Nonfiction Ink

Check out  this great blog post  73 Ways to Become a Better Writer from Mary Jaksch, Chief Editor of Write To Done, posted at CopyBlogger. Compiled from writer/reader comments, these tips are helpful for any writer, at any experience level, in any genre – including nonfiction.  My top five picks:

1. Outline. Then write to that outline.
2. Edit, and edit again.
3. Read lots of books.
4. Avoid passive voice.
5. Use simple, declarative sentences.

YOUR TURN:  What tips do you find most helpful?

Keep the reader reading by highlighting key ideas:

1. CREATE HEADINGS & SUBHEADINGS
Use headings and subheadings to summarize the key point or subject matter in each section of a chapter.  Headings call attention to a specific idea, help reinforce the information, and provide a visual reference tool for readers to quickly locate what they are looking for. Effective headings entice readers to continue reading by capturing their interest.  A good heading:

• Describes the content and main idea of that particular section
• Intrigues the reader or makes a promise

“Seven Killer Strategies to Reaching Critical Mass on Twitter” (Twitter Power, Joel Comm with Ken Burge)

“Don’t Listen to Morons Like This” (The Devil’s Guide to Hollywood, Joe Eszterhas)

2. USE BULLET POINTS
Bullet points are visually arresting, they are like a magnet immediately drawing the reader’s eye and alerting them to the fact that “Hey, this is important stuff”.  Bulleted lists also help readers easily reference the material later.

3. ADD SIDEBARS
Sidebars provide the reader with additional information that’s quick to find and easy to read.  Sidebars may contain quotes, anecdotes, case studies, lists, tips, questions, statistics, instructions, references, quick advice, etc.

4. INCLUDE PULL QUOTES
A pull quote (also known as a lift-out quote or a call-out) is a quotation or an excerpt from the main content that is ‘pulled out’ and placed in a larger typeface on the same page.  A good ‘pull quote’ will lure readers to that specific key point and get them interested in the topic.

5. INSERT AN ICON OR SYMBOL
The For Dummies series is known for their use of icons to quickly highlight important information: a target with an arrow (Tip), a hand with a string tied to a finger (Remember), a bomb with a lit fuse (Warning!).  Think of ways you might include symbols in your book.

The structure of a book is like a roadmap that guides the reader to the destination.  If a book’s structure meanders, a reader may become lost – they may fail to understand the importance of the information presented, and in the end, the impact of the story is diminished.

The key to a strong structure is creating a logical flow.  How does the writer do that?

• You must have a thorough understanding of your subject and the purpose of your book.
• You must know your reader – what the reader already knows, what he needs to know, and the order in which he needs to know it to achieve the goal of the book.

Let’s look at how author Lisa Sabin-Wilson structured the topics for her book “WordPress For Dummies”:

Part I: Introducing WordPress
Chapter 1: What WordPress Can Do for You
Chapter 2: Blogging Basics
Part II: Using the WordPress Hosted Service
Chapter 3: Getting Started with WordPress.com
Chapter 4: Writing and Managing Your Blog
Chapter 5: Enhancing Your Blog with Themes, Widgets, and Upgrades
Part III: Self-Hosting with WordPress.org
Chapter 6: Setting Up Blogging Base Camp
Chapter 7: Understanding the WordPress.org Administration Panel
Chapter 8: Establishing Your Blog Routine
Chapter 9: Typing Up Templates
Chapter 10: Making the Most of WordPress Plugins
Chapter 11: Designing Your Blog
Part IV: Going Multi-User with WordPress
Chapter 12: Implementing WordPress
Chapter 13: Managing Your WordPress
Chapter 14: Maintaining WordPress
Part V: Flexing and Extending WordPress
Chapter 15: Migrating Your Blog to WordPress
Chapter 16: Beyond Blogging: WordPress as a Content Management System
Part VI: The Part of Tens.
Chapter 17: Ten Great — and Free — WordPress Themes
Chapter 18: Ten Great WordPress Plugins

The information is organized and presented in a logical order.  The reader learns each step needed to achieve the goal.  The author presents an introduction and basic overview of the application, and then proceeds with installation, set-up, management, and maintenance.  What if she had started with maintenance, then jumped to set-up, and completely skipped the information on installation?  She would have had more than a few confused readers.

Regardless of your nonfiction genre, it is important to ensure your content is structured correctly and your readers are not thrown off-course.

1.     Write down the purpose of your book.  Understanding the purpose of your book will keep you focused on leading the reader to the goal.

2.     Write a list of what your reader already knows.  This will help you determine the scope of your book.  (If you are writing a book on Bookkeeping for Small Businesses, you may assume your readers already have an understanding of basic math and that you don’t need to cover the topic of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division).

3.     Create a list of everything the reader will know after he has read your book.

4.     Now you can arrange the topics of the list (of everything the reader will learn from your book) in the order that will best facilitate the learning process that leads to achieving the goal.

You’ve just created a logical flow!

Narrative nonfiction (also referred to as ‘creative nonfiction’) is truthful writing that reads like a novel.  It incorporates storytelling techniques such as plot, conflict, and dialogue, and requires:

1. Factual subject matter

2. Exhaustive research

3. Compelling narrative (literary prose style)

HISTORY
History books usually have a scholarly tone and are often written by experts (not necessarily a professional historian, but at least someone who has studied the subject extensively).  Historical stories are compelling to readers when they evoke a sense of place – maintaining the customs, culture and knowledge of the period – provide relevance to our lives today, or reveal something new about a well-known (or little-known) event.  Military books are considered a sub-genre of history.
Killing Pablo, Black Hawk Down, Band of Brothers, 1776, How The Irish Saved Civilization, Seabiscuit

ADVENTURE
Adventure books usually consist of a man-against-nature story.  They often have an extreme and dramatic quality and an exotic location.
Into the Wild, Into Thin Air, The Perfect Storm

TRAVEL / TRAVELOGUES
Travelogues incorporate the author’s travel experience and may include travel guide details about the destination.
A Walk in the Woods, In a Sunburned Country, Under The Tuscan Sun

BIOGRAPHY
Biographies come with their own set of challenges.  Will the subject (if alive) or family cooperate with the telling of his or her story?  How will ‘fans’ of the subject respond to negative revelations?  Has the subject been covered thoroughly or do you have a new perspective or theory to present to readers? Does the subject warrant cradle-to-grave coverage or is there one inspirational event or portion of your subject’s life worthy of exploration? Along with extensive research and minute fact verification, biographies require the author to be devoted to the subject matter but objective enough to go wherever the truth may lead in order to create an accurate portrayal.
John Adams, JFK, The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life

MEMOIR
The challenge of memoir is to write a personal account (whether tragic or inspiring) that has a universal connection.  Memoir must transcend the personal and become a shared experience for readers.
Angela’s Ashes, Running with Scissors, Dreams of My Father

TRUE CRIME
True Crime accounts incorporate the art of the newspaper reporter.  It requires investigative, analytical attention to detail and some understanding of police and forensic procedures.  You will need to feel comfortable interviewing the cast of characters – the victim’s family, the detectives, the lawyers, and the perpetrator – and have the ability to capture and convey what is identifiable and intriguing.
In Cold Blood, And The Sea Will Tell, The Stranger Beside Me, The Devil In The White City, Echoes in the Darkness, The Executioner’s Song

Genre (noun); a loose set of criteria for a category of composition.

A book’s genre helps inform a potential reader what to expect emotionally, structurally, and intellectually.  Genre, then, creates a set of expectations and it’s your job as the writer to know what those expectations are and deliver them to the reader.

The most effective way to understand nonfiction genre is to peruse complimentary, as well as competitive, books in the same genre as your book idea.  Analyze the books in your niche and note:

1. The Layout – do most contain sidebars, case studies, anecdotes, photos or charts?

2. The Structure – number of chapters and sections, and overall book length

3. The Delivery – is the style casual or formal, is the tone fun and motivational or sincere and cautionary?

4. The Content – is the manuscript packed with hard-hitting information, statistical / technical overload, complex theories, or detailed historical accounts or does it contain simple step-by-step instructions, home-spun advice, basic processes, or easily understood philosophy?

5. The Purpose – is it to educate, motivate, expose, entertain, convince, inspire, or connect and share the human experience?

HOW-TO
How-To books outsell every other nonfiction genre.  Within the how-to niche the best selling categories are:  Business/Leadership/Career, Parenting, Sex, Money/Finances, Dieting/Weight Loss, and Health/Fitness.  Most how-to books are filled with instructions, valuable information, tips, suggestions, examples, and illustrations.  Information is presented sequentially with each chapter supporting the overall concept.  These books conclude with the “goal”.
Starting on a Shoestring: Building a Business without a Bankroll, Scrapbook Basics, WordPress for Dummies

SELF-HELP
Self-Help books encompass the realm of psychology and, no surprise here, the most popular category is Relationships.  Self-help books usually have more examples than how-to books.  The author’s style is often casual, as if conversing with an old friend.
Surviving the Breakup, From Panic to Power, Overcoming Depression

TRAVEL GUIDES
Travel guidebooks are always in demand, especially if they cover a location that hasn’t been done-to-death or take a fresh spin on a topic (The Top 100 Romantic Places to Kiss).  Travel guides require detailed research and must provide all the necessary information and tips to help the reader successfully plan a trip to the destination.
Away for the Weekend, Europe on $50 a Day

COOKING AND FOOD
Hundreds of new cookbooks are published each year.  To succeed in this competitive genre you’ll need a distinctive theme that captures the reader’s attention.  Cookbooks incorporate vibrant photos, systematic detailed instructions, and a casual ‘you-can-do-it’ style.
Almost Vegetarian, The Complete Book of Bread Machine Baking, Grilling Madness

INSPIRATIONAL / RELIGIOUS / SPIRITUAL / METAPHYSICAL
These books uplift reader’s spirits and require an author who is closely attuned to the readership – who they are, what they assume, their “language” – and has a full understanding of the history of the subject.
The Purpose-Driven Life, Conversations with God, The Case for Faith

REFERENCE
Successful reference books never go out-of-date.  Authors can simply update the content every 5 to 8 years.  Popular reference categories include Computer and Internet books as well as Directories.  “Coffee table” books also fall under this genre (Architecture, Art, and Photography are popular subgenres).
The Quotable Star Wars, 35,000 Baby Names, Crossword Puzzle Dictionary

HUMOR
Humor books are usually given as gifts.  They’re short, funny, and have an identifiable audience (cat owners, golfers, married women).
If Dogs Could Talk, The Women’s Daily Irony Supplement, Unusually Stupid Americans

MEDICAL & SCIENCE
Science books can be successful sellers (think of Stephen Hawking’s A Brief History of Time or The Physics of Star Trek).  They require extensive research, interviewing and fact checking and often incorporate charts, graphs, illustrations, and a thorough glossary.

STAY-TUNED: In my next post I will cover narrative nonfiction genres.

Your book cover is an essential marketing piece.  Most readers decide to buy a book based on the cover and the table of contents.  When it comes to creating the design of your book cover, there are numerous do-it-yourself software programs available.  They consist of templates, which allow you to drop in an image and some sales copy and, voila, you have a book cover.  Well, not quite.

CONSIDER HIRING A PROFESSIONAL DESIGNER
Your cover is such an important element for the overall success of your book, unless you have a degree in graphic design from a prestigious art school, I don’t recommend designing your own book cover.  Before hiring an artist, review their portfolio and make sure you understand everything that is included with their fee (will they work with your interior designer, do they provide several mock-ups to select from, how many revisions are included?)  Expect to pay between $1,000-$4,000 for a professionally designed cover.  The cost is well worth the investment.  See the difference between using an unqualified artist and a professional book-cover designer on the “Before and After” page at George Foster’s website: http://www.fostercovers.com/before_after

Here are 12 Tips to help you create the best book cover possible:

THE FRONT COVER

1. KNOW WHAT YOUR AUDIENCE EXPECTS OF YOUR BOOK COVER
Book covers for specific genres have certain similar qualities.  Historical books use photographs on the cover.  Medical books usually have a white background and modern lettering.  Study other books in your category to get a feel for their design traits.

2. ATTRACT READERS WITH EMOTION
The goal of the front cover is to grab a potential reader’s attention and make him want to learn more by reading the back copy and the table of contents.  What attracts a reader to the cover is an emotional feeling they get from the visual elements (including the color, fonts, and images) and the title.  The cover should be minimal, not chaotic, and evoke an emotional response from the reader.  When the reader views your book cover do they feel comforted, peaceful, successful, motivated, inspired, hungry, secure, adventurous, interested, curious, concerned, empowered, intrigued?

3. MAKE THE FRONT COVER EASY TO READ
The front cover must stand out and be easy to read (think about what it will look like as a thumbnail on your website or Amazon.com).  Place the title near the top of the cover on a clean background (NEVER place your title over a busy background).  Don’t clutter the cover with several illustrations.  Use one strong image that relates to the book’s content.  Do not use the word “by” in front of the author’s name.

4. USE COLOR TO CONVEY THE RIGHT MESSAGE
Color is a powerful tool.  Choose your background color carefully to convey the right message.  White conveys credibility, purity, and health.  Red is warm, sexy, and exciting, and represents power, vitality, and action.  Men relate blue to dependability, trustworthiness, and intelligence, while women often view it as sad and depressing.  Black is authoritative, romantic, and mysterious.  Yellow is joyous and energetic, often associated with home and happiness.  Green conveys growth, prosperity, nature and leisure.

5. USE FONTS TO CONVEY THE INTENDED FEELING
The font you select for your title, subtitle and author name has a dramatic effect on the feeling of the book.  Check out www.my-fonts.com or www.store.adobe.com/type where you can type in your book’s title and see how it ‘feels’ with the different fonts.

THE SPINE

6. USE A STACKED TITLE ON THE SPINE
When your book is displayed in a bookstore, the first thing a potential reader will see is the book’s spine.  Ensure it is attractive and legible by stacking the characters of the book title on the spine.

THE BACK COVER

7. USE BENEFITS AND PROMISES TO SELL THE BOOK
You’ve attracted a potential reader with your cover design, now you need to hook them with compelling benefits by telling the reader what’s in it for them if they buy the book.  Will they become the best trout fisher they can be, learn how to navigate New York on $50 a day, be inspired and motivated by a memoirist’s triumphant story, or discover how the founding fathers created the Declaration of Independence?  Write a concise, brief (two to four sentences) statement describing the content of the book followed by several benefit bullet points and end with a ‘call to action’ that tells the potential reader why they need to buy the book.  The back cover of Dara Mark’s book Inside Story concludes with: “It is a must-have book for any serious screenwriter, playwright, or novelist” – wow, if you identify yourself as any one of those, you’re going to want to purchase the book!

8. CREATE AN ARRESTING HEADLINE
Write a powerful headline addressed to the reader that helps him or her relate to, and identify with, the content.  The back cover headline for Inside Story is: “What IS the secret to writing a great screenplay?”  Most potential readers who pick up this book are searching for the answer to that question.  The headline quickly and efficiently lets the reader know the answer is contained in the contents of the book.

9. USE ENDORSEMENTS AND QUOTES
Testimonials, endorsements and quotes are a phenomenal selling tool.  If someone else thinks a book is good, then it must have merit.  The back cover testimonial for Inside Story reads: “Destined to become the gold standard for books on screenwriting!”  That’s an impressive quote.

10. SHOW YOU ARE THE ULTIMATE EXPERT TO AUTHOR THIS BOOK
At the very bottom of the back cover (sometimes placed directly across from the ISBN), include a brief, one to two sentence only, biography highlighting why you are qualified to write this book and help the reader.  This is not a full biography – you will include that in the ‘About the Author’ section inside the book.  The goal here is to let the potential reader know you are an expert.

11. LIST THE BOOK CATEGORY
By listing your book’s category/subcategory (such as “true crime/current events” or “self-help/psychology”) on the upper left-hand corner of the back cover, your book will be properly categorized on the bookstore shelf (or virtual shelf, in the case of online booksellers).

12. INSERT AN ISBN & BAR CODE
You need an ISBN and Bar Code for your book to be sold through booksellers such as Amazon and Barnes and Noble.  You can purchase an ISBN at www.isbn.org and acquire a Bar Code from www.bowkerbarcode.com/barcode (you need to obtain your ISBN prior to getting your bar code.)