Nonfiction is too broad a genre for book writing. Nevertheless, knowing that you want to capitalize on real events rather than write about imagined activities is already a good start in book writing. If you want to write your own nonfiction manuscript faster than you can ever imagine, follow these steps and finish your own manuscript in less time.
Narrow down your category
Now that you already know that you like to write nonfiction books, your next step is to think about a specific subcategory Why? Simply because it will take you lots of time trying to fit in a lot of information in a limited number of pages. In the end, you will get frustrated in sorting out which facts to include and which ones to leave out. As a result, if you ever finish a manuscript, you will be reading one that is too general, has no focal point, and disorganized. You yourself will doubt if it will ever reach the printing press.
Make sure that your topic is within your line of expertise
When picking a specific topic to write about, make sure it is something which you are both knowledgeable at and interested in. Take for example self-help books. If you took BS Psychology in college, became a guidance counselor, and you want to write about the cases you’ve handled while you were doing your stint at a school in your community then that is a great example of a topic which is interesting for you and you are also knowledgeable at. After doing this, you will find out that it is easier to write after you’ve pinpointed a specific topic.
Research well about what you will write about
People buy books to get information from the author. A book author’s career will definitely be cut short if the readers did not feel like they learned anything from reading what you wrote. Also, take into consideration that you need to update the information you know. Make sure that the facts you want to include in your manuscript are not yet outdated, otherwise it may cause you and your readers some trouble or inconvenience. So before writing, double check all facts and figures.
Look for co-authors or contributors
Almost all people fancy seeing their names on print media, be it books, magazines, or newspapers. If you are open to the idea of co-authorship or if you are willing to accept and edit article contributions then go for it. Your partner or contributors may be able to give you more ideas on how to make your book more interesting. And besides, when you have a co-author you may be able to criticize each other’s suggestions which will further improve the quality of the book you want to publish.
Nonfiction book authorship is a great accomplishment in a person’s lifetime. These tips will be of great help in your journey to write a nonfiction book but, ultimately, it needs diligence and responsibility to be able to finish the manuscript fast enough.
Submitted by: Jacob Coroner
About Today's Contributor