Nonfiction Ink

Line By Line: How To Edit Your Own Writing demystifies line editing and enables authors to polish their own manuscripts. Author Claire Kehrwald Cook walks writers through the process step-by step from how to read and evaluate a sentence, to how to condense sentences to succinctly and clearly convey meaning. Along the way she tackles all the usual suspects: weak verbs, prepositional phrases, modifiers, structure, ambiguous words, parallelism and correlative conjunctions, punctuation, and subject-verb disagreement.

Most helpful are the extensive glossary of ‘questionable word usage’ and the numerous examples that help guide readers during editing. Used alongside a good book on grammar (such as Mignon Fogarty’s Grammar Girl’s Quick & Dirty Tips For Better Writing) and a professional developmental editor, Line By Line is a valuable resource for any writer wanting to craft a well-written manuscript.

By Penny Sansevieri. Reprinted from “The Book Marketing Expert newsletter,” a free ezine offering book promotion and publicity tips and techniques. http://www.amarketingexpert.com

We all know that it’s great to hop on social networks like Facebook, Squidoo and Twitter, right? But have you ever considered that a blog is a social network, too? You bet it is, but I’m talking specifically about the comment section within each blog. We all know that it’s great to pitch bloggers for your book or product, right? But there’s more to it. Really, it’s about online networking or cyber-schmoozing. Before you even target a blog for your pitch, you should get to know them first. Here’s how:

First, you’ll want to get to know the blogs in your market. To do this you’ll want to follow them and communicate with them via the comment section on their blogs. You can find these blogs through blog search engines like Google Blog Search and Technorati.com. Once you find the blogs that are top in your market (I suggest going after the top 5-10 to start with) then you’ll want to see what they post on and comment on their blog posts. What does this do? Well, it’ll help give you a voice on your top blogs and give the bloggers a chance to get to know you. Here are some tips for commenting intelligently on blogs:

• Be interesting and thought-provoking. Save the “wow, great blog” comments for when you are really looking to *not* impress someone.
• Watch, then comment. I recommend following the blog for a few weeks before jumping in. You want to get a sense of the tone of the blogger and how he or she responds to comments.
• Try commenting on at least five blogs a week, this way you’re not spending *all* of your free time doing this and still you’re able to get a voice out there in the blog-o-sphere.
• Offer additional insight to the blog post, perhaps you’ve had a different experience than what the blogger cited. If so, politely and intelligently tell them your viewpoint and invite other ideas.
• Be entertaining, engaging, and helpful. Always. Don’t push your book, yes you can mention it – but don’t push it, that’s a big no-no.
• Try to build a rapport with the blogger by being consistent, that’s why you don’t want to follow too many bloggers. You’ll be too fragmented this way.
• Be inspiring, readers love inspiration. Don’t just gush for the sake of gushing.

Commenting on blog posts is a sort of social networking, even better in fact because blog posts and their associated comments are searchable. Keep in mind that you’ll want to always list your URL when you log in (and most blogs require that you do log in and leave your online “footprint”).

Once you have spent sufficient time online you’ll start to get to know the bloggers that are a significant “voice” in your industry. This type of networking will help when you go back to pitch them your story, book or product. Remember that bloggers, like any other on or offline media, want the scoop. So give them what they want. Here are a few tips for pitching bloggers once you’ve networked with them:

• Know what they like: don’t pitch them a book review if they don’t review books. Just because you have become commenter-extraordinaire doesn’t mean that they’ll bend the rules for you. Well, they might, but better to let them suggest it.
• If the blogger does review books and/or products check out their submission guidelines before sending them a pitch.
• If you’re sending them a story idea be sure and tell them if you’ve pitched this idea to anyone else. If they have an exclusive, tell them and give them a (reasonable) deadline for responding if you’re going to shop this around.
• Present the unexpected: it’s OK to take chances, it really is as long as you stay on topic. Pitch the blogger, you never know what could happen.
• Make it easy: if you’re pitching them a story don’t just pitch them and expect them to do all the work. Make it easy on them by offering to co-interview (when appropriate) or offering them experts you think might work well for the piece.

The key is that as you’re getting known online, the Internet is one big networking party. Just because you can hide behind your monitor doesn’t mean that you’re invisible. Remember that everything is your resume and everything leaves a footprint. The best thingyou can do is get out and cyber-schmooze, the worst thing you can do is be unprepared. Do your homework and remember, online networking (when done effectively) can benefit you enormously both in your online footprint as well as the connections you’ll make. Don’t worry about spending hours on this, it’s really about quality not quantity. Get out there and social network on blogs, you’ll be glad you did.

Much of the process of completing a manuscript is in the preparation, not the actual writing. When you have a solid foundation for your nonfiction project the writing component is more efficient and effective.

BENEFITS OF CREATING AN OUTLINE
According to a study conducted by McLuhan and Davies, a consulting firm specializing in communications training, “Efficient writers spend 40% of their time planning, 25% of their time writing, and 35% of their time revising. Less efficient writers spend more time on their projects – tinkering and wandering – and are less satisfied with the results. Less efficient writers distribute their time 20% planning, 60% writing, and 20% revising.”

Developing an outline will:

• Provide a detailed blueprint to follow during the writing stage
• Enable you to write efficiently in manageable portions
• Help ensure a logical flow of information

THE DETAILED CHAPTER-BY-CHAPTER OUTLINE

The detailed book outline begins with formulating and organizing your ideas to create a broad table of contents (see The Easiest Way To Organize Your Book and Organizing Your Nonfiction Book for a review of those steps).

Once you have your list of chapters (with titles for each), expand upon each chapter’s main point by adding topics and sub-topics (and even dividing sub-topics into additional sub-categories), and include sidebars, examples, how-to instructions, checklists, or case studies where appropriate.

Chapter 1: Main Topic

1. Main Topic 1
A. Sub-Topic 1
B. Sub-Topic 2
i. Sub-Category A
ii. Sub-Category B
C. Sub-Topic 3
2. Main Topic 2
A. Sub-Topic 1
i. Sub-Category A
ii. Sub-Category B
a. Example
b. Sidebar
iii. Sub-Category C
B. Sub-Topic 2
C. Sub-Topic 3
D. Sub-Topic 4
i. Sub-Category A
E. Sub-Topic 5
i. Sub-Category A

Creating a detailed chapter-by-chapter outline for your book allows you to easily write from topic to topic and complete a first draft. Want to view a sample detailed chapter outline? Attached is one I created for my book The Complete Guide To Hiring A Literary Agent.

If you’re an author seeking a traditional publishing deal you should be aware that publishing contracts are negotiable. Negotiating a Book Contract is the best book I’ve read on the subject. Writer Mark Levine provides a comprehensive, clear and concise overview of every element found in a publishing contract, including royalties, advances, subsidiary rights, manuscript delivery obligations, termination rights, and options. Levine highlights the most important clauses and identifies which points are easy to negotiate and which are more difficult.

The detailed ‘Sample Letter of Comments’ is invaluable for authors to follow when requesting changes to their own contracts. The new revised 2009 edition of the book adds a section on Internet works and electronic rights. Even if you have a lawyer or literary agent representing you in your publishing negotiations, it’s well worth having a copy of Negotiating A Book Contract on hand while reviewing your own contract.

Conferences and conventions provide an excellent opportunity to meet booksellers, bloggers, book reviewers, journalists, reporters, publishers, agents, influencers, and other authors. Effective networking can help you create, nurture, and develop mutually beneficial relationships. Nothing replaces a one-on-one connection and the chemistry it can generate.

One of the best ways to network and gain publicity at a conference or convention is to be a featured speaker. Many established published authors receive numerous invitations to speak at events, but if the conference planners aren’t calling you just yet consider creating your own seminar or panel topic to pitch to the organizers. Even if you don’t land a speaking gig, simply attending a conference is a great way to network and connect.

Here are seven steps you can follow to make the most of your conference experience:

1. Review the conference website to determine who will be speaking at the event and create a list of people you wish to meet.
2. Send an email note to each of those people to introduce yourself and let him/her know that you are looking forward to his/her presentation and that you hope to be able to connect during the conference, perhaps even be able to meet for 15 minutes over coffee or a drink.
3. Create a plan of how you will spend your time at the event. Prioritize what you know you must do and what you would like to do if time permits.
4. When you arrive at the conference, study the map and the program to better navigate the terrain.
5. Plan to attend both educational and social events, and walk the exhibition floor if one is presented. Collect business cards from everyone you meet.
6. Always have promotional material, copies of your book, and postcards with your contact information available.
7. As soon as you return home from the conference, send an email “Thank You” or “Nice To Meet You” note to everyone you made a connection with. You can express your gratitude, include an item of interest from your meeting or conversation, or reaffirm any commitments you both made.

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

HISTORY / POLITICS / CURRENT AFFAIRS

CRONY CAPITALISM
by David Stockman

TO SAVE AMERICA
by Newt Gingrich

OUT OF SIGHT: The Making of the Los Angeles Arts Scene
by William Hackman

A LABYRINTH OF KINGDOMS
by Steven Kemper

HOW TO BE SECULAR: A Field Guide for Religious Moderates, Atheists, and Agnostics
by Jacques Berlinerblau

AMERICAN TALIBAN
by Markos Moulitsas

RELIGION / SPIRITUALITY

SECRETS OF THE DRAGON GATE
by Dr. Steven Liu and Jonathan Blank

GOD WITHOUT RELIGION
by Andrew Farley

START: Becoming a Good Samaritan
by Michael Seaton

BEING, CONSCIOUSNESS, BLISS: The Reality of God
by David Bentley Hart

THE ART OF THE KING JAMES BIBLE
by Harold Bloom

SPORTS

IN THE GRASP
by Mark Kram Jr.

START THE CAR: The World According to Bumble
by David Lloyd

FOUR DAYS IN JULY: Tom Watson, the 2009 British Open, and One of the Most Improbable Stories in Sports History
by Jim Huber

THE LONGEST SHOT
by Neil Sagebiel

BULLPEN DIARIES
by Charley Rosen

SCIENCE

THE BROTHERHOOD
by Thomas Joiner

BORN LIARS: Why We Can’t Live Without Deceit
by Ian Leslie

WHAT THE ROBIN KNOWS: How Birds Tell Us About Ourselves and the Natural World
by Jon Young

ADVICE / RELATIONSHIPS

WHEN LOVE ENDS
by Jackie Johnson

GRUMBLE HALLELUJAH
by Caryn Rivadeniera

POP CULTURE

A IS FOR ARMAGEDDON
by Richard Horne

I LOVE MUSIC/I HATE MUSIC: Trivia and Other Extremely Important Stuff About the Songs and Bands You Love, Hate, Love to Hate, and Hate to Love
by Brian Boone

THE SPIN READER: 25 Years of Heroes, Heretics, and the New Rock-n-Roll
by Doug Brod

DOWN OFF THE SHELF: 25 Writers On How They Came By Their Favorite Hardcovers and Paperbacks
by Sean Manning

COOKING

SPEAKEASY: The Employees Only Guide to Classic Cocktails (with a Twist)
by Jason Kosmas and Dushan Zaric

THE VEGAN HOLIDAY KITCHEN
by Nava Atlas

THE GOURMET BREAD MACHINE BOOK
by Judith Fertig

300 BEST TACOS
by Kelley Coffeen

BASIC TO BRILLIANT: More Recipes and Stories from Three Generation of Southern Cooking
by Virginia Willis

PIE CONTEST IN A BOX
by Gine Hyams

HUMOR

HOW TO WRITE ON THE INTERNET: An Absolutely Phony Stylebook
by Ken Lowery and Mark Hale

STUFF HIPSTERS HATE
by Andrea Bartz and Brenna Ehrlich

BIOGRAPHY

LET FREEDOM SWING
by James “Tad” Hershorn

JAGGER: A Biography
by Marc Spitz

AUDREY AT HOME
by Luca Dotti with Alessia Margiotta

PARENTING

BABY BARBELLS
by Dr. Joshua Levitt

HEALTH

SWEAT SCIENCE: Fitness Myths, Training Truths, and Other Surprising Discoveries from The Science of Exercise
by Alex Hutchinson

FULL: A Life Without Dieting
by Michael Snyder, MD

OUTSMART YOUR GENES: How Your DNA Will Empower You To Protect Yourself Against Cancer, Alzheimer’s, Heart Disease, Obesity, and Many Other Conditions
by Brandon Colby, MD

THE HUMAN ASSEMBLY: The Discovery, Industry, and Future of Our Parts, Tissues and Organs
by Michael Mason

RECOVERY MYTH
by Bankole Johnson, DSc, MD, PhD, MPhil, FRCPsych

FIRST STEPS: An Olympian’s Guide to Miles, Marathons, Motherhood and More
by Kara Goucher

BUSINESS / INVESTING / FINANCE

WISE INVESTING MADE SIMPLE AGAIN: More Tales Too Enrich Your Life
by Larry Swedroe

ACTS OF GOD AND MAN
by Michael Powers

TOO MANY BOSSES, TOO FEW LEADERS
by Rajeev Peshawaria

NO B.S. PRICE STRATEGIES FOR ANY BUSINESS
by Dan Ennedy

MEMOIR

AFFECTION
by Krissy Kneen

BRINGING PROGRESS TO PARADISE
by Jeffrey Rasley

DANIEL PATRICK MOYNIHAN: A Portrait in Letters
by Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan (edited by Steve Weisman)

SUSAN
by Sigrid Nunez

GENERAL / OTHER

THE LITERARY LADIES GUIDE TO THE WRITING LIFE: Observations, Inspiration, and Wisdom from Women Authors who Paved the Way
by Nava Atlas

VAMPYRE SANGUINOMICON
by Father Sebastiaan

NARRATIVE

A BLOOD CURSE
by Alfredo Corchado

AN OCEAN APART
by Terrie Williams

HOW-TO

THE JOY FACTOR
by Susan Smith Jones

ESSENTIALS FOR THE HOME: 50 Things Everyone Needs
by Deborah Needleman

STILL STANDING: Addicts Talk About Living Sober
by Bucky Sinister

TRUE CRIME

A PECULIAR TRIBE OF PEOPLE: Murder and Madness in the Heart of Georgia
by Rick Hutto

When you break the process of writing a book into five main steps, the daunting task suddenly seems much easier (and it is!). According to several studies, it also makes writing a manuscript more efficient and effective.

So let’s look at the five main steps to writing a nonfiction book:

1. Formulizing Your Idea
This includes focusing your theme, determining the scope of the content, analyzing who your reader is and evaluating their needs. For more in ideas, see: 5 Questions to Determine If Your Book Idea Will Sell, 3 Tips To Find Ideas that Sell, Writing For Your Readers, and Preparing To Write Your Book: Focus Your Idea With A Theme Statement

2. Gathering Information
This step involves researching your topics, locating experts and sources, and conducting interviews. For more on gathering information, see: 6 Simple & Effective Techniques to Prepare For Research, How To Find Experts for Your Nonfiction Book, and How To Approach an Expert

3. Organization
Next you’ll develop the structure for your book, determining logical arrangement, preparing a detailed outline, and creating a writing schedule. For more on organization, see: Organizing Your Nonfiction Book, The Quickest, Easiest Way To Organize Your Book, and 3 Steps to Creating A Writing Plan & Achieving Your Goals

4. Writing
The first draft expands upon your outline, turning your topics into chapters.

5. Revising
The revision process involves reviewing your initial draft for pace, tone, clarity, flow, style, concepts, hook, arguments, chapter theses, transitions, layout, and conclusions – then rewriting as needed. The final task involves editing and proofreading the content for grammar, sentence structure, tense, syntax and spelling.

STAY-TUNED: Next Monday we’ll delve further into the topic of outlines.

This classic book is a worthy and comprehensive (weighing in at 700+ pages) resource for authors and publishers. Writer John Kremer provides an overview of the fundamentals of marketing, how to plan an effective campaign, working with customers, acquiring distribution, and breaking into new markets, such as retail outlets and libraries. The core section of the book covers:

Promotion – speaking engagements, sales material, connecting with bookstores, and obtaining awards and honors

Publicity – book reviews, news releases, the media, print interviews, talk show appearances, and author tours

Advertsing – direct mail, lists, telemarketing, book fairs and festivals, and magazine, radio and television placement

Internet Sales – blogging, podcasting, Amazon, newsletters, and websites

Additional Income Sources – selling subsidiary rights and foreign rights, offering services, syndication, teaching, consulting, and spin-offs

Whether you are a traditionally published or self-published author, Kremer’s book offers valuable tips and insights to marketing your book for long-term sales.

Amazon’s Search Inside The Book program offers publishers and authors the ability to allow potential readers a look inside their books – to preview sample pages, review the Table Of Contents, read the back copy, and peruse the index. The Search Inside The Book program improves search results and increases book sales. So if you haven’t done so already – get with the program!

REQUIREMENTS

• You must hold the merchandising rights for the book(s) you wish to submit.
• The files you upload must correspond to books already in the Amazon catalog (either available for pre-order or order).

SUBMITTING YOUR FILES

• Submit files via Amazon’s Seller Central
• Existing Seller Central account holders can request a Search Inside The Book upload account by sending an email to insidethebooksubmission@amazon.com
• Uploaded files must not exceed 500MB
• Content files should be in PDF text-based format
• PDF must be free of registration marks, crop marks, and other extraneous and non-printing text, marks or elements
• PDF must be free of security (changes, selection, and document printing must be allowed)
• All fonts must be embedded
• The order of the pages in the PDF must correspond to the physical print book (Each page in the PDF file must correspond to one page in the physical print book)
• Image files (front cover, back cover, spine, front flap, back flap) should be submitted in JPG, GIF, or TIFF format at 300 DPI or higher

Naming The Files:
All files must follow Amazon’s naming conventions:
[9 digit ISBN]-fullinteriorcontent.pdf (for example: 123456789-fullinteriorcontent.pdf)
[9 digit ISBN]-frontcover.jpg
[9 digit ISBN]-backcover.jpg
[9 digit ISBN]-frontflap.jpg
[9 digit ISBN]-backflap.jpg
[9 digit ISBN]-spine.jpg

Note that Amazon cannot accommodate specific requests to suppress individual pages from display on the website. Standard processing is usually completed within 7 to 10 days. Contact your Search Inside The Book representative if you do not see the feature activated within that time frame.

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

WHEN YOU CAN’T FIND GOD
Author: Linda Shepherd

MY NAME IS CARLY: A Girl Discovers Her Voice
Author: Arthur Fleischmann with Carly Fleischmann

THE PRODUCTIVE WRITER: Success Strategies for Writing and Selling More
Author: Sage Cohen

OUT OF THE WOODS: How Trees Shaped America and America Shaped Trees
Author: Eric Rutkow

HEAT
Author: Bill Streever

JAPANESE GRILLING
Authors: Tadashi Ono and Harris Salat

GLOCK
Author: Paul Barrett

GOD AND FOOTBALL
Author: Chad Gibbs

A WOMAN’S GUIDE TO INNER BEAUTY
Author: Ginger Garrett

THE INDIE AUTHOR GUIDE (revised)
Author: April Hamilton

CASH FOR CLUTTER: The Suddenly Frugal Guide to Getting Organized and Making Money from Your Stuff
Author: Leah Ingram

THE INTERLOPER: LEE HARVEY OSWALD INSIDE THE SOVIET PERPLEX
Author: Peter Savodnik

5 VERY GOOD REASONS TO PUNCH A DOLPHIN IN THE MOUTH
Author: Matthew Inman

HIS MAJESTY’S YANKS: The Untold Story of the Five Young American Patriots who Went First to Fight the Nazi Army
Author: Rachel Cox

POT OF GOLD: A Marijuana Virgin’s Adventures in the Land of the Magical Weed
Author: Greg Campbell

GRACE BEFORE MEALS: Recipes for Family Life
Author: Father Leo Patalinghug

BRAINSTEERING: The Breakthrough Approach to Developing More and Better Ideas of Any Kind
Authors: Kevin Coyne and Shawn Coyne

THE LAST GOOD WAR
Author: Tom Sanders

THERE’S WOOD IN YOUR TURKEY BACON: And 333 Other Fascinating Facts That Will Make You Smarter, Safer and Healthier
Author: Mark Di Vincenzo’s

AMAZING PUZZLES FROM THE BIBLE
Author: Timothy Parker

SOUL SURFING
Author: Robert Wise

I HATE EVERYTHING
Author: Matthew DiBenedetti

WARRIOR POLICE: Rolling with America’s MPs in the World’s Trouble Spots
Authors: Lieutenant Colonel Gordon Cucullu and Christana Fontana

BAD FOR THE JEWS
Author: Scott Sherman

MAKE STUFF TOGETHER
Authors: Bernadette Noll and Kathie Sever

MY MILK TOOF
Author: Inhae Lee

UNCHARTED TERRITORI
Author: Tori Spelling

THE DAYS OF OUR LIVES: The Untold Story of One Family’s Dream and the True History of The Days of Our Lives
Author: Ken Corday

MY PARENTS WERE AWESOME
Author: Eliot Glazer

O MIGHTY SMITER!: Is The God Of The Old Testament Really Angry, Sexist, and Racist?
Author: David Lamb