NO competition

I've posted before on having a competing title. Now, strangely enough, I'm in a position where there is NO competing title. Or, at least, not as far as I can see.

One of my books is about disabled writers and artists. Not just one in particular or a diatribe on the subject. It profiles a mix of disabled writers and artists both in the U.S. and abroad. It will include samples of their work, too.

I know we should look for a title that competes with our book but so far, I can't find any. I can only find biographical or autobiographical books on a certain writer or artist.

Does anyone know of a book similar to mine? Where can I go if the Internet and Amazon.com fail me? All I'm seeing so far are newsletters, organizations, support groups and mailing lists. I am, in fact, part of an online network of disabled writers.

Understand my funds are limited so I can't really pay big bucks to access any databases. Any advice would really help.

Thanks. Have a great day!

--Dawn

I don't know of any specific writers, but perhaps you could look for a book on disabled individuals who achieved in sports and pitch your book as something parallel for the arts.

no competition

hi Dawn,
If you aren't finding anything on Amazon, then you're probably not going to find it-that's where most publishers go to do competitive analyses, too.

Have you done multiple searches using every kind of key word that would be appropriate for your book? As I'm sure you know, no competition at all is a bad , rather than good, thing. It usually means that the potential buying market is so small it isn't worth it for a traditional trade publisher to print a standard 3,000 to 5,000 print run and try to market it.

Another way to do a search is to think about the potential market for your book, or what you hope to achieve by writing it. For example, what do you hope to achieve by publishing a book of profiles and excerpts of disabled writers? To show that inspiration comes from a variety of sources? That talent knows no boundaries? That writing for some is their own personal extreme sport? If any of these are even remotely true, you can tailor the competition accordingly. There are probably books out there that offer profiles and excerpts of writers in every genre: use those as an example of the competition, since the format might be similar. Use a book that shows how someone with disabilities achieves something remarkable--(this is outdated, but how about the book, "Joni," a memoir of a woman who broke her neck in an accident and learned to paint--or a book about Christopher Reeve, who told his story about living with disability?) These are probably not quite appropriate, but my point is that there are probably books that are peripherally competitive with yours, and it's unlikely you'll find one exactly like yours is. The goal of competitive analysis is to find out how the market is selling, what is out there, and where your book could fit most successfully. So if you present a niche that a publisher might not have thought of, better for you!

Good luck!
Lauri

Re: no competition

Thank you so much, Tish and Lauri. And, yes, I did read that "Joni" book. It was very inspirational!!

I really appreciate your advice on this. I think I just may do that. It's true that those kinds of stories have inspired people.

I do think this would make a good book. For one thing, it will give these people a chance to be recognized for their accomplishments.

I'm doing this book to serve as proof that, no matter what disabilities a person may have, their creative fire is one that can thrive despite their physical limitations. I've read stories of blind artists and paraplegic writers and these are stories that are really inspirational, to me at least. So I'm hoping they will inspire others, too.

As someone who is also disabled (deaf), I know what challenges can be faced in a desire to succeed in creative endeavors.

Thanks again for your advice!! :grin

--Dawn