128 You Have a Book in You Start by 昀椀nding publications that serve your niche market. Suppose you’re an astrologer who has written a book for teenagers. Do you think you will have an eas- ier time getting on the cover of People or on the cover of a magazine that specializes in astrology? So 昀椀rst target magazines that serve your future buyers. Ask for a cover story. Tell the magazine’s editor exactly why you would be a compelling person to choose. What about you or your story is so extraordinary that their readers will con- nect to you? Magazines choose their covers based on sales poten- tial. So when you speak with editors, explain why a cover story about you will sell more copies of their pub- lication. You don’t have to be that blunt about it, but you do want to capture their attention in a way that makes them think, “If I feature this person, my readers will love him or her, and we can pick up some new readership as well.” Once you get your book written, get it in the news! If it’s just the front page of your small community news- paper, that’s great! You can send that paper to the mag- azine whose cover you’re hoping to get on. When editors see you in print, it is much easier to see you as their cover story. Local magazines and newspapers are always look- ing for interesting people to write about, so get out there and make the news!