Let's Play Ball: Why Researching Your Competition Matters in Leveling Up Your Writing Game

Jacquelyn Lee
2 days ago
4 min read

A Guide to Researching the Market, the Competition, and the Fans in the Stands

Why Researching Is the Stage Writers Dread Most

Researching is one of the Stages of The Writer’s LifeCycle that writers often dread the most. It doesn’t have the freedom of brainstorming, and it doesn’t feel like real writing at all. It’s easy to put off, easy to tell yourself you’ll get to it later, and easy to avoid because it means facing your competition and wondering if you measure up. But skipping it is exactly what leaves you unprepared when the curveballs come. Continue from where you left off in brainstorming, and let’s get into why this stage matters more than you think.

I'm not much of a sports league fan, but one quote stood out to me: “You gotta do your homework.” It's from Sydney, the hotel doorman in Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde, and it connects to baseball in a way you might not expect: Elle Woods' whole story kicks off with a wedding planned for Fenway Park. Whether you're headed to

Fenway or headed toward publishing your first book, the advice holds up.

If you have a goal to successfully write and publish a book, you're going to have to do some research. My last blog on this topic, Before You Write, You Research, covered the practical and creative side of researching, the kind you do for the writing itself. This one is different. This one is about the research you do on your market and your competition, the kind that takes you from Rookie to Pro, just like in the MLB.

Here's how I think about it. Home Base is where you start, with your idea. First, second, and third base are the three books in my upcoming book series, The Writer's LifeCycle, and each one carries its own stages. Researching is one of the very first stages you'll hit in Book 1, right after Brainstorming and right before Planning. Get this stage right, and you're already rounding the bases with more confidence than when you started.

What's Happening in Your Market Right Now?

The world of self-publishing is growing, and researching the market is what keeps you in the game. With your goals in mind, you can look at what's trending, plan smarter, and figure out what's working and what isn't.

Competing with others is part of the game. Newbie authors are your teammates, not your opposition. Bestsellers are the competition you're sizing up. And when you're a Rookie just starting out, you're seen as Entry Level, which means readers might pass you by faster than they would an established author. That's not something to be discouraged by. It's something to research your way through.

What Do You Need to Know About the Competition?

Just like a player studies the stats of the opposing team, you can study the stats of other authors: what genre they write, how often they publish, who's reviewing them, and what their fan base looks like. You're not doing this to copy anyone. You're doing it to recognize their strengths and weaknesses so you can find your own advantage point.

Elle Woods didn't walk into her fight without knowing who and what she was up against. You shouldn't either.

Who's in Your Stands, and What Do They Want?

Fans in the stands are your audience, your target readers. Elle Woods knew she had to research so she could make a direct connection with the people of Washington, DC, and it was her doorman, Sydney, who reminded her: “You gotta do your homework.”

She didn't do it alone, and it wasn't just about the facts. When Elle met Libby Hauser at the salon, she didn't barge in demanding attention. She noticed a shared bond first: they were both Delta Nu sisters. That connection is what opened the door, and it's what made Libby actually want to hear what Elle had to say.

That's what researching your readers does for you. When your audience sees that your book connects to their world, their interests, or what they're going through, they stop scrolling past you and start paying attention.

Find those shared bonds, and casual onlookers turn into a packed stadium cheering you on from the stands.

What Curveballs Can Research Help You Dodge?

Curveballs are the things you don't see coming: writer's block, a plan that falls apart, or an extreme heat wave that throws off your whole week. You can't research your way out of every curveball. But research means you're not standing at the plate with sweat and hair in your eyes, scrambling for a dry hat the way players have been swapping out soaked jerseys in the dugout during this summer's extreme heat wave.

You know more about your field, your competition, and your readers than you did before, and that's the difference between swinging with confidence and striking out looking.

Are You Ready to Go From Rookie to Pro?

When you research the market, the competition, and the fans in the stands, you're not just guessing your way through your first book. You're playing it like someone who already did their homework.

This isn't about competition. It's about moving through the stages of your Writer's LifeCycle with a little more confidence at each one. You've done your homework on Researching.

Next up: Planning.

Ready to Do Your Homework?

Want the full list of questions to ask about your market, your competition, and your fans? Grab my Research Workbook Guide, built to walk you through this stage step by step. And if you haven't already, go back and read Before You Write, You Research for the practical and creative side of the research process.

Disclaimer: These ideas aren't guaranteed to hit a home run for everyone. They're analogies I use to help you understand why research matters in the writing and publishing process.