing feels stifled because it’s just stuck in the actual events of the person’s family member or town that the story is based on.

So when researching for your novel, make sure that you bring in a unique twist, an unusual plot or an unexpected twist and turn that keeps the reader coming back for more. If the writing sounds like a predictable storyline that others have written or the book feels like many others telling the same type of story, then your reader isn’t going to stick with you. And that’s a problem, isn’t it?

Your experience, your heart and passion, and your ability to write on the idea that you have credentials or research about is important. Don’t underestimate what you bring to the writing process. After all, you are showing up on the pages (or your characters are that you have created).

But make sure that it’s unique enough where those of us reading your work can say, “I haven’t seen this approach before. This would stand out because of _________.”

If we cannot name how the book would stand out, then it probably won’t make it very far in the consideration process with publishers. A sellable idea that sticks out as something quite special and new is one of the more challenging aspects of writing but certainly not an impossible task of publishing.

Be you, be you-nique and you will find an audience that will be captivated by your words!

Blythe Daniel is a literary agent and marketer and has been in publishing for over 20 years. She has written for Proverbs 31 Ministries, Focus on the Family, Ann Voskamp, and Christian Retailing. She and her mother Dr.

Helen McIntosh are the authors of I Love You, Mom! Cherished Word Gifts from My Heart to Yours (Tyndale House) and Mended: Restoring the Hearts of Mothers and Daughters (Harvest House Publishers).