Sell Your Nonfiction Book

It is possible to get your nonfiction book published! Learn everything you need to know about how to sell your book to a publisher from an experienced nonfiction author.

Tens of thousands of nonfiction books are published every year, and yours can get published too!To get your nonfiction book published, you'll need to know how to develop your ideas and write a book that stands out from the crowd. And you'll also need to know how to get editors' attention, how to work with agents, editors, and publishers, and ultimately how to sell your book to a publisher.Sell Your Nonfiction Book covers everything you'll need to know to develop your idea, write a book, and sell it to a publisher. It covers every step starting with developing the initial idea for the book, to storyboarding, researching, writing, and finally selling the book to a publisher.

Introduction ixPART 1: PLANNING 11 Developing Effi cient Work Habits 3Establishing a Routine 3Taking Advantage of Opportunity 52. The Process of Publishing a Book 7The Planning and Research Phase 7The Writing Phase 9The Marketing Phase 9The Publishing Phase 103 Storyboarding 134 Articles That Turn into Chapters 17Finding Ideas 18Article and Chapter Structure 20The lede 21Lede devices 21The body 23The ending 24Approaching Editors 25Article Format 275 The Business of Writing 31Contentsiv Sell your nonfi ction bookPART 2: RESEARCH 356 Researching on the Web 37The Basic Google Window 38Advanced Search 38Customizing Google 42More Google Search Tools 447 Researching in Libraries 49Online Catalogue 49Databases and Articles 50Dictionaries, etc. 51Web portal 51Other libraries 51In-Person Library Research 528 Building an Online Workspace 53Designing a Book Blog 55Starting your blog 56Some tips for improving blog usefulness 599 Organizing Persuasive Writing 61Attention 61Interest 62Action 63Legitimate appeals 63Dubious appeals 64Unacceptable appeals 65Documenting Your Sources 67Decide what’s common knowledge in the fi eld 67Understand the perils of plagiarism 68Offer your own opinions, and back them up 69Use transitional phrases to smooth the reader’s path 69Blend quotations into your own work 70Cite your sources 71For general readers 71For specialist readers 72Create your own style guide 72Interviewing Techniques 73Face-to-face 73Contents vEmail interviews 75Effective email is courteous email 77PART 3: WRITING 7910 Starting the Writing Process 81Basic Nonfi ction Storytelling Devices 81In medias res 82The scene 83Plot 83Showing and telling 85Dialogue 85Suspense 86Characterization 86Climax 8711 Some Basic Writing Elements 89Readability 90Structure 9112 Semantics and Style 9313 Writing Transparently 97Quirks of Diction 98Problems in Sentence Patterns and Rhythms 98Clumsy Rhetorical Devices 98Dead Phrasing 99Clichés 10014 Word Choice 101Latinisms 101Greekisms 102Hype Words 102Vogue Words 103Euphemisms 103Economic euphemisms 104Military/political euphemisms 104Aging and death euphemisms 104Sleepwriting 10515 Editing 107Substantive Editing 109vi Sell your nonfi ction bookLine Editing 110Copyediting 110Editing Tips 111Finding Outside Editing Help 11116 Common English and Style Errors 113Punctuation Mistakes 113Grammar and Usage Mistakes 11617 Manuscript Format 11918 Libel and Other Legal Pitfalls 123PART 4: MARKETING 12919 Rules for Marketing Your Book 131Book Proposals and Outlines 13220 Researching Publishers and Agents 139Places to Look for an Agent (and Further Advice) 14221 Reading Contracts 145Delivery of “Satisfactory Copy” 145Permission for Copyrighted Material 146Grant of Rights 146Proofreading and Author’s Corrections 147Advances and Royalties 147Author’s Warranties and Indemnities 149Copies to Author 149Option Clause 149Going out of Print 150A Word of Advice 15122 Is Self-Publishing Right For You? 153Print-on-Demand 154Serious Self-Publishing 155Should It Be an E-book? 156Is Writing Nonfi ction Worth Doing at All? 157Appendix I: Editing Exercises 159Appendix II: Checklist for Nonfi ction Writers 171