Nonfiction Ink

The complaints I most often hear from new writers is that their books don’t “flow”, the ideas aren’t defined or don’t fit together, or the writing meanders with no clear destination. Several issues cause these common manuscript problems: most often the author has failed to create and follow an outline, he has mistaken a topic for an actual idea, and he lacks a theme statement.

Author Jack Hart believes the best writing ideas begin with a hypothesis – and I agree.

Before starting your first draft, before even beginning the initial research, it is imperative to develop a hypothesis that will be used as your theme statement (also referred to as a mission statement or thesis) to guide the research and writing process. Without a theme statement a nonfiction writer will not have a clear destination. Without a clear destination a writer cannot create a map (outline) to follow, won’t know what specific information to gather to develop a concise and compelling idea, and ultimately will be lost when it comes to which topics to present to effectively support the idea and engage readers.

So then, a successful bestselling book begins with a core idea and a theme statement.

IDEA VS. TOPIC
An idea is an opinion, conviction, or principle. It has meaning and purpose. A topic is a main organizing principle of a verbal or written discussion. It is a subdivision or category of a theme, thesis, or outline. A book may cover several topics that support or expand upon an idea. “Eating blueberries can improve your eyesight” is an idea. “A look at blueberries in southern cooking” is a topic. What is your core idea?

WRITE YOUR THEME STATEMENT
A theme statement makes an assertion about your subject. The formula for creating a one sentence theme statement could be written as:

Subject + Action Word + Object = Theme Statement

Author Richard Koch’s theme statement for his book The 80/20 Principle: The Secret to Success by Achieving More with Less could have been “A minority of causes, inputs, or efforts leads to a majority of the results, outputs, or rewards.”

The authors of Trust Agents: Using The Web To Build Influence, Improve Reputation, and Earn Trust, Chris Brogan and Julien Smith, may have written their theme statement as “Building and using networks of influence can positively impact your business.”

Now it’s your turn. What is the theme statement for your book?

I’m a fan of author Anthony Flacco (The Road Out Of Hell; A Checklist For Murder) and when I discovered he had co-written a book on publishing nonfiction, I grabbed a copy eager to learn what “insider’s” knowledge he would share.

Publish Your Nonfiction Book is designed specifically for writers pursuing traditional publishing. Flacco and Martin cover the twelve main types of commercial nonfiction, outline why it’s essential to become an expert in your field (however, the overview they provide of the necessary steps to build an author platform is very basic – a whole book could be written on this topic), give tips on presenting yourself to a literary agent, explain how the publishing industry works and how to decipher a book contract, and lay out a marketing campaign to promote your book once it’s released – including producing a book trailer, handling interviews and hiring a publicist. The authors even include a schedule for completing the writing of your manuscript.

The six chapters devoted to developing and submitting the book proposal and query letter are thorough – providing extensive tips, strategic advice, samples and insights into how to craft and present a winning pitch. The only low point in the book is the chapter on self-publishing options. The authors incorrectly portray publishing via subsidiary publishers and vanity presses as a form of self-publishing; a mistake many mainstream publications make but I am surprised to find it printed in a book released by an established publisher (Writer’s Digest) and authored by an experienced writer and a successful literary agent. In a book focused on helping commercial nonfiction writers navigate the path to traditional publication, I wonder why a chapter on self-publishing was even included. This one small imperfection aside, Publish Your Nonfiction Book is a valuable, enlightening and informative resource, providing clear and concise strategies any nonfiction writer can follow to achieve publication.

Online articles offer publicity and promotion for you, your book, and your services. Successful articles provide prescriptive advice and solutions to the readers’ problems, and average between 400 and 800 words in length. It’s easy to condense content form your published book or book-in-progress to create an article for online distribution. Be sure to include a brief bio with your benefit statement and a link to your website, blog or promo product in your byline. For the greatest impact, focus on the top-ranked article distribution sites for submission.

The 10 Top-Ranked Article Distribution Sites:

Ezine Articles

Articles Base

Buzzle

Go Articles

Article Alley

Article Dashboard

Idea Marketers

Amazines

iSnare

Article City

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

RUNNING ON EMPTY
Author: Marshall Ulrich

LUST FOR BLOOD: Why People are Fascinated by Death, Murder, Horror and Violence
Author: Jeffrey Kottler

DEADLY SPIN: How the PR Juggernaut is Killing American Health Care
Author: Wendell Potter

HORSE TALES FROM HEAVEN
Author: Rebecca Ondov

LIFE BEFORE BIRTH
Author: Dr. Arthur Janov

Writing down your goals and creating a plan of attack (tasks you can accomplish on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis) will keep you focused, allow you to see results, and provide a real strategy to actually attain whatever it is you endeavor to achieve with your writing.

1. DEFINE YOUR GOAL(S)
A goal should be specific, measurable, and have a deadline – such as “I will complete my nonfiction manuscript by the end of October.”

2. DETERMINE WHAT TASKS ARE NECESSARY TO ACHIEVE THE GOAL(S)
Create a list of all the necessary tasks associated with achieving the goal(s). If the goal is to develop a book proposal package to pitch to publishers the tasks involved might be: analyzing similar books on the subject, conducting market research, creating a promotional plan, writing an author bio, building an author platform, designing a chapter outline, writing a sample chapter, investigating nonfiction publishers in your genre, crating a query letter, etc…..

3. ORGANIZE THE TASKS & DEVELOP A STRATEGIC PLAN TO ACHIEVE YOUR GOAL(S)
Goals are easier to manage when they are broken down into small chunks: three-year, one-year, monthly, weekly, and daily. Start with your big goals and break them down to smaller and smaller tasks.

You want your detailed plan to be realistic for your lifestyle. If you maintain a full-time job and have two small children and a dog to care for, it may be difficult to fit three pages of writing in each day. Set yourself up for success by creating a practical plan. If you write one hour a day (after the kids go to bed), five times a week – or five hours one day a week (on Sunday when the kids are at grandma’s house) – that’s five pages of writing each week; within a year you will have completed a 250-page book.

You can outline your goals and plan using a simple word-processing sheet, a more complex spreadsheet, or a calendar-planning tool. Your outline may look something like this….

Long-term goal:
“I will be recognized as the expert in my field by the end of 2012.”

Goals for this year, which will help achieve the long-term goal:
“I will self-publish my business book by December 15, 2010.”

Monthly tasks necessary to attain the one-year goal:
January: I will gather initial research and create a book outline
February – March: I will research my topic in depth, interview sources, and obtain photos and permissions.
April – June: I will write the content.
July: I will have the manuscript professionally edited and proofread. I will set up my publishing company and begin pre-marketing for the book.
August: I will make final revisions. I will obtain an ISBN and bar code, register copyright, and apply for LCCN.
September: I will hire a designer to layout the interior of the book. I will hire an artist to create the cover for the book. I will list my book for pre-sale on Amazon.
October – November: I will hire an indexer to create an index for the book. I will submit the book for printing.
December: I will launch the book release.

Weekly tasks necessary to attain the specific monthly goals:
Week 1: I will investigate and evaluate comparable competitive titles
Week 2: I will collect initial research via the Internet
Week 3: I will brainstorm my topic to divide the material into sections
Week 4: I will create a detailed outline with sub-topics and separate chapters

Daily tasks necessary to attain the specific weekly goals:
Tuesday, June 8, 2010: I will write five pages of content.

Studies show that people who write down their goals and develop a strategic plan to achieve them are more likely to succeed. So make a commitment to yourself and your writing career – develop a plan and put it into action. Before another year flies by, you could be a published author.

YOUR TURN: What are your writing goals and plans for 2010?