Should you write that next book now? These questions will help you decide

Should you write your next book now? Is it your next logical step? Answering these questions will help you see if it is -- or isn't.

Should you write your next book now?

With the excitement of a book launch months behind them, authors like you often start thinking about their next book. After all, that’s what authors do – we write books.

But before you start outlining your next manuscript, consider pausing to ask yourself a couple of important questions.

Why? Because if you’re like most authors, it’s quite possible you haven’t yet fully tapped the value of the book you’ve already written and published.

Many authors leave money – and opportunities to reach new readers – on the table because they move on too quickly. They assume their current book has done all it can do, when in reality, for many, it’s just the beginning.

Before you invest months (or years) writing your next book, ask yourself these seven questions to help you decide if you should write your next book now.

1. Have I fully marketed the book I already have?

If your answer is “not really,” you’re not alone.

Many authors devote enormous energy to launch week and then gradually shift their attention elsewhere. But successful book marketing isn’t an event – it’s an ongoing process.

Have you:

• Been a guest on podcasts?
• Written guest blog posts?
• Spoken to organizations or book clubs?
• Used your book as a conversation starter on social media?
• Mentioned your book regularly in your newsletter?
• Pursued publicity – news media exposure – around your book’s topic?

That’s an incomplete list, but you get my point. If there are still marketing opportunities you haven’t explored, your current book may have plenty of life left in it.

This is especially true if your book has only been out for a few months. Fiction readers, especially, don’t care when your book was published. All they want is a good story.

Nonfiction book buyers are more sensitive to the publication date when the book’s topic changes rapidly. A book about artificial intelligence published two years ago, for example, is less relevant today because of AI’s rapid evolution.

2. What questions do readers ask me over and over?

Pay attention to the emails you receive.

Notice the questions people ask after your presentations.

Think about the comments on your blog and social media posts.

Those repeated questions are valuable clues. They reveal the information readers still want after they’ve finished your book.

Instead of answering those questions one at a time, consider turning them into something you can sell – a workbook, checklist, template collection, FAQ guide, or another helpful resource.

Take memoir readers. They’re often drawn to the category because they feel they have a story to tell, too. (Even if they don’t say that part out loud.) Why not offer them worksheets for documenting their stories or a short “how to get started telling your story” guide?

When readers keep asking the same thing, they’re telling you what they need. You can give it to them without writing another book. And you can earn money doing so.

3. What content have I already created that people have forgotten?

Most authors create far more content than they realize. It’s read once… and perhaps forgotten.

Think about everything you’ve produced over the years:

• Blog posts
• Email newsletters
• Workshop materials
• Conference presentations
• Podcast interviews
• Webinars
• Videos
• Downloadable resources
• Social media tips

Just because you’ve created it and moved on doesn’t mean it no longer has value.

In fact, with some thoughtful organization, updating, and expansion, older content can often become the foundation for entirely new products.

How I turned an obsolete course into a new money-maker

Case in point: A few years ago, I created a popular course that taught authors how to use a specific tool to get publicity. Not long after that, the company that created the tool was acquired, and the new owners took the tool off the market.

My course was suddenly obsolete.

But…it was loaded with valuable cheat sheets, checklists, and templates that were just sitting there, waiting to find new users. And that no-longer-available-tool had competitors that functioned the same way. That meant the resources I created for one product could be used with the others, too.

I combined the course resources with a few related templates from another product, then updated and redesigned all of them. I created a few new documents to round out the selection and added instructions to everything.

I bundled them all together into PitchPro: Your Expert Response Toolkit, a collection of publicity resources that’s part instruction, part tools. Now I’m making money from some of my original course content.

You don’t want to overlook the assets you already own.

#Authors, before you write your next book, make certain it's your next logical step. Answering these questions will help you see if it is — or isn't.Click to tweet

4. Could my expertise solve the same problem in a different format?

Not everyone learns the same way.

Some readers love books. Others prefer checklists they can print. Some want worksheets they can complete.

Others like templates, planners, videos, or self-paced courses.

Your book may explain what to do. Another product could show readers how to do it.

Different formats allow you to serve different learning styles while creating additional income streams from knowledge you’ve already developed.

Book publicist Penny Sansevieri of Author Marketing Experts knows that. After publishing The Amazon Author Formula: Insider Tips, Tricks, and Strategies for Selling More Books, she extracted the book’s many checklists and templates for a companion workbook, The Amazon Author Formula Workbook: Hands-on Exercises and Expert Tactics to Dominate Amazon’s Marketplace.

Now Sansevieri has multiple income streams from the knowledge she’s accumulated working with author clients. And one of them – the workbook – is a spinoff of a book.

5. Have I created products for my biggest fans?

Books often introduce readers to your expertise.

But your most enthusiastic readers frequently want more.

They may appreciate:

• A workbook
• Checklists
• Templates
• Planning worksheets
• Resource lists
• Prompt collections
• Video tutorials
• A mini course

These readers already trust you. They’ve invested in your book and are looking for ways to continue learning from you.

Chances are, you can draw on what’s in your book – or even what you had to cut from it – to create something just as useful in a different format.

Creating additional resources that take less time to create than a book does allows you to better serve your fans while increasing the value of the work you’ve already done.

6. Am I considering writing my next book now because it’s necessary, or because it feels easier than marketing what I have already?

This can be an uncomfortable question.

Many of us enjoy creating – I certainly do. It’s exciting to brainstorm fresh ideas, start new projects, and imagine what’s next.

But creating something entirely new isn’t always the smartest business decision.

Sometimes the better investment is improving, expanding, packaging, or reorganizing work you’ve already completed.

I know from experience that repurposing existing content often requires less time than starting from a blank page, especially when it comes to authoring a book. And it can provide just as much value to your audience.

Working smarter isn’t taking shortcuts. It’s making the most of the expertise you’ve already earned.

7. What would generate the greatest return on my time over the next six months?

Writing another book is a significant commitment.

For some authors, it’s absolutely the right next move.

For others, spending a few weeks transforming existing content into a useful digital product could generate income much sooner. That income might help fund the next book, too.

As for what would generate the most return, there’s no universal answer.

The important thing is making a conscious decision rather than automatically presuming the next step is to write another book.

Sometimes your next opportunity isn’t another manuscript. It’s something hiding inside the content you’ve already created.

What will you create next?

None of this is meant to discourage you from writing your next book.

Quite the opposite. Your next book deserves your full attention when the time is right.

But if you’re thinking about writing that next book as a way to make money, you might be able to reach that income goal sooner and with less effort when you revisit material you’ve already created.

Before you begin another long writing project, take a careful inventory of what you’ve already created. You may discover that your existing content contains untapped opportunities to help more readers, strengthen your author platform, and create additional income – all without starting from scratch.

Many authors are surprised to learn how much valuable material they’ve accumulated over the years. With a little creativity and a clear plan, those forgotten blog posts, presentations, newsletters, and reader resources can become products your audience is happy to buy.

If you’re wondering where to begin, my guide Repurpose for Cash: How to Turn Your Existing Content Into New Products That Sell walks you through the process of identifying your best content, choosing the right product format, and transforming what you already have into digital products that can continue working for you long after you’ve created them. Download it now and start using it to earn more from work you’ve already done here.

FAQs about whether you should write that next book now

1. Should I write my next book or repurpose content I’ve already created?

Only you can decide that.

Writing another book may be the right next move, but transforming existing content into a digital product could generate income sooner and with less effort.

The important thing is to make a conscious decision rather than automatically writing another book.

2. What types of existing content can authors repurpose into new products?

Options include blog posts, email newsletters, workshop materials, conference presentations, podcast interviews, webinars, videos, downloadable resources, and social media tips.

Older content can become the foundation for new products through thoughtful organization, updating, and expansion.

3. What kinds of products can I create from my existing book content?

Possibilities include workbooks, checklists, template collections, FAQ guides, planning worksheets, resource lists, prompt collections, video tutorials, and mini courses.

Your book might explain what to do, while another format can help readers learn how to do it.

4. How can I tell what additional products my readers might want?

Pay attention to questions readers ask repeatedly in emails, after presentations, and in comments on your blog and social media posts.

Repeated questions are clues to what readers still want after finishing your book and can point you toward useful resources to create.

5. How can repurposing existing content help me as an author?

Repurposing can help you serve readers in different formats, create additional income streams, strengthen your author platform, and make better use of expertise and content you’ve already developed.

It can also require less time than starting from a blank page, particularly when compared with writing another book.

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Before you decide to write that next book now, make sure you’ve made the most of the one that’s already on your shelf.

What have you got in your files right now that you could turn into a new digital product that will help your target audience?