'Tie-in books' might be a term that you haven't heard before, and yet no doubt you will have seen them in book stores and supermarkets, and may even have brought a couple of them. Tie-in books are basically novelty books, that in some way relate to another entity; a character, a TV show a hobby. Tie-in books come in all shapes and sizes and they can be small gift books, large-format luxury novels, fun books that have sound and noise gimmicks, and practical books which include materials to help you further a hobby - such as a book on painting that includes a set of watercolours and a painter's pallet. Oh, and let's not forget possibly the most infamous tie-in book of them all…The Annual!

So, how do you go about writing a tie-in book?

Well the most obvious place to start is to do your research. If you are writing a tie-in or novelty book that is based on a TV programme then spend some time watching the television programme in question. Think about how much time you need to spend on completing this research however, as it will vary from project to project. If the subject matter is for pre-school children for example, then you probably only need to watch six or seven episodes of the programme to really get a feel for how the programme works, who's who within the programme and how each character is defined. If in contrast, you are writing a novelty book on Star Wars for example, then you will need to spend a greater amount of time researching the programme and surrounding information that is already available on this subject. If the novelty book you plan to write is focused on a hobby, then take a look at the books that are already available on this subject matter. In addition, if you plan to write a book that is based on a toy, such as Barbie, then a good few trips to the toy store is suggested!

The next piece of research you need to think about is your target audience. Who is going to buy this book? What do you know about this audience? What trends are out there at the moment that are popular in the world of novelty books? Do these trends fit with your target audience? And do they fit with the proposed subject matter of your book?

The licensor is the person or company that owns or holds the licence to the overall brand of the television programme, toy or character that you are hoping to write about. They have to give their seal of approval to your book idea before it can be published. So it is worthwhile taking the time to find out what their boundaries are in terms of how many changes you can make to the overall feel and theme of the television programme / character.

Illustration, size, and ultimately what it is that makes the book a novelty book are all hugely important to how well a tie-in book will sell, and thus how well received it will be by a potential publisher or agent. So if you are not able to create a mock up of the book then ensure you have articulate ideas of how the book will look and feel, so that you can express these to the publisher.