Plan your superhero. Every successful superhero has a well-defined persona. What superpowers does this person have? How did he become a superhero? What are his weaknesses? Even if you do not use all of the information, create a full superhero character profile before writing the novel. Looking back at this profile will help you decide what decisions the hero will make throughout the novel.
Research other superhero stories. Watch the movies, read the comics, and more important read superhero-based novels. The more imformation about superheroes the better. While you do not want to make a direct clone of other novels, using them as for guidelines can help please fans of the genre.
Practice writing compelling action sequences. Without the comic book frames or big budget special effects to keep readers interested, you will have to use your words to keep them glued to the page. Learn fighting terms and use descriptions that are intense and fast-paced.
Create a compelling villain or problem that the superhero must face. From Darth Vader, to Lex Luther and The Joker, the villains are often more memorable than the heroes themselves. If the superhero in the novel has no one to outwit him then the reader can become bored. Put the hero in an impossible situation where it seems like there is no escape.
Give the superhero a human side. Superheroes are known to be larger than life, but if you give them a human side, like a love story, then the readers can relate to the superhero and become more interested in their struggle and story.
Put a twist on the superhero genre. You can still stay true to classic superhero stories with a twist on the genre, as in the film "Hancock." Hancock was a lazy superhero who saved lives but caused destruction doing so. Take a new approach to the superhero style that will tread away from predictability and set your superhero apart from others.