So You Want to Publish a Book
1. Choosing Your Book Topic
Most authors begin with a topic already in mind—but you don’t need one to start. Many people want to publish a book to build their authority, share their experiences, or finally check “write a book” off their bucket list. A topic can emerge naturally once you explore your interests and what readers are hungry for.
One easy way to discover your topic is brainstorming. Sit down with a notepad, let your mind wander, and write down anything you’re interested in—no filtering. Keep the list handy for a few days and add ideas as they pop up (you’ll be surprised how many come at night or while driving). After a few days, sort your list by excitement level. You now have a short list of realistic contenders.
Once you have potential topics, it’s time to see what the market looks like. Head to Amazon, choose “Books,” and search your topic. Amazon will instantly show you related search terms, which help you understand how broad or narrow your niche is. Click into each variation to explore which books are already out there, how saturated the field is, and which angles authors are using. Often, this exercise sparks new topic ideas you hadn’t considered.
To avoid Amazon tailoring results to your previous searches—something that can skew your research—use an Incognito window. To access an Incognito window, click on the three dots at the top right of your browser page, then click on “New incognito window”. A new page will open. Use this page for your Amazon search.
Another powerful tool is KDSpy (www.kdspy.com use an incognito window). It’s a browser extension that analyzes any Amazon book category and shows you sales estimates, pricing, review counts, and publication dates. In seconds, you get a snapshot of the competition: who’s selling well, what angles work, and where gaps in the market exist. KDSpy can save weeks of detective work and help you decide whether your topic is worth pursuing.
2. Customer Research: Understanding Your Reader
Once your topic is chosen, the next—and most critical—step is customer research. Writing a book without knowing your readers is like cooking dinner for someone without knowing their allergies. Your book must speak directly to the people who need it.
Customer research helps you uncover:
· Demographics: age, gender, life stage, profession—whatever is relevant
· Problems/Pain Points: what are readers struggling with that sends them searching for a book?
· Desired Outcomes: what transformation do they hope to achieve?
· Objections: what might make them think your solution won’t work for them?
· Language/Slang: how do they talk about the problem? (This becomes gold for writing your blurb later.)
In the past, authors gathered this information manually by combing through hundreds of Amazon reviews. Today, AI makes this dramatically faster and more accurate. Using ChatGPT, you can enter the ASINs of the top books in your niche and request a breakdown of the exact customer insights listed above. The more books you include—usually three to ten—the richer your data becomes.
A ChatGPT Plus subscription (about $33 CAD/month) is worth it if you're writing multiple books; it pays for itself in saved time and improved outcomes.
Once you have your customer research summary, keep it nearby throughout your entire writing and publishing journey. This document will guide your writing style, content decisions, chapter structure, title, subtitle, and even your marketing.
Good customer research helps you:
· Make marketing and keyword decisions easier and more effective
· Write a book that solves real problems
· Stand out in a crowded market
· Position yourself as a credible guide
3. Crafting Your Book Title
With your topic and customer research in place, you can now draft a working title. This doesn’t have to be perfect yet, but having a draft title helps ChatGPT assist you later with writing, outlining, and marketing.
Your full title includes two parts:
Main Title
· Must contain your primary keyword
· Should clearly express your book’s purpose
· Should be unique enough to stand out (one or two books sharing the same title is fine; more than that creates confusion)
Subtitle
Your subtitle does the heavy lifting. It should include:
· 2–5 related keywords readers commonly search for
· 3 clear benefits or outcomes your reader will experience (directly pulled from your customer research)
Readers should know exactly what problem your book solves and why it's worth their time and money.
ChatGPT can help you refine options, test variations, and ensure your title is keyword-rich while still sounding natural and compelling.
Aim for 120–180 characters combined (title + subtitle). This length typically performs best on Amazon because it balances clarity, keyword strength, and readability.