Should I write a feature first?

Carolyn - congrats on your confidence and eagerness. They will carry you to success, I'm sure.

I did just that - worked out a book proposal but then sold four articles based on the proposal after floating a query to an agent and a publisher. Other work has intruded on my pursuit of the book (which is just fine by me) but you will read in many resources that getting articles published about the idea is a good way to test the marketability and need for the book, not to mention it will show to agents and publishers that your idea(s) appealed to editors.

Good luck!

Mommie's right; publishing an article(s) prior to seeking a book contract can make landing same easier. Nonfiction publishers always prefer dealing with either a "name" or someone with verifiable expertise in the subject matter, and preferably both.

If you become "the" expert in the field you're considering, I don't think you need worry overmuch about someone else encroaching on your turf. Just write a better book than they could ever hope to.

Hi Carolyn,
I'm in something of the same position. I do have a publishing record, a good one, but not in the field in which I'm currently working. However, my book will be on a teaching project I'm running, so you might consider whether or not your own book would lend itself to that. At the moment, I'm developing the project online, but also, I'm soon to visit Australia, where I'll be teaching face to face.

I won't pitch the idea until after my Australia trip, because by then, I'm hoping the idea will have wings enough to fly.

What I'm saying here is that if you can point to evidence in whatever form, that your idea has potential, it will work in your favour. I can see your point about others coming in and hijacking your idea, but if this is something you're developing, by the time any articles appear, because of lead times, you will be further down the road than others could hope to be. Also, if you get acceptance on the features, that will add weight to your agent/publisher proposal even before the pieces are published.

Good luck.

Zoe

Zoe King said:

I can see your point about others coming in and hijacking your idea, but if this is something you're developing, by the time any articles appear, because of lead times, you will be further down the road than others could hope to be. Also, if you get acceptance on the features, that will add weight to your agent/publisher proposal even before the pieces are published.

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About the idea hijacking thing - I'm sure you've heard it or read it before, but it really is a rare occurance. Also, be clear for yourself, on how your idea is different from the competition. You will need to say it's the first to do x, or it's the only one that does y, or it's been covered in the past but never like this and so on.

For one of my book ideas, I spoke with THE biggest names in the fields involved (all authors too) and none of them have stolen my idea at all, although two of them have come out with books since I consulted them but even so, those books are distinguishable from what I will do - some day. Haha.