Nonfiction Ink

The title of The Complete Idiot’s Guide To Writing Business Books is misleading, since the book doesn’t actually teach the reader how to write a business book. Only 10 pages of the book (in the brief chapter “Voice, Point of View, and Style”) deal with any aspect of writing a book.

Instead the author provides material (divided into six sections) on:

1. Testing your business book idea
2. Writing your proposal and sample chapter
3. Finding an agent and other helpers
4. Finding a publisher and negotiating a contract
5. Writing and publicizing your book
6. Using your published book to enhance your career

And while the content is well presented, I am left wondering, “Where is the material promised by the book’s title?” There are much better, and more thorough, books on the topics of:

Developing book proposals: Bulletproof Book Proposals by Pam Brodowsky and Eric Neuhaus, Michael Larson’s How To Write a Book Proposal, or Nonfiction Book Proposals Anybody Can Write by Elizabeth Lyon

Finding a literary agent: How To Get A Literary Agent by Michael Larson, and my own The Complete Guide To Hiring A Literary Agent

Publicizing and marketing your book: From Book To Bestseller by Penny Sansevieri, Steve Weber’s Plug Your Book, and 1001 Ways To Market Your Books by John Kremer

Too bad The Complete Idiot’s Guide To Writing Business Books doesn’t deliver on the topic of writing business books – I’m sure many entrepreneurs aspiring to write business books could use a good business book-writing manual.

Related posts:

1. Book Review – The Complete Guide To Hiring A Literary Agent
2. The Complete Guide To Hiring A Literary Agent – Book Review
3. BOOKS FOR WRITERS: Bulletproof Book Proposals by Pam Brodowsky and Eric Neuhaus
4. BOOKS FOR WRITERS: Making The Perfect Pitch by Katherine Sands
5. BOOKS FOR WRITERS: The Business of Books by Claudia Suzanne

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