Choosing the Right Topic for Your Self-Help Book

Shamila Iyer
May 7
3 min read

Updated: Jun 1

3 Steps to Help You Choose the Right Topic for Your Book

Choose a specific topic – narrow it down.
Define your audience – i.e., your reader.
Write about what you know and love.

Before you even begin to gather your ideas and put together your book outline, carefully consider what you want to say, who you want to say it to, and why you want to share it. Having the answers to these three questions will guide you in choosing the best topic for your book.

Your "What", Your "Who", and Your "Why"

1. Your Topic Must Be Specific (What)

Don’t choose a topic that is too broad. One book cannot cover everything. Zoom in.

For example, instead of choosing a broad topic like How to Train Your Pug, be more specific and narrow it down to something like How to Train Your Pug to Write Your LinkedIn Posts.

Note: Don’t confuse the topic with the book title. That comes later. (Although sometimes it can be the same thing.)

Your book topic answers the question, “What is this book about?” It covers the subject of the book, whereas the title is the name given to the book.

Do Nothing is the title of the book in the image below. These two words don’t tell us what the book is about. However, the subtitle hints at what is covered in the book — its subject and the topic.

The book, Do Nothing held up in front of a bookshelf — Find an excellent summary of 'Do Nothing' -->The Therapeutic Bookshelf (FB)

2. Define Your Audience (Who)

A broad topic might not reach the audience you want to address. Determine who you believe would benefit from your solutions. Who will benefit from reading your book? Now write to that one type of person. This will help you focus and stay on track with your purpose, making your book more effective.

For the Pug book, your audience will be pug owners who don’t have time to write their own LinkedIn posts. (The market is huge – tap into it now before someone else beats you to it.)

The cover of a book showing a pug lying on a laptop's keyboard. — Your audience - pug owners who write their own LinkedIn posts

3. Your Knowledge (Why)

Choose a topic centered around what you know and what you are passionate about. And keep your purpose in mind. Why do you want to write this book?

Passion – training my pet pug to do things for me. Writing content for LinkedIn.

Purpose – I want to share my passion and expertise with other pug owners who struggle to keep up with writing LinkedIn posts. Given the demand, I am confident that my ROI will be substantial.

A male holding a pug and sitting in front of a laptop. — Teaching my pug to share our passion.

Got Topic. What’s Next?

Now that you have an idea for your topic, let’s chat about how you can start your book-writing journey and why coffee, or a straitjacket, is an essential ingredient.

I am passionate about helping professionals write their first book. This includes coaching you from the first word through the entire writing process, publication, and even beyond.

Are you ready to start your book-writing journey? Not sure where to start? Let’s have a chat. Your first consultation includes a complimentary book outline and chapter template.

Final Thoughts

Writing a self-help book can be a rewarding journey. It allows you to share your knowledge and connect with others. Remember, the key is to choose a topic that resonates with you and your audience.