A Novel is born – Part 5

In this series of articles, I go through the process I followed and the considerations I made in connection with the creation of my first novel, Tumult in Mecca.

From the very beginning, I divided the process of turning my thoughts into words the reader can see or hear into five main phases:

A. Formulation of idea and concept (book summary)
B. Marketing
C. Development of the base manuscript
D. Editing and proofreading
E. Publication

The Summary

The book summary is not my invention. I got the idea from an agent in New York who showed interest in one of my other books. He sent me the points I needed to elaborate on. It was a good exercise, and I decided to use it for my future books before starting the manuscript.

My template now contains the following twelve elements:

1. Title, subtitle, and cover (front cover, spine, and back cover)
2. Purpose
3. Summary
4. Target audience
5. Comparable books
6. The magnet
7. The manuscript process
8. The publication process
9. Marketing
10. Format, pricing, ISBN, and categories
11. Schedule and finances
12. About the author

Comparable Books

The trick of relating a new product to something many people already know is widely used by entrepreneurs. As an unknown author, you are also an entrepreneur. Your product is the book.

You can therefore help both reviewers and readers by pointing to well-known books and authors that your book resembles.

A statement such as, “My book resembles Ken Follett’s Fall of Giants. The plot and storyline are different, but the genre is the same,” is a quicker and more understandable introduction than a long explanation of what your book is about.

“My book is Forrest Gump set in the global IT industry,” will immediately make sense to many potential readers.

Most books resemble others in one or more ways. Authors typically read a hundred times more than they write. It is rewarding to read books in the same genre—either to be inspired or to do the opposite.

When you begin your marketing efforts, you can link advertising to books in the same genre that already sell well. I will return to how this is done in practice.

In the book synopsis, you list five to six books that correspond to your own.

Tumult in Mecca sits within a recognizable international tradition. While its plot and storyline are original, its genre and narrative style will appeal to readers who enjoy historically grounded, character-driven novels in the vein of Ken Follett and Jan Guillou. The series following its main character, Henrik Bertelsen, and the era he inhabits will resonate with readers drawn to sweeping yet intimate portrayals of recent history.

At the same time, the novel shares a tonal affinity with contemporary Scandinavian storytelling that blends humor, social observation, and a strong sense of place. Readers who appreciated Stine Pilgaard’s Meter per Second or the television series Carmen Curlers will recognize a similar balance of warmth, irony, and cultural insight.

The Magnet

On second thought, the headings should really be the magnets—plural.

The term is my version of the The Hook and is a brief explanation of what is meant to capture the target audience’s interest in the book. You will draw on the wording from the sections on purpose and summary, but the magnet is seen solely through the eyes of the reader or the reviewer.

Think of trailers for films and TV series. They are appetizers meant to entice readers and reviewers.

In practice, there are several magnets. Each consists of three to ten lines of text highlighting the book’s mood, highlights, plot, cast of characters, locations, or other aspects that suit the target audience they are aimed at.

You proceed as follows:

Write down the target audiences in a list and note their most important characteristics. If you regard each potential media outlet or reviewer as a target audience, the result becomes more precise.

Write down keywords about yourself and the book that are relevant to each target audience.

Turn the keywords into a coherent text, placing what matters most to the target audience first.

Especially for media and reviewers, the magnet may be aspects of the book that make it relevant to write about. If you are from Aalborg, that could be the main angle for local newspapers. If the story takes place in Aarhus, you have a magnet for that area. If you wrote parts of the book in a café in Hilleröd (which I did!), they might host a book event for you. If you are older, you might find a magnet aimed at senior organisations.

Once you have formulated the magnets, you simultaneously have the arsenal of texts you will need for your marketing.

Next article: The Manuscript

Previous articles in this series:

Article 1: A novel is born
Article 2: How to Write a Good Book
Article 3: The Book’s Value Proposition
Article 4: Target Audience