I started writing a book a year ago, and I just realized something I could have done back then that would have helped me develop it.

I am thinking about 2025 and what I can do to market my book. So, I got the idea to pitch myself to speak at tech conferences. I had done it before, I like it, and I’m always up for some travel.

I found a few, read their application guides, and crafted pitches based on the content of my book. I applied to an automated testing conference and a few software development conferences.

And then I realized something.

I could have done this a year ago. I had an outline for the book—I could have read these guides to see the kind of content they were willing to “buy” and then crafted pitches based on what I planned to write. If I had been accepted, that would have been great signal that I was on the right track. If I had been rejected, I could have used that to try something else.

Anyway, hope this helps someone who is thinking of writing a book—write some pitches instead. Even if you don’t want to speak, you could just turn it down—you would know whether your idea had some resonance with the organizers.