Nonfiction Ink

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.

Christina Katz

Christina Katz is the author of Get Known Before the Book Deal, Use Your Personal Strengths to Grow an Author Platform and Writer Mama, How to Raise a Writing Career Alongside Your Kids for Writer’s Digest Books. She has written hundreds of articles for national, regional, and online publications, presents at literary and publishing events around the country, and is a monthly columnist for the Willamette Writer. Katz publishes a weekly e-zine, The Prosperous Writer, and hosts The Northwest Author Series. She holds an MFA in writing from Columbia College Chicago and a BA from Dartmouth College. A “gentle taskmaster” to her hundred or so students each year, Katz channels over a decade of professional writing experience into success strategies that help writers get on track and get published.

Q: What is a platform?

CK: Long story short: Your platform communicates your expertise to others, and it works all the time so you don’t have to. Your platform includes your Web presence, any public speaking you do, the classes you teach, the media contacts you’ve established, the articles you’ve published, and any other means you currently have for making your name and your future books known to a viable readership. If others already recognize your expertise on a given topic or for a specific audience or both, then that is your platform.

A platform-strong writer is a writer with influence. Get Known explains in plain English, without buzzwords, how any writer can stand out from the crowd of other writers and get the book deal. The book clears an easy-to-follow path through a formerly confusing forest of ideas so that even the most inexperienced platform-builder can get started building a solid platform.

Q: Why is platform development important for writers today?

CK: Learning about and working on a solid platform plan gives writers an edge in selling books. Agents and editors have known this for years and have been looking for platform-strong writers and getting them deals. But from the writer’s point-of-view, there has not been enough information on platform development to help unprepared writers put their best platform forward.

Now suddenly, there is a flood of information on platform, not all necessarily comprehensive, useful or well organized for folks who don’t have a platform yet. Writers can promote themselves in a gradual, grounded manner without feeling like they are selling out. I do it, I teach other writers to do it, I write about it on an ongoing basis, and I encourage all writers to heed the trend. And hopefully, I communicate how in a practical, step-by-step manner that can serve any writer. Something we never hear enough is that platform development is an inside job requiring concentration, thoughtfulness and a consideration of personal values.

Q: Why was a book on platform development needed?

CK: At every conference I presented, I took polls and found that about 50 percent of attendees expressed a desire for a clearer understanding of platform. Some were completely in the dark about it, even though they were attending a conference in hopes of landing a book deal. Writers often underestimate how important platform is and they often don’t leverage the platform they already have as much as they could. Since book deals are granted largely based on the impressiveness of a writer’s platform, I wanted to address the communication gap.

My intention was that Get Known would be the book every writer would want to read before attending a writer’s conference, and that it would increase any writer’s chances of landing a book deal whether they pitched in-person or by query. As I wrote the book, I saw how this type of information was being offered online as “insider secrets” at outrageous prices. No one should have to pay thousands of dollars for the information they can find in my book for the price of a paperback! Seriously. You can even ask your library to order it and read it for free.

Q: What is the key idea behind Get Known Before the Book Deal?

CK: Getting known doesn’t take a lot of money, but it does take an understanding of platform, and the investment of time, skills and consistent effort to build one. Marketing experience and technological expertise are also not necessary. I show how to avoid the biggest time and money-waster, which is not understanding who your platform is for and why – and hopefully save writers from the confusion and inertia that can result from either information overload or not taking the big picture into account before they jump into writing for traditional publication.

Q: Why is there so much confusion about platform among writers?

Often writers with weak platforms are over-confident that they can impress agents and editors, while others with decent platforms are under-confident or aren’t stressing their platform-strength enough. Writers have to wear so many hats these days, we can use all the help we can get. Platform development is a muscle, and the more you use it, the stronger it gets. Anyone can do it, but most don’t or won’t because they either don’t understand what is being asked for, or they haven’t overcome their own resistance to the idea. Get Known offers a concrete plan that can help any writer make gains in the rapidly changing and increasingly competitive publishing landscape.

Q: What is the structure of the book and why did you choose it?

CK: Get Known has three sections: section one is mostly stories and cautionary tales, section two has a lot of to-do lists any writer should be able to use, and section three is how to articulate your platform clearly and concisely so you won’t waste a single minute wondering if you are on the right track.

Most of the platform books already out there were for authors, not writers or aspiring authors. To make platform evolution easy to comprehend, I dialed the concepts back to the beginning and talked about what it’s like to try and find your place in the world as an author way before you’ve signed a contract, even before you’ve written a book proposal. No one had done that before in a book for writers. I felt writers needed a context in which to chart a course towards platform development that would not be completely overwhelming.

Q: At the front of Get Known, you discuss four phases of the authoring process. What are they?

CK: First comes the platform development and building phase. In this phase you are developing authority and trust. Second comes the book proposal development phase (or if you are writing fiction, the book-writing phase). In this phase, you are leveraging your expertise and your persuasive writing skills. Third, comes the actual writing of the book (for fiction writers this is likely the re-writing of the book). In this phase, you demonstrate that you are a skilled writer, who understands how to craft polished prose. And finally, once the book is published, comes the book marketing and promoting phase. In this final phase, you leverage all your existing influence and connect with as many readers as you can.

Many first-time authors scramble once they get a book deal if they haven’t done a thorough job on the platform development phase. Writers who already have a platform have influence with a fan base, and they can leverage that influence no matter what kind of book they write. Writing a book is a lot easier if you are not struggling to find readers for the book at the same time. Again, agents and editors have known this for a long time.

Q: What are some common platform mistakes writers make?

CK: Here are a few:

• They don’t spend time clarifying who they are to others.
• They don’t zoom in specifically on what they offer.
• They confuse socializing with platform development.
• They think about themselves too much and their audience not enough.
• They don’t precisely articulate all they offer so others get it immediately.
• They don’t create a plan before they jump online.
• They undervalue the platform they already have.
• They are overconfident and think they have a solid platform when they have only made a beginning.
• They burn out from trying to figure out platform as they go.
• They imitate “insider secrets” instead of trusting their own instincts.
• They blog like crazy for six months and then look at their bank accounts and abandon the process as going nowhere.

Suffice it to say that many writers promise publishers they have the ability to make readers seek out and purchase their book. But when it comes time to demonstrate this ability, they can’t deliver.

Q: You write, teach, speak and blog. What motivates you?

My mission is to empower writers to be 100 percent responsible for their writing career success and stop looking to others to do their promotional work for them. Get Known shows writers of every stripe how to become the writer who can not only land a book deal, but also influence future readers to plunk down ten or twenty bucks to purchase their book. It all starts with a little preparation and planning. The rest unfolds from there. But you’ve got to start working on your platform today, if you want to become an author some day. Get Known can help anyone get off to a solid start.

Christina Katz is the author of Get Known Before the Book Deal, Use Your Personal Strengths to Grow an Author Platform and Writer Mama, How to Raise a Writing Career Alongside Your Kids for Writer’s Digest Books. She has written hundreds of articles for national, regional, and online publications, presents at literary and publishing events around the country, and is a monthly columnist for the Willamette Writer. Katz publishes a weekly e-zine, The Prosperous Writer, and hosts The Northwest Author Series. She holds an MFA in writing from Columbia College Chicago and a BA from Dartmouth College. A “gentle taskmaster” to her hundred or so students each year, Katz channels over a decade of professional writing experience into success strategies that help writers get on track and get published. Learn more at ChristinaKatz.com.

Selling Books hosts my book blog tour today with an interview about writing nonfiction books and my latest book The Complete Guide To Hiring A Literary Agent.

My book blog tour kicks off today with an interview at WOW-Women on Writing.

I am launching a new series “Book Reviews and Author Interviews” to be hosted each Friday beginning next month. This is an open call for:
1. Authors who write nonfiction books who wish to be interviewed on my blog about their writing process and publishing experience and/or
2. Authors and publishers who would like me to review their practical or inspirational writing books (reviewed books must be related to writing nonfiction)

If you are interested, please drop me a note at Laura@ScenarioWritingStudio.com. I look forward to hearing from you!

There will be no additional post this week — as some of you may be aware my book “The Complete Guide To Hiring a Literary Agent: Everything You Need To Know To Become Successfully Published” will be released by Atlantic Publishing in January and I am in the final throes of editing and have been forced to eliminate sleep entirely — but True Story Ink will kick back into high gear next week. Happy writing!