When Writing a Nonfiction Book, Don’t Put the Cart Before the Horse

By: - October 15th, 2009  Filed under: Writing Classes

What’s the point of writing a book? Publishing it. In the end, that’s what we’re all after because writing is about sharing our ideas and knowledge. However, although publication is the ultimate goal, focusing too heavily on that—particularly when your book idea isn’t fully formed, let alone written—can prevent you from ever getting it done.
 
I was on the phone with someone this morning who had an idea for a book but wasn’t sure how to proceed. She had an idea, but hadn’t written a word. So what was her most pressing question? How do I get it published? Whoa, Nelly! If you haven’t written a book, getting published is a long way off.

When people ask me about things like the ins and outs of publishing, how much it costs to hire an editor, and how to find an agent, before they’ve written a word in many cases, they’re putting the cart before the horse. (And they often get frustrated when I tell them, “It depends. You need to write the book first.”)

How you publish, how much you spend on editing, how you find an agent, and a number of other publishing considerations all depend on the book you write. So you have to write it first. And you have to ask yourself: If the cost of hiring an editor seems outside your budget right now, it that going to stop you from writing your book? Are you going to stop wanting to write the book you have inside you because it costs a couple thousand dollars to self-publish? And if some aspect of finding an agent seems difficult or time consuming, are you going to forget about the book altogether? I don’t mean to be harsh, but if your answer is yes, then the book probably isn’t that important to you in the first place and, honestly, you’d probably never finish it anyway.

Really, what does it matter? If you’re meant to write this book, if this story is burning inside you, and if you can’t sleep at night thinking about getting it out, then don’t waste your time worrying about how to get it published—WRITE! Get the book out of you, and worry about publishing later.

Figuring out the writing part is more than enough to keep you busy for the next few months, and it’s the most important factor that will affect publishing. For example, if your book isn’t outstanding, agents aren’t going to be interested. And if it’s not well-written, editing will cost you a fortune.

If you want to write a book, the most important step you can take right now is writing. Write the absolute best book you can, and then start looking at your options. Don’t get me wrong, it’s never a bad idea to understand your options. But don’t let that keep you from doing the writing, because without a strong, compelling book manuscript, you won’t have to worry about it.

Melinda Copp helps aspiring nonfiction, business, and self-help authors get clear on their story and book idea, and figure out how to put it all together so their ideal readers love it. Visit http://www.writerssherpaprograms.com/writeabook.html for a free copy of her “Jumpstart Your Book E-course!” and get your book started now.


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Write Nonfiction in November

By: - September 17th, 2009  Filed under: Writing Conference

November hosts the end of Daylight Savings Time, Veterans Day and Thanksgiving, but if youre a fiction writer this month hosts an even more important and exciting event. November marks the annual start of National Novel Writing Month, affectionately called NaNoWriMo. I am proud to say that in 2005, I was one of many winners of this 30-day contest. Winning simply requires that you turn in (and have counted) a 50,000-word (175-page) novel by midnight on November 30. The novel doesn’t have to be any good. In fact, the contest is all about quantity not quality, the idea being that you should shut your inner critic away in a closet in your mind for 30 days and simply write something — anything. The goal simply revolves around starting and to finishing a novel.

I bet you are wondering what happened to that novel of mine, right? Well, I pitched it to several agents at the San Francisco Writers Conference in 2005 and had them all interested, but they all turned it down. I even won the fiction pitch contest with my 25-word description of the book, and my prize lunch with two agents later landed me literary representation but not for my fiction! I was told by to leave my fiction writing behind and focus on what I do best — non-fiction. (I took the agents advice.)

Which brings me to the point of this essay: For those of us who don’t write fiction (ever or anymore…), what are we supposed to do during the month of November? I say, “WE WRITE NON-FICTION!” I challenge you to join me in starting and finishing a work of non-fiction during the next 30 days. You can write an article, a booklet, a newsletter, or a book. Just write something. Whatever non-fiction writing project you’ve been putting off, get started now. No one will be looking over your shoulder. This is not a contest, and there’s no prize at the end other than the great feeling you will get from knowing you wrote every day and completed your “assignment.” No on is counting your words, nor does anyone care how many words you write (not even me). This is simply a challenge to write — and to not write alone. I’ll be writing every day, too, and hopefully some other people will be writing as well.

Plus, I invite everyone who is writing non-fiction during November and wants to share their experience to go to my new nonfiction writing blog (see link below) and post comments. Ill be writing every few days about nonfiction writing in general why I enjoy it, tips on getting published, how my writing is going, etc.

One of my first blog entries explained how my foray into fiction writing during the 2005 NaNoWriMo event actually renewed my love of nonfiction writing. While I loved the fun of writing fiction, which happened to be my childhood dream, getting away from nonfiction briefly gave me a new perspective on nonfiction and reminded me of what I enjoy about it so much.

I love nonfiction writing, because it allows me to explore subjects that are interesting to me and to then share them with others. As a magazine journalist and as a book author who likes to wrestle with issues in my life or subjects that excite me, I get to spend my days researching those very same issues and subjects, speaking to experts about them, finding answers and solutions to them, and coming up with ideas and theories related to them. Then, I get to craft what Ive learned into a story an article, essay or book — that offers what Ive learned and discovered and possibly even put to use successfully in my life into a form that others can read. This then hopefully helps or excites them. I find this both stimulating and rewarding.

Nonfiction writing also proves useful to many people for many reasons. If you need to let people know about who you are and what you do, writing articles and books serves as a great way to promote yourself. Plus, once your articles appear in major magazines or trade journals or your book is selling at the back of the room when you speak or on Amazon.com or in bookstores, you achieve expert status.

So, November is here, and no matter why you want or need to write nonfiction, its time to start writing. Dont worry about how good your writing is, just write. Thats the point of NaNoWriMo to put your inner critic or inner editor in the closet while you write (or so you can write). Use the same principle for writing nonfiction in November. Dont worry about the quality of what you are writing now; simply write and strive to meet the goal of finishing what you start. Editing happens later after youve finished writing. In memory of Margaret Mitchell’s Gone with the Wind (and some really great fiction writing), imagine yourself as Scarlett OHara and think about editing later. You can do that in December. November is all about writing.

Nina Amir, ajournalist/author, writing coach, non-fiction editor, and speaker has written several booklets, hundreds of articles and three anthology essays. She currently is writing several books while promoting them and herself with her writing. Visit her writing blog at at http://writenonficinnov.blogspot.com/ . For information on her services, visit http://www.purespiritcreations.com , e-mail namir@purespiritcreations.com or call 408-353-1943.


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How to Write Your Non-Fiction Book in 60 Days: 8 Steps Get Your Book Out of Your Head and on to Paper

By: - July 5th, 2007  Filed under: Authors Editing Seminar

1. Decide on a Topic

Start by identifying your target audience. Who do you want your book to reach? Are you writing for your clients, single mothers, consultants, teenagers, retired baby boomers? Knowing your audience will help you make important decisions when building your content. You should always keep your audience in mind as you develop your book.

2. Know Your Book’s Unique Value

There were over 480,000 books published in 2008 alone, so if you’re worried that there is not enough room in the world for a book like yours, don’t be so sure. The key is to establish how your book will be different or better than the competition. Determine what unique value you will bring to your readers.

3. Choose Your Process

You don’t have to be professionally-trained writer to develop a book. Here are several options:

-Hire a ghost writer

-Enlist a co-author

-Dictate your book on audio and use software such as Professionally Speaking to convert it to text

-Get your thoughts on paper and hire a good editor to turn it into a manuscript

-Assemble an anthology of contributions from others

4. Leverage Content You Already Have

Your book may already be further along than you realize. If you have created content for your business, you may be able to use it for your book. Here are some places to look:

-Articles and blog posts you have written

-Hand-outs you have developed

-Surveys you have conducted

-Case studies and client success stories

-Seminars, videos, and recordings you have made that can be transcribed

-Contributions from others (articles, interviews, case studies, etc., with their permission, of course)

5. Get Started with an Outline

Everyone has their own unique process for writing, though most writers will tell you that they start with some sort of outline. I recommend using a storyboard process.

Start with a blank wall and a stack of Post-it notes. Write each and every topic idea you want to cover in your book on a Post-it and stick it to the wall. Once you have all of your ideas out, move the notes around until they form some kind of logical order. This is a great way to identify your chapters, how much content you have for each, and where you need to add more content. You can transfer everything to an outline or simply work off of your wall of ideas.

6. Begin the Writing Process

Once you know what topics to cover, you are ready to begin writing (or dictating, assembling content you already have, or inviting others to contribute). The idea of writing a book can seem overwhelming, but if you tackle it in small pieces, it can begin to come together quickly.

We are in a technology-driven age and most of us have short attention spans. Approach each topic as if you were writing a short article. To make it easier for you and your reader, break up the text. Use plenty of sub-headings and bullets for easier reading. Include quotes from people you have interviewed, provide resources for additional information, and compile brief sidebar tips to enhance the reader’s experience.

7. Make Time to Write

One of the biggest excuses that aspiring authors have is a lack of time to get a book written. Like anything else in life, if you want it badly enough, you have to find a way to make it happen.

You may want to plan your writing time around when you are most creative. Are you a morning person or a night owl? Perhaps you need to get up an hour earlier or stay up an hour later. It is important to discover your own unique process. Some writers are disciplined and write during a set time each day. Some schedule one or two days each week for writing. With my busy schedule, I actually check in to a hotel for a weekend and write, write, write! It’s all about what works best for you.

8. Cross the Finish Line

The average book manuscript is between 60,000 to 80,000 words. Two typed pages are the equivalent of around 1000 words. So if you wrote just two pages per day, your book would be done in 60 days!

Once your manuscript is complete, you will begin the editing process. If you are new to writing, it would be wise to hire an experienced editor to help. Of course you have many options for getting your book into print. Whether you want to pursue a traditional publisher or self-publishing, the options are abundant. A good book coach can also help you make some of these decisions.

No matter what publishing options you pursue, writing a book is a big achievement and can have a tremendous impact on your life. Set a goal to finally write that book this year and you will embark on a fantastic journey.

Stephanie Chandler is an author of several business and marketing books including “From Entrepreneur to Infopreneur: Make Money with Books, eBooks and Information Products.” She is also founder and CEO of Authority Publishing, which provides custom book publishing and author marketing services for business, self-help and other non-fiction books. For hundreds of resources for entrepreneurs, visit BusinessInfoGuide.com. For author and speaker details, visit StephanieChandler.com.


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Where Most Non-Fiction Book Authors Go Wrong

By: - November 21st, 2006  Filed under: Writers Editing Seminar

“If the book needs repair before going to press, what did the writer do wrong?” is the most common question authors ask me when they find out that I review almost-ready-to-print non-fiction manuscripts, a sort of objective yea-nay court of last chance.

I’m Gordon Burgett. publisher, editor, and author, and while I’ve never kept an itemized tally, these seem to me to be the most frequent problems:

(1) Three things: the book needs a sharper organizational structure, more (often better) research, and a more compelling reason to be bought or even read.

(2) As often, the authors forgot to write the book to its most likely buyers. They expect buyers to pay for their words but it’s not clear why they should. Missing are the benefits a buyer would receive, or the problems or frustrations they would solve or resolve, from reading those pages. Selling hooks don’t seem to be hanging anywhere.

(3) If their book has a workable and salable format, too often it still has a labored flow. (This is the easiest to fix, if the purpose is clear.) They must envision what the reader must (or wants to) know in what order. If the book tells how to sweep a house, the writer must first decide if the house will be swept from attic to basement, or the reverse, and why—and will the reader use a broom or a sweeper? It’s as simple as mentally going from room to room and keeping track of the order, then adding in all to be done before, during, and after. Writers too often fail to stand in the sweeper’s shoes.

(4) Far too many proposed titles are dull, unintelligible, negative, or endless. I ask the writer to create a dozen (or two dozen) titles that anybody reading them would know what their book is about. Aim for six words or less. A subtitle, longer, can further define or reinforce with sizzle, but it alone can’t sell the book.  

(5) Too many of the sentences are eternal, the Black Forest of unneeded words. Many paragraphs are too long too. Think newspaper, one to three sentences a paragraph, and at 6-9 paragraphs, a short section title.

(6) Newbies give themselves away. They are enchanted by semicolons, which they then use incorrectly! New writers love dashes but use hyphens. They should use em dashes—two right here—and not make them float (like the English) by putting spaces before and after. Too many exclamation points (one max, rarely), too many chapters that don’t earn their keep, humor scattered too irregularly, tables of contents that need translation, no index, and too little backbone sharing their truths.      

(7) About a quarter of the books I read are hopeless without massive rethinking. Most of the rest need more furniture, with most of it moved around. Maybe 10% are ready to go as is—though all must still survive a cranky proofreader, if self-published, or a crankier editor (then proofreader), if being published from on high.

(8) Another point: many of the books might do much better as four very specific e-books (re-edited into a masterpiece later). Or as the talking core of a hands-on seminar or workshop offered often to find the actual book(s) that others really need (or want). Sometimes a series of related articles might help find the slant most likely to get book traction. 

(9) Even those ready to go don’t often make the author much money. But they can be great give-away or positioning tools from which to assemble larger empire-building platforms, including profitable speaking or product creation.

(10) Am I one of those too-cranky editors, missing the genius for all the misplaced commas? Maybe. Since they come to me because they need a hard eye before investing print money and marketing time, I may see a disproportionate number of books in obvious need.

My advice? If your book is nearing the finish line, see if any of these shortcomings apply, and fix them en route. Better yet, at the outset create a ready-to-go blueprint (with selling purpose subtly injected) that leaves no room for errant or missing bricks or for buying doubt!

Gordon Burgett has owned a publishing company since 1981 where he had edited hundreds of books, plus offered the same service to others. He has also had 38 of his own books (and 1,700+ articles) of his own published. His free monthly newsletter dwells on this topic. See www.gordonburgett.com.


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