Find out what books and magazines people read

Aside from asking perfect strangers what they like to read, the next best thing is just observing them in action at one of those large chain bookstores. That should tell you plenty. In a recent trip, for example, I've noticed quite a few people poking about in the business book and computer sections and none in the music or photography sections. Now that doesn't mean that music and photography books aren't selling; they probably are. I wouldn't be able to make an educated guess about any of that, since music and photography aren't my things. Nor are science fiction, literature, mystery, cooking or history books. But that's only me.

And while you're at it, head for the magazine racks just to see what a small sample of people gravitate to. Doing this is easy if a coffee bar is adjacent to the magazine racks. All you have to do is bring a few books or magazines to a nearby table or better yet, invest some money in one of the overpriced coffees or snacks and you can sit around all morning, just observing people visiting the magazine racks. A few of them will buy a magazine, but a lot will pick up and leaf through several magazines and put them all back in a little while.

And the point of these observations? You need to see what attracts people and what they're buying now, as far as books are concerned. If you happen to be attracted to similar books and magazines, you just may be able to get an article or book idea. If you have some interest and work experience in writing grants or installing the latest software, for example, you may be able to develop a book that attracts attention and sales.