Due to the economy, an influx of businesses are coming on the scene and new authors are evolving. Uber, Tesla, Snapchat, and Netflix all developed for the purpose of filling a void or to supply a need. What type of void are you filling with your stories?

I’ve noticed that there is a lot of competition for shelf space, whether it’s in a boutique or a chain bookstore, but one thing that makes a difference is in what story that you are telling. Games of Thrones, Fantastic Beasts, and Manga are of great interest to those readers looking for a non-traditional yet intriguing approach to storytelling. John Grisham and James Patterson draw in those readers that seek mystery, thrills, and suspense. C.S. Lewis is not only profound at mastering the written language, but Christian and fantasy stories also.

What type of books and authors interest you? I talk to readers a lot to discover what they like and what influences their purchases and the answers will surprise you. Based upon the answers that I obtained from various readers, the following are the 10 tips that were developed from those answers that you can use for creating your own work:

1. Choose a genre that interests you or you have some knowledge about (i.e. Sci-Fi/Fantasy)

2. Research and study the style of a few authors within that genre

3. Go to a bookstore, choose a few books, review the book synopses and the author bios

4. At the bookstore, engage with the customers that are within the genre area of your choice

5. Listen to and hear both what is being said and is not being said

6. Ask questions of the customers - don’t assume you know the answers

7. Repeat what you hear to make sure that there is a clear understanding

8. Indirectly ask for feedback by providing them with a teaser of your book without saying so

9. Take down some notes of what you’ve learned

10. Repeat as necessary until you have a clear path of writing

As you begin to work through these steps, you can move on to the next phases of your book development. Notice how the above-mentioned steps are not only simple, but help you to focus on your genre of choice. Now go out and write with abandonment.

What this means is to give up control, give in emotionally, and just write. Remember, the goal is to entice and entertain your audience. Get creative using the information that you obtained from your research, bookstore visit, the customers that you encountered, the feedback from other readers, and your notes to begin the writing process.

This creative process will help you in navigating a more fluid paradigm shift as you work through to the next writing phase. I suggest that you read some of my other articles from Creating Your Masterpiece which outlines the four easy steps of writing success: Gather, Study, Begin and Write; and Overcoming Your Block which defines that the essence of Relaxation, Writing and Visualization are the elements of making the best stories.