Nonfiction Ink

Nonfiction Ink is devoted to helping business leaders, entrepreneurs, experts, and aspiring authors to develop, write, and market their nonfiction how-to and self-help books. Each week I provide posts on writing advice, marketing tips, author interviews, reviews of books to help your writing career, and a round-up of weekly book deals so you can stay on top of what’s selling in nonfiction.

Written by a respected literary agent and a published author, Bulletproof Book Proposals provides succinct, clear, to-the-point instructions for crafting a winning book proposal. Authors Brodowsky and Neuhaus break the process into 10 simple steps:

* Defining your idea
* Choosing a title
* Crafting the opener
* Defining your market
* Analyzing the competition
* Developing a platform
* Selling yourself
* Creating chapter outlines
* Writing sample chapters
* Packaging your proposal

with exercises to help you accomplish each step effectively.

While there are numerous resources available that teach writers how to develop a compelling book proposal, what sets this book apart from the rest is the inclusion of 12 real-life book proposals that successfully landed book deals. Each proposal includes commentary from the author, editor, and agent on why the proposal sold – making Bulletproof Book Proposals an invaluable resource.

Andrea Campbell is the author of twelve nonfiction books on a variety of topics but she specializes in forensic science, criminal law and entertaining. Andrea has a degree in criminal justice, is editor for a professional quarterly that goes out to criminal justice experts, and is the forensic specialist on a professional women’s crime blog. In addition, Andrea is a Home and Living Examiner writing articles about interior design, home products and entertaining. She also teaches two e-courses under the umbrella of Wow! Women on Writing. She is hoping to jumpstart an industry with ghostwriting both book proposals and full books.

Q: What are you currently working on?

Andrea: I am currently working on a historical-biography about the world’s first detective. His name is Eugène François Vidocq and he was born mid-18^th century, and lived during the French Revolution and other epic events. He was a rogue, a womanizer, a fugitive and a prison spy who started Brigade de Sûreté, the first French detective bureau and staffed it with women agents and former criminals to much success. He was also a master of disguise. His adventures were turned into memoirs but he was also the inspiration for the detective novel and famous writers like Honoré de Balzac, Alexandre Dumas père, Victor Hugo and Eugène Sue among others used him as the template for the detective in their own stories. The exciting thing for me though, in addition to being a master sleuth, he used forensic science techniques, such as fingerprint collection, footwear impressions, ballistics and data organization before they were even recognized by the scientific community.

Q. How did you land your book deal?

Andrea: Actually, on this book, the editor came looking for me. Luckily, a very good author friend of mine was contacted by an editor for a story the publisher wanted developed. She was not able to help them but by way of conversation, she told the editor that I was trying to sell the Vidocq story. After they talked, my friend said the editor wanted me to call her at my convenience—that she was interested in learning more about my book and was keen on seeing it published. What can I say about this? I have some very good professional friends who I network with, but with whom I have also developed important and nurturing relationships.

And, of course, throughout my career, I have worked with several publishers. I submitted nonfiction book proposals—mostly unagented—and apparently, I have my finger on how to present my ideas, because now I have twelve books in my portfolio.

I have published one book by myself under my own company name, Primate Press, LLC. It is an unusual mystery-intrigue and the characters are monkeys who wear clothes, drive cars, and do all the things that people do (sometimes better). I raised a capuchin monkey for Helping Hands—Ziggy is now a helper-companion for a quadriplegic—anyway, I have a lot of monkey friends. So I used photos of real monkeys for the book and a partner of mine photoshopped them into the scene of the book. There are sixteen full-page graphics; it’s a hoot. I had it printed in Korea to keep the publication costs down.  You can see images of it and buy books at: www.monkeyromance.com

Q. What is your writing process?

Andrea: If you develop a good enough book proposal, you work off the outline of it. Even though a book proposal is a sales document, you must do enough research and development in order to know your audience, your slant, create your Table of Contents, a summary of each chapter, along with a sample chapter. That is pretty good foundational material. Now I am not saying that the book won’t deviate with the writing, but it should be lined out fairly well. I teach an e-course on book proposal writing—I’ve been doing it for about twelve years—and have helped a lot of writers develop their ideas toward publication. One of my students got a $100K advance.

As far as work methodology, I write full-time in a home office. I work mostly in the middle of the night. Yes, it sounds strange but my husband snores and I find it hard to fall and stay asleep. So my biorhythm is that of a night owl, and I decided to go with the flow. It’s quiet, the phone doesn’t ring and I can really get down and focus. I start at about 10 or 11 o’clock and work sometimes until 4 a.m. When I rise at Noon, I work my email boxes, handle promotion and more deadline-type stuff until 4:30 p.m. when I leave for my walk. I am an exercise hound and walk every day, in addition to doing Pilates, Yoga or strength training.

I am very disciplined, and able to zero-in on a project. My subjects have always been something I am passionate about or involve something I want to learn more about. A book is such a long process, in order to maintain enthusiasm through its fruition, I feel you have best be invested in your topic.

Q: What project do you plan to work on next?

Andrea: I hope to be working with a publishing company developing either educational forensic science or criminal law materials. I am waiting for the company founder to get back to me with title suggestions.

The thing I want to do is to finish my first mystery—non-monkey, of course—I have had it on the backburner for some time. It’s hard to create fiction when the alligators are nipping at your heels. In other words, earning a living comes first.

Q: What advice and/or tips can you give other writers?

Andrea: I am self-taught in just about everything but I would suggest that if a writer has aspirations to be an author, he or she must learn about the book publishing business. And that’s going to be harder today because of all the evolving technology, new formats, and changes in marketing and distribution. There are so many things to label a writer, “novice” and professionalism is hard in an industry where rejection is a constant on the way toward publication. Through teaching students who have book dreams—I have found a lot of writers who are delusional basically. They don’t have the right mindset, knowledge, or character to stay in it through the long haul. They seem to think they have the world’s best idea and that getting published is inevitable. Today with 1 percent of material getting read, and then 1 percent of that actually seeing publication, the reality is that getting a book from hands to paper (or screen or e-format) is a challenge and takes an education, and experience. Plus, while this may sound strange, you have to be an interesting person who can get beyond first level thinking.

You can connect with Andrea via Twitter @AndreaCampbell or her website, and you can enroll for her next class at WOW-Women On Writing.

To establish credibility with your nonfiction book you need to support your statements with convincing evidence. Here are ten ways you can back up what you say:

1. Reveal how you reached your conclusion(s). Support your assertion by letting readers know what steps you took or information you gathered to arrive at your conclusion. If you declare in your earthquake preparedness book that “Southern California will experience a large earthquake in the next 30 years”, readers are going to want to know how you came to that conclusion – did you talk to scientists or confer with a psychic? Experienced readers expect a writer to explain his or her methods.

2. Cite statistics or research examples.

3. Address opposing views or alternate methods and offer a counterargument. If health-guru author’s bestselling book’s thesis is that eating too many carbohydrates is bad for you and your book’s fitness diet is based on eating carbs all-the-time-everyday-as-much-as-you-can-get, you better address health-guru author’s premise or many readers will dismiss your claims.

4. Justify the results. If your book presents a method or framework for achieving a goal, explain how and why the method works.

5. Back-up your statement with a story from your own experience or personal observation. If you declare in your social media book, “Writing articles for A-list blogs will increase traffic to your own site” and you have experienced that in your own business, then include a story that proves your statement.

6. Use case studies.

7. Explain the effects. If you make the assertion that “personal branding is essential for entrepreneurs” you can highlight the positive effects personal branding provides a small business, and list what the negative effects might be if an entrepreneur fails to brand his business effectively.

8. List the benefits and then “show” the benefits by painting a picture of what the end result/goal “looks” like.

9. Identify similarities and differences. If your claim is “social media marketing with Twitter is the same as old-school direct marketing campaigns”, you can identify the similarities between the two methods. If your argument is “old-school direct marketing campaigns are out-dated and ineffective compared to social networking strategies”, you can show the differences between the two to back up your assertion.

10. List your credentials and experience, and those of your sources. If you’re a psychologist who has worked with at-risk children for more than 20 years, stating your experience and credentials will help establish your authority on the topic and support your statements.

Need assistance or guidance completing your book project? I offer comprehensive ghostwriting, editing, and book proposal services to get your book done and land a book deal.

Nonfiction Ink welcomes guest posts. Our readers are business leaders, entrepreneurs, and experts in their fields who are considering, or are in the process of, writing or marketing a nonfiction self-help or how-to book. If you have advice or tips to share with our readers and would like to be a guest blogger, check out the submission guidelines. Articles should cover one of the following topics: prescriptive nonfiction writing advice, book marketing tips, expertise/platform building, publishing industry (news, information, process), how to land a book deal, or self-publishing (from book design to establishing a publishing company).

This weekly list covers prescriptive nonfiction books. For more details on publishing deals – including agents, editors, publishers, and book descriptions – visit PublishersMarketplace and subscribe to the Deals Report

BUSINESS / INVESTING / FINANCE

THE CARE AND FEEDING OF CLIENTS
Robert Bly

THE LEADERSHIP PIPELINE (updated)
Ram Charan, Stephen Drotter, and Jim Noel

THE PERFORMANCE PIPELINE
Stephen Drotter

FROM BUD TO BOSS: Secrets to a Successful Transition
Kevin Eikenberry and Guy Harris

iLEADERSHIP THE STEVE JOBS WAY: Courage, Charisma, Credibility and Being Way Cool
Jay Elliot

HUMANITARIANS AT THE GATE: Surviving and Thriving in the Treacherous World of the Modern Not-for-Profit
Rupert Scofield

COOKING

1001 BEST HOT AND SPICY RECIPES
Dave DeWitt

PUNCH
Eric Seed

HOW-TO

BEYOND SNAPSHOTS
Rachel Devine and Peta Mazey

PITCH AND PROMOTE LIKE A PRO
Terry Burns

THE UGLY CHRISTMAS SWEATER PARTY BOOK
Brian Miller, Adam Paulson, and Kevin Wool

STUDY YOUR BRAINS OUT (WITHOUT LOSING YOUR MIND!)
Anne Crossman

DECORATE: 1,000 Professional Design Ideas for Every Room of the House
Holly Becker Joanna Copestick

HOW TO BE A MAN
Glenn O’Brien

HIP GIRL’S GUIDE TO HOMEMAKING
Kate Payne

REFERENCE

EVERYDAY GODDESSES
Julie Loar

HELP! FOR WRITERS
Roy Peter Clark

HEALTH / FITNESS / DIET

THE REAL WORLD DIET: The Delicious Weight Loss Solution You Can Live With
Timothy Harlan, M.D.

PARENTING

HOMESICK AND HAPPY
Michael Thompson

ONE YEAR TO AN ORGANIZED LIFE WITH BABY
Regina Leeds with Meagan Francis

ADVICE / RELATIONSHIPS / SELF-HELP

BITING BACK: A No-Nonsense, No-Garlic Guide to Facing the Personal Vampires in Your Life
Claudia Cunningham

SEX MAGIC AND THE LAW OF ATTRACTION
Skye Alexander

RELIGION / SPIRITUALITY

FROM EMOTIONAL CHAOS TO CLARITY
Phillip Moffitt

THE TEAM JESUS BUILT
Janet Thompson

SCIENCE

BETTER LIVING THROUGH SCIENCE: The Basic Scientific Principles You Need to Solve Every Household Conundrum
Mark Frary

GENERAL / OTHER

WALK OUT, WALK ON
Margaret Wheatley and Deborah Frieze

HOW TO LIVE: A Life of Montaigne in One Question and Twenty Answers
Sarah Bakewell

By Penny Sansevieri. Reprinted from “The Book Marketing Expert newsletter,” a free ezine offering book promotion and publicity tips and techniques from A Marketing Expert

So you have a website, congratulations! Now let’s make sure it’s doing what it is supposed to be doing for you. Read: selling your book or product. While websites will differ in color, layout, and target audience, there are a few things that need to remain consistent. Let’s take a look at them.

1. EDITING:
Your website needs to be edited. There is no discussion on this topic at all. And don’t self-edit. Hire someone to go through your site page by page and make sure you don’t have any typos. Finding mistakes on your site is like finding typos on a resume. Doesn’t bode too well, does it?

2. WEBSITE STATISTICS:
Do you know your site stats? Did you even know you can get them? Site statistics are part of every website design. If you don’t have access to them make sure you get this. A good site stat service is Google Analytics, pretty comprehensive actually and easy to integrate into your site. You should know your traffic patterns and learn to read these reports (it’s a lot easier than it sounds). This way you’ll know what your site is doing and what it isn’t.

3. MEDIA ROOM:
Even if you have never had any TV or radio appearances, you should have a media room. The media room is a great place to list all of your accomplishments as it relates to the book. Also, a good place to put your bio, picture (both of you and the book cover), as well as media Q&A, and a host of other items (I’ll cover the art and science of a good media room in an upcoming piece).

4. WEBSITE COPY:
Your website isn’t a magazine, people don’t read, they scan. Make sure your site isn’t so crammed with text that it’s not scannable. Ideally your home page should have no more than 200 to 250 words. Also, make sure you have a clear call to action. You want your visitors to do something on your site, yes? Make sure they know what that is, clearly and precisely.

5. STORE:
Yes, you should have a place for people to buy on your site, even if it means sending them off to Amazon.com or somewhere else to make their purchase. One key factor though: don’t make them hunt for it. Shorten the staircase. In other words, make it easy to find your stuff and then give them the quickest route to get there.

6. DESIGN:
I have two major rules in life: you should never cut your own hair or design your own website. Period. End of story. Why? Because much like editing our own books, we’re just too darned close to our message to be able to do it justice. Also, most of us are writers, not designers. Hire someone, invest the money, you’ll be glad you did. When you’re designing, also remember that your homepage should only do one thing. Your website can sell a lot of things, including any consulting or speaking services you offer, but your home page should be focused in on one major item. Surfers spend an average of 1/50th of a second on a website, if they have to stop and try and figure out what your site is about they will leave. I call it surf shock or analysis paralysis. Don’t make them guess what your site is about, or you will lose them.

7. SOCIAL CONTENT:
Make sure that you have something “social” on your site, whether it’s a blog, forum or even your very own social networking page. The easiest and best of these is a blog, in my opinion.

8. UPDATE OFTEN:
Search engines like sites that have a lot of fresh content, this will really help you with ranking in major search engines like Google. If you have a blog, you should plan to update it twice weekly at least.

9. SHARE AND SHARE ALIKE:
Make sure that your content is easy to share. If you don’t have sharing widgets on your site (Upload to Facebook, Tweet This!, Digg, Delicious, etc.) then get your designer to add it to the site asap. Most blogging software comes with this all ready to go.

10. PLACEMENT AND REMARKETING:
First off, make sure that you understand how people surf, meaning where their eye goes to when they land on a website. The first place is the upper left hand quadrant of a site, that’s where your primary message should be. Then the eye goes to the center of your site. These two primary places are significant in conversion. You should have a clear message, and a clear call to action (whatever that action is). I also recommend funneling your visitors into a mailing list. You can do this via a sign-up on your home page and then an ethical bribe to encourage them to sign up. What’s an ethical bribe? It’s something you give them (of value) to get something – you might give them an ebook, a checklist or a special report. Just make sure it’s something your readers want.

Bonus Tip: UNDERSTANDING ANCHOR TEXT

If you ask any Search Engine Marketing Expert they will tell you the importance of anchor text. So what is this exactly? It’s the hyperlinked text that you click on to follow a link. Most people overlook this text, using words like “click here” or other nebulous terms. If used correctly, anchor text can really help with your site ranking. It’s not that difficult to implement really, you just need to understand a few basic concepts.

First, anchor text should be descriptive. It should describe the link you’re sending people to using keywords that reflect the page you’re recommending.

Second, if you know the high-traffic keywords for your market you can use those as well to describe the link (but only if the keywords relate to the page you’re sending visitors to).

Third, knowing where to use anchor text is almost as important as the text itself. All external links should be anchor text, but often web designers forget internal links (i.e. links leading to pages within your site) although they are equally as important. Your home page is also critical for anchor text links. If you have a blog (and you should) make sure that any article, website or blog you reference has anchor text in the hyperlink.

Creating these hyperlinks is easy, especially if you’re using them in a blog. Most blog software has some very simple one-click anchor text creation widgets.

So take some time and go through your site, make sure that anything you have hyperlinked is anchor text. Stay away from nebulous terms like “click here” or “follow this link” because you won’t get picked up by search engines that way. Make sure the text is focused and specific. How long can anchor text be? It doesn’t have to be long, but if need be, it can be multiple words. Keep in mind that as long as the words are relevant to your topic, the anchor text verbiage is all that matters.

Aspiring authors often put off writing a book because they can’t seem to find the time.

In Time To Write, author Kelly Stone offers practical advice and solid methods, along with a heavy dose of inspiration, to help writers stop procrastinating and get to writing.

With tips from more than 100 successful authors, Time To Write is packed with valuable information on:

* Time management
* Creating a writing schedule
* Action plans
* Motivation strategies
* Establishing writing routines
* Outlining and achieving goals

Warning: once you read this book you’ll have no more excuses for not finding the time to write.

For more details on publishing deals – including agents, editors, publishers, and book descriptions – visit PublishersMarketplace and subscribe to their Deals Report

ADVICE / RELATIONSHIPS

THE MAN WHISPERER
Samantha Brett and Donna Sozio

HAPPINESS IS YOURS . . . HELP YOURSELF: The Power of Positive Doing
BJ Gallagher

BUSINESS / INVESTING / FINANCE

URBAN WARFARE
Adam Harmon

THE MESH: Why The Future of Business is Sharing
Lisa Gansky

WIKIBRANDS
Mike Dover and Sean Moffitt

HISTORY / POLITICS / CURRENT AFFAIRS

DON’T KNOW MUCH ABOUT THE AMERICAN PRESIDENTS
Kenneth Davis

IN SEARCH OF SACCO AND VANZETTI
Susan Tejada

THE BOXER AND THE ENTERPRISE
David Hanna

THE QUIET PROFESSIONALS
Kevin Maurer

THE SIEGE OF WASHINGTON
John Lockwood and Charles Lockwood

GUNS OF THE CIVIL WAR
Dennis Adler

SUNBURNT CITIES: Foreclosure, Abandonment and Hope for the Shrinking American Sunbelt
Justin Hollander

NARRATIVE

STONE OF KINGS
Gerard Helferich

ADDICT NATION
Jane Velez-Mitchell with Sandra

HEART OF DANKNESS: Underground Botanists, Outlaw Farmers and the Race for the Cannabis Cup
Mark Haskell Smith

THE STORY OF EARTH: A Biography of Our Home
Robert Hazen

WHAT’S A DOG FOR?: What the Changing Human-Canine Relationship Tells Us About Who We Are
John Homans

REFERENCE

THE 1 GUIDE TO COLLEGE ADMISSION
Christine VanDeVelde

GREEN HEARTS OF PARIS
Susan Cahill

THE WORD FIELD
James Pennebaker

WORDCATCHER: An Odyssey into the World of Weird and Wonderful Words
Phil Counsineau

RELIGION / SPIRITUALITY

THE TWELFTH INSIGHT
James Redfield

TAO TE CHING: A Zen Master’s Talks
Thomas Cleary

RECLAIMING THE BIBLE FOR A NON-RELIGIOUS WORLD
John Shelby Spong

AN AGNOSTIC’S MANIFESTO
Vincent Bugliosi

51/50: The Magical Adventures of a Single Life
Kristen McGuiness

SCIENCE

COSMIC NUMBERS
James Stein

BIOGRAPHY

C.S. Lewis: A Biography
Alister

ANTIGONE IN VOGUE
Rhonda Garelick

PHILIP JOHNSON: Architect of the Modern Century
Mark Lamster

YOU’RE THE DIRECTOR, YOU FIGURE IT OUT: The Life and Films of Richard Donner
James Christie

COOKING

MAYUMI’S KITCHEN: Macrobiotic Cooking for Body and Soul
Mayumi Nishimura

THE OFFICIAL ALL-AMERICAN FOOD HOLIDAYS COOKBOOK
Yvan Lemoine

HEALTH / FITNESS

BEAUTY PURE AND SIMPLE
Kristen Ma

NAKED FITNESS
Andrea Metcalf

THAT’S A WRAP
Nancy Kennedy

MEMOIR

TOUCHING THE WORLD OF ANGELS
Seth Clyman

AUGUST GALE: A Father and Daughter’s Journey Into The Storm
Barbara Walsh

THE BOY IN THE MOON: A Father’s Search for his Disabled Son
Ian Brown

SOLDIER AND SAINT
James Sheeran

DO YOU DREAM IN COLOR
Laurie Rubin

FACING THE DRAGON: One Man’s Battle Against Methamphetamine
David Parnell with Amy Hagberg

MWF SEEKING BFF
Rachel Bertsche

SPORTS

A TALK IN THE PARK: Nine Decades of Baseball Tales From the Broadcast Booth
Curt Smith

OFFSPEED – Dead Fish, Yellow Hammers and the Search for the Perfect Baseball Pitch
Terry McDermott

POP CULTURE

AMERICAN IDOL
Richard Rushfield

ANTHOLOGY

BILITERATE AGAINST THE ODDS
Maria de la Luz Reyes

CHERISHED: Twenty Writers Celebrate Animals They’ve Loved and Lost
Barbara Abercrombie

THE WILD WILD WEST
John Richard Stephens

HOW – TO

CESAR’S RULES
Cesar Millan with Melissa Jo Peltier

THIS IS YOUR MOMENT: New Short Form Meditations to Set You Free
John Selby

LIFESTYLE

AMISH PEACE FOR FAMILIES
Suzanne Woods Fisher

PARENTING

SMART PARENTING FOR SMART KIDS: Nurturing Your Child’s True Potential
Eileen Kennedy-Moore, Ph.D. and Mark Lowenthal, Psy. D.

Writer Unboxed features a guest post from me today on Secrets Every Writer Should Know About Query Letters

Writers Round About is featuring me today with a guest post on 3 Secrets To A Successful Book Ghostwriting Career.