Developing a New Writing Niche
January 17, 2010 by admin · Leave a Comment
Developing a new niche can be a profitable way to expand your income streams as a writer. Specializing in a single topic or industry works for many writers, but it can be difficult and tedious to write about the same subject every day. While it is possible, even easy, to spread yourself too thin if you branch out in too many directions, it is also desirable to have more than one thing to write about.
The harder the niche, the better the payoff
The challenge comes when you want to establish yourself as a highly regarded writer in the new niche, especially in a niche that requires a substantial amount of knowledge and experience. In those niches, it will take time to establish a reputation, and may even take classes or certifications. Don’t think of these obstacles as a negative. Instead, consider this to be a key benefit. The more difficult it is to establish a reputation, the fewer writers you will have to compete with once you have overcome the initial barriers.
You have to enjoy what you write about
One of the keys to developing a new niche is enthusiasm. It is never a good idea to push yourself to learn something that doesn’t interest you. It is far easier to learn something that you want to learn and it much better to write in a niche you care about. Trying to do otherwise is a great way to make yourself miserable.
Start with a good introductory text
The first step toward developing your knowledge in a new niche is to find an introductory book. Read through the book from cover to cover, and then keep the book as a reference. Take advantage of the rating systems on sites such as amazon.com to find the best possible book on the subject. While you are reading, take as many notes as possible. You’ll not only want to take notes to reinforce what you learn, but you’ll want to write down article ideas and keep track of references to other writers in the field. A good, thorough introductory text will be filled with references to articles and authors. These people are your new peers, so get to know them and what they write about.
Keep track of the latest trends and newest ideas
As you move forward, you will want to find the latest articles in magazines, scholarly journals and web sites. Keeping track of the latest developments and ideas will provide you with good material to write about. Web sites are especially good in the respect because they make it easy to contact writers in the field and make personal connections. These are people you will want to get to know.
Build up a file system
As you continue to read and learn, it is a good idea to set up files for both notes and articles that you may want to cite later. Files can be stored in paper-based systems or online. The choice is yours. Work in whatever way you feel comfortable with. The important thing to remember is that having your own files, complete with your notes, gives you a big head start when it is time to write.
Learn by doing
Depending on the niche, you may find that you need to take classes or even get certifications in order to become skilled enough to write intelligently about the topic. For many niches, you’ll also need to put theory into practice. For example, if you want to write effectively about building boats, you’ll need to build a boat. If you want to be an authority on marketing, you’ll need to sell something. Experience matters.
Write about what you know
As you develop your niche, you will eventually want to start writing. A good start is to blog about your learning process. This allows you to write about what you know without claiming to be an expert. You simply write about what you have learned or practiced while making it clear that you are still learning. As your skills increase, you can pursue paying venues such as trade magazines and journals or niche clients. You will eventually build up your reputation and your markets until you are thriving in a new niche.
