Nonfiction Ink

If you’re a writer, crime does pay.

True crime captivates readers – giving them a glimpse into the forbidden and illicit and safely opening the door to a world and a side of human nature that everyone acknowledges, but few are willing to explore.

Readers have been fascinated by crime stories from the time of the first true crime book collection in 1735.  Probably the most enduring true crime story is a spree of killings that began in 1888 in London’s Whitechapel district.  Today, more than 120 years later, Jack the Ripper remains a popular topic.

What is the enduring appeal of true crime?  The most disturbing crimes seem to elicit a need to find meaning in meaningless acts, a context to explain the unexplainable.

Early true crime works were sensational, lurid throwaway tabloids.  Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood effectively changed that, launching modern true crime writing.  Published in 1966 the book combined fiction writing techniques with investigative journalism, catapulting the genre to respectable nonfiction.

The goal of narrative true crime is:

1. Understanding what drives people to commit the crime – political corruption, corporate embezzlement, kidnapping, rape, insider securities trading, racketeering, hustling, drug running, slave trading, bank robbery, forgery, murder – by examining psychopathic, sociopathic and antisocial behavior.
2. Provoking an intellectual and emotional response in the reader.

ELEMENTS OF SUCCESSFUL TRUE CRIME

• Incorporates layers of detail about the setting, the social fabric and the culture of a particular time period – providing a historical perspective.
• Explores, in-depth, the characters’ minds – victims, perpetrators, and survivors
• Examines the impact on the society and community
• Relates the story to the reader
• Emotionally engages the reader
• Combines literary techniques – vivid characters, dialogue, description, action, metaphor, symbolism, theme, suspense, rising conflict, well-paced plot – with investigative reporting.
• Delves into the factual details of the story: forensics, police procedurals, criminal psychology, judicial practices, the arrest, trial, penalty and aftermath.
• Has something provocative to say about the events (instead of simply conveying a lurid tale of crime).

A brief list of True Crime reading:

In Cold Blood, Truman Capote

Shot in The Heart, Mikal Gilmore

The Devil in the White City, Erick Larson

Killing Pablo: The Hunt For the World’s Greatest Outlaw, Mark Bowden

Public Enemies, America’s Greatest Crime Wave and the Birth of the FBI, Bryan Burrough

YOUR TURN: What do you find so captivating about true crime narrative and do you have any favorite books?

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.