With thousands of books being released every day, an author’s work can get buried unless they find a way to stand out. In this episode, proposal writer Salwa Emerson discusses how to distinguish yourself in a saturated market and find your unique offering.

Welcome to Published, a podcast by Greenleaf Book Group, where we'll discuss the ins and outs of the publishing industry, from writing a book and finding the right publisher, to gearing up for a book launch. And now here's your host, Greenleaf Book Group CEO, Tanya Hall.

Welcome back to Published. Today we're joined by Salwa Emerson, a non-fiction ghostwriter, proposal writer, and editor who coaches and collaborates with thought leaders. Many non-fiction authors get stuck on how to write a book that's saying something new.

With thousands of books being released every day and author's work can get buried unless they somehow find a way to stand out. So what makes one business book different from another? Rather than trying to reinvent the wheel, authors can set their books apart by focusing on what's special about how they deliver their information, why they're the right person to write the book, and how they can connect with readers in a fresh way.

In this episode, Salwa will discuss how to stand out in a saturated market and find your unique offering. Now let's dive into the interview.

Tanya: Thank you so much for joining us today on Published.

Salwa: Thank you.

Tanya: Looking forward to this chat. Why don't you start by introducing yourself and telling us a bit about what you do?

Salwa: Well, I'm a ghostwriter. I work specifically with non-fiction, prescriptive non-fiction, memoirs. I don't only help my clients and people I work with write their books, but really, it's an important part of the ghostwriting process to help them position their books and market their books and get their books published, help them figure out what to do with their baby once it's born, so to speak.

Tanya: Yes, I love the analogy. And it's a drum I feel like I'm constantly beating that often people do these things out of order, right? They write the book and then they think about how they're going to differentiate themselves and their message and who they're trying to reach. And it maybe takes a little more discipline and strategic thinking than some people are wanting to tackle when they've already decided to tackle the difficult task of writing a book. But you really have to put that strategy first and think about the marketing elements before you even sit down and start writing. I write about that in my book, Ideas, Influence, and Income, and it's the one thing I wish I could convey to everybody who's thinking about writing a book.

Salwa: Absolutely. Absolutely. It's interesting, too, that people who are writing business books kind of lose their business mindset when it comes to their book. And I think part of it is the fact that when you're writing a book, it's an exciting process. You have all these great ideas. You want to get them down.

But if you don't shift at some point and start to really think about what does the reader need to hear, and at some point, as you said, should happen before you even start to write, then it kind of can really lose its focus and not be something that's marketable. One of the first things I do when I speak to an author about their book idea is I'll get on the phone with somebody, maybe at Smith or somebody else that I know, and I'll just shoot their ideas and kind of say, how should we position this book? How should we even start? What's the market like out there? So I think that's a really important part of the process of writing it or if you're vetting a ghostwriter, finding someone who thinks that way too.

Tanya: Absolutely. Yeah, it's a product. And I think a lot of times people don't want to think about their baby as a product, but it is and you therefore need to think about it in terms of a product launch. So let's talk about those ideas. You talked about trying to kind of fine tune what that is going to be. And I think from my chair, I can see certain ideas that are very broad. And we look at those and we're like, it's kind of trying to serve too many masters or we difficult to market because it's not really clear who it's more. And then on the other end, there are certain ideas that are so niche — the saying is there's riches in niches, and I've seen that on our list, but sometimes it's a little too niche and it just narrows itself out of any potential. So how does an author strike a balance between those things to find the right mix? It fits neatly within a certain subject area, but also has a defined audience with a market.

Salwa: Yeah, that's a great question. Because as we know, the business book market especially is very saturated. Most of the things that are in business books have been said time and time again in different ways, in different forms, nobody's really reinventing the wheel here.

But what I think stands out is, number one, a person's personal story. I think that's unique. People always want to hear stories. They don't want to listen to ideas. Get in touch with what your specific story really is. Get to the core of it, get to the message, get to the values that can be shared from that story. And then from there, I think some unique ideas can come. Maybe not unique ideas, but a unique approach to what's already been said.

Again, this goes back to marketing. Your author brand, who are you to people out there? If you already have an established audience of people who may be subscribing to a newsletter, or people who are listening to you on social media, or people have heard you speak in public speaking engagements, that's really key to kind of winning your audience before they even buy the book. You know, they're going to buy the book if they know that they can trust you, if they know your story, if they know the values and the ideas you're putting out there.

Tanya: We all know stories are so important to making an idea stick as they say, so happy to hear that. And I agree. I think a lot of the books out there, I read tons of prescriptive nonfiction and a lot of it, it's like, okay, yes, I've heard this before, but there's a new framework here that helps me to apply it in a way that is maybe more applicable for me or more useful. And that's often where the magic lies is just in that framework.

Salwa: Exactly.

Tanya: Well, you do proposal writing for authors as well, and the whole point of a proposal is to make something stand out in the marketplace and get that bigger book deal. So what are some elements that can make a nonfiction book stand out in a proposal as you're working with an author on developing that? And especially, as you said, if it's a topic that's been sort of written to death, let's say a leadership book, for instance.

Salwa: Yeah. Yes. Well, it's interesting. Agents and publishers really want to know one thing. They want to know why is your book relevant and why is it relevant right now? So if you can really even refine the message to how does that message apply to these days and times, not just who your reader is, but who your reader is now living in 2024, 2025, by the time the book comes out, what kind of things are they dealing with? What kind of things, you know, are people talking about and care about? And the specific environment that your book is going to be born in, to keep with our little analogy, I think that's really important. Also, the marketing plan is really, really the most important part of your proposal.

And a lot of people don't get that. It's kind of like an afterthought when it should be the first thing you're thinking about. And if you can't come up with a great marketing plan, I say wait six months to even write that book proposal and get something going, get an audience out there.

Otherwise, and agents and publishers will see this, you're just going to be kind of speaking to crickets. They want to know that there are people who are ready to vote it to your ideas and what you have to say. So the marketing plan is really, really key to stand out.

Tanya: Agreed. And again, that's another drum I feel like I'm constantly beating. Nobody wants to hear, "pause six months and work on building your platform" when they've already taken the deep breath to say I'm going to write a book. It is so important though. You get one chance to launch it, and the more strategic and thoughtful you are, the better you will do come launch day. And you will be grateful that you did all of that preplanning and thinking.

Salwa: Absolutely. Absolutely. And it's more than just about numbers. It's really about who is engaged. There are different ways to kind of figure that out. It's like agents and publishers care about not necessarily the number of followers you have, but maybe they care more about who's a paid subscriber to your substack or who is on those email lists, you know, the click-through rate, like who's opening up those emails, who's reading these things, who's really engaged and committed to what you have to say.

Tanya: Yes, I talk about, I think it's Kendall and Kylie Jenner, who wrote a book, a science fiction book that some people think it was intended to become a film vehicle, right? Nobody even remembers. So, the fascinating thing is you look at, you were talking about numbers, you look at the sheer number of followers they have, which is more than the population of Canada and Mexico combined. And this book sold like nothing because there's a lack of alignment, right, between the type of followers they have who are more interested in a lip kit versus... This is an extinction story, regardless of how good the story was. So, I just, I love that example because it just goes to show you, it's not just about how many followers do I have, but it is that engagement that makes all the difference.

Salwa: Absolutely. That's a great example. Wow. Well, now I'm curious. Now I want to actually pick up.

Tanya: It's called The Rebels of Indra. I'm surprised I dug that up.

Let's talk a bit about personal anecdotes and these stories. How does an author weave those into nonfiction? I think sometimes a nonfiction author can fall into a trap of being too prescriptive and just laying out that framework. What's the right balance to be thinking about in terms of weaving in stories and anecdotes?

Salwa: I mean, I always think that starting a chapter off with a story is a great idea. It sounds kind of prescriptive, but then again, this is a prescriptive nonfiction book. And it's a way to kind of catch the reader's attention.

So I think telling a story and then getting to your point after is always a great way to weave those stories in. Some people feel like they don't have a lot of stories, but the more you, as soon as you start writing, it's like I always say the more you write, the more you have to write about. It's just like the way your brain works.

So that's part of what I do working with authors is kind of drawing those stories out. Sometimes the big story is really the little thing that happened in the elevator after the big business meeting, and that's where the goal, so to speak, lies.

That also underscores the importance of having an editor or a coach or someone like you to lean on, because when you're writing in a vacuum, sometimes it is hard to summon up those stories and experiences because it's just you. But when you have someone to bounce things off of it can spur these memories or, oh yeah, I remember this one time, and that's often where we can find those stories in our experience.

Tanya: Absolutely. Great. Well, let's talk a bit about voice because the concept of voice gets a lot of attention, and certainly in fiction writing and developing your voice as an author, but we hear less about it in nonfiction. This is a bit of a leading question because I personally think that voice is so maybe more important in nonfiction. So how would you talk to an author that you're working with about developing their voice? What goes into that? How do they find something that's going to resonate with readers?

Salwa: I write very differently from how I speak, and I write very differently depending on who I'm writing to, and what my purpose is in writing. For an author finding their own voice, if they're speaking authentically, that's their voice. Letting your ideas come forward in a way that's true to how you think about them, and then leave it to the editors to structure and refine. But I think if someone is writing in a way that's authentic, it probably comes through on its own.

Tanya: So let's go back to the author platform, because we've agreed that's one of the most critical things an author should be, at least thinking about if not working on early in the process. So when you're working on a proposal, what are the elements of an author's platform that you want to see present, both those that you can measure and those that are maybe a little more squishy? And what's missing that authors and people who are listening to this should think about getting started on sooner rather than later?

Salwa: There are two different types of authors. I think there are people who are more of the extroverts, who kind of have come to writing a book because they have been used to public speaking and all of that other stuff beyond social media. So I think for those kind of authors, that's their strength.

But then there are other authors who are more the thinkers, they're more the introverts, they're the people who don't really want to toot their own horn and brag about their ideas. So I think there can be two different approaches. Clearly, the authors who are more extroverted kind of might have an edge if we're talking about social media and things like that.

But I think there are ways that people with a smaller personality, let's say, can still get their message across. I mean, one is their writing. What are they writing in newsletters? What kind of posts are they posting? Even supporting other authors and writers and kind of building community from even behind the scenes, writing reviews of books of other authors. So people can kind of start to get to know you as the author, but maybe in a less direct way.

Also, just instead of posting, also commenting. I mean, we talk about this all the time on LinkedIn, on Instagram. It's engaging with your followers and in a thoughtful, meaningful, authentic way. Those are good starting places right there.

Tanya: Great. Yeah, I think for us, when we go in to pitch a book to the airport buyers or retail partners, it's interesting because it is a mix of, if there's actually numbers where they can see, okay, there's this following on LinkedIn and there's this many newsletter subscribers or people paying, like you said earlier, versus like maybe a track record of some other writing that we can point to. You've been published in this magazine or, and also media.

So that's something else I see as an author will wait until the book comes out. And then they do this flurry of media interviews. They'll hold them right until the launch. But there's no harm in getting some of those under your belt early. It's great practice. And it also is nice for us to be able to say, oh, here's a clip when they were on their local morning show, and you can hear them talk about this thing very passionately. It's probably different for every author, every book, but there's a balance to find in there.

Salwa: I was just going to say there is a balance because it's great to start early, but not too early, because if you've already talked about your book before, it's way before the launch, then you're not going to be invited back onto that show six months later to speak about it. So it's really, like you said, it is a balance. But article placements are great, things like that, to kind of get your author presence and your author brand out there early.

Tanya: Those are great. Yeah. So I think we can agree that often an author has some work to do on their platform by the time they reach one of us. And often they don't want to take a year to stop and build their platform. So are there things they can do to sort of give their platform a boost that don't take forever, but still create some meaningful results?

Salwa: I mean, I think as we've been talking about kind of all of these strategies work well, but again, nothing is overnight. I mean, it's a process. It's building your following. It's building your voice. It's building your brand. It's building everything.

Maybe one thing that I always like to recommend is getting on podcasts, or even starting your own and having some great guests. You know, sometimes I've worked with authors who might not have a bunch of their own stories to share in a book or not enough per se, or their stories could be strengthened by other people's stories. So I advise them sometimes to start their own podcasts.

If they're connected with other people who will be on that podcast, those people will share their stories. Those stories can get into the book. Those people then, of course, will in turn want to help promote your book. And it's kind of like a ripple effect. So everybody kind of wins in that situation. But again, everything is a process. So, patience.

Tanya: Yes, indeed. What are some common mistakes you see when an author is trying to differentiate themselves in a crowded market, like the book publishing market?

Salwa: I think one is not paying attention to the market enough, not seeing just how many books are out there and kind of just spouting a lot of what they want to say without paying attention to the reader.

If they're trying too hard to differentiate themselves, that's also a problem because it could be a little too, like you said, a little too niche, a little too specific, a little too even sometimes contrived. Trying to come up with something gimmicky, like the quantum physics of marketing or the quantum. Certain things people are just not going to get. It's going to kind of go way over their heads. So as we've been saying, authenticity is key.

Leading with your story is key. Instead of thinking as much about differentiating, thinking about connecting with your reader, because there are a million ways to connect with a reader, and it's just finding that path for you that will work. Yeah, it's very well said.

Tanya: I love that. I think, again, also working with the professional is so important because we can't see ourselves the way others do, and you may have this amazing sort of superpower in whatever it is that you do that is so just natural for you that you don't even recognize it as something that makes you amazing, but other people look at it and they're like, how do you do that? And I could never.

And we don't, because it's so natural to us, like I didn't realize that that was a strength, but now that you pointed out, I'm going to lean into that. So I think really working with the professional can open your eyes to some of those things.

Salwa: Absolutely. I mean, I have an example. I'm working with someone or I have worked with him recently, who's writing a business book. He has a lot of things to say that maybe other people have said. But the one thing I picked up on was his kind of contrarian mindset. So we've clung to that idea, we've clung to that word, and we're running with it. And that's how we based the table of contents. That's how we're positioning him with his book proposal, that he's going to really appeal to a certain kind of young reader who is ready to break the rules and build their empire and do what they've got to do in a new and different way that might go against the grain. But again, I don't think he saw himself that way.

So to your point, it is really helpful to kind of have someone hold that mirror up and help you to see where your strengths are or what makes you a little bit different and where your edge is compared to other authors.

Tanya: Well, you've been so helpful today and very generous with your insights. Any other advice you'd give to our authors trying to stand out in the marketplace?

Salwa: I mean, again, just patience and authenticity. I think those are the running themes that we've been talking about, yeah.

Tanya: And strategy.

Salwa: Yes. And like you said, hiring someone to work with you, even if it's a book coach or not necessarily a ghostwriter, but somebody who's going to help you to see yourself maybe from a different angle.

Tanya: Right. Yes. And if people want to find you to learn more about how you might work with them, where can they find you?

Salwa: They can go to my website, which is just my name, Salwa Emerson, or LinkedIn is usually the best place to find me. I'm hanging out there a lot these days.

Tanya: Awesome, Salwa. Thank you so much for joining us.

Salwa: Thank you so much for having me.

That's it for our episode with Salwa. We hope you enjoyed learning about how to set your book apart in a saturated market.

You can also find advice for writing, publishing, and promoting your work in Tanya Hall's book, Ideas, Influence, and Income, which you can learn more about at ideasinfluenceandincome.com. A big thank you to Madison Johnson, who produces the published podcast, and to our five star reviewers. Thank you for your support, and we will be back with another episode on the last Tuesday of next month.