When you look up “Craft books” on Amazon, it instantly comes up with “over 200,000 results.”
When you look up “Hobby books” on Amazon, it instantly comes up with “over 100,000 results.”
That paints a daunting picture if you’re writing a craft or hobby book. Clearly, you’ve got some competition there. So let’s try to narrow it down a bit.
Let’s say you’re writing about jewelry making specifically. In which case, you’re in luck! You only have “over 10,000 results” to fight against. Progress has been made.
Progress can be made further still though by narrowing down your focus from there. Consider how a search for “jewelry making books for beginners” results in just 388 results.
Now we’re talking.
This goes to show a simple truth about the craft and hobby books genre. One of the best ways to stand out in this crowded market is to find a catchy category or niche, and claim it as your own.
Know your audience and speak right to them.
This is actually a multifaceted rule. For one thing, according to crafting expert Margot Potter, aka Madge, aka The Impatient Crafter, you need to find a truly unique angle to write about your craft or hobby. Let potential readers know you’re the expert go-to in this area of the free-time world.
At the same time, let them know why their lives will be better by learning at your crafting table. Make your presentation as fun or beautiful or useful as possible.
Let’s go further into that multifaceted rule from here, specifically the first part. It deserves a closer look...
When writing a craft and hobby book – one you want to make some money off of, anyway – you can’t just choose any old topic.
You have to know your market. Perhaps more so than in most other genres.
True, there are always going to be the independent types: those free-willed creatures who do their own thing no matter what anyone else is doing. However, those people are also more likely well-versed in their craft or hobby of choice already.
Sad to say it, but they don’t need your guidance.
That’s why you’re much better off doing some serious pre-writing research on what’s popular. What’s the trend? What’s been covered too many times already, and what subject matter might be due for a comeback?
Your best bet, of course, is to be the first expert in on a trend that’s set to explode. Though that kind of pre-identification can be tricky, particularly if you don’t have a crystal ball. Lucky for you, there is another decent way of making your name known in the crafts and hobby world…
Find some awesome new or little-covered angle of an existing trend. Claim it, act on it and start promoting the stuffing out of it.
For further insights about this, Innovative Editing is going to pass you on to the aforementioned crafting expert Margot Potter.
She might call herself impatient, but she certainly doesn’t show it in her blog post “How to Write and Publish a Craft Book Part 1.” Check it out.
And when you do, don’t forget to write in and let me know if you end up as impressed with her honest attention to detail as I am. From what I’ve seen, the lady knows a thing or two about writing a craft or hobby book.