Ever Thought About Authoring A Non-Fiction Book?

At some time or another, most of us have thought about writing a book. But we usually don’t do anything about it. Usually because we are not sure just how to write thousands of words about one subject. We doubt our own expertise.

Many readers of nonfiction have read at least one book by Dale Carnegie. I have 3 of his classics in my library and over the years, I’ve read each one several times. One statement he makes very clear for speakers, can be adopted also by writers: ‘Speak about something you have earned the right to talk about through experience or study.’

What Could You Write a Non-Fiction Book About?

The short answer is to write about something you know or have experienced. What credibility could a travel writer have if they were not a seasoned traveller?

Or how good could a cookbook be unless the author was an experienced cook?

People write nonfiction books about all sorts of things ranging from, a hobby, their pet, their career, or the history of their local church. Others write historical volumes, cookbooks, gardening guides, autobiographies, biographies and thousand page chronicles covering the comings and goings of generations.

It is the author’s passion about the subject that drives him/her to write the book.

If you want to write a nonfiction book, but not sure where to start, take some time out to ask yourself…

1. ‘What do I love enough to write a book about?’

2. ‘Who would benefit from reading about this subject?’

Answer these 2 questions and you have the seeds for producing your book.

You’ll be amazed with the volume of what you know when you begin to draw it out of yourself.

To enhance your knowledge, reflect on some of your life experiences, you are sure to find some stories worthy of a cut and polish. Next think about who would read your stories and how you can shape each one to align with the theme of your book.

Nonfiction books, especially those with ‘How to’ featured on the cover title are strong in demand. People are searching for knowledge and ways to learn new skills quickly so they can keep ahead of the demands of a changing world.

Write your book by sharing what you know and explain how you learned it. Provide real-life stories that illustrate the subject in practical outworking examples.

Your authentic and unique stories will provide more than just plain theory. People love stories, especially when they relate to the interests of the reader. Aim to make your book entertain as well as inform. Attention to this alone could make the difference between your readers browsing your book or reading it intently from cover to cover.

Since the establishing of the Gutenberg printing press in 1453 both printing and its sister industry, book publishing have become indented into the culture of the civilized world. The future for nonfiction book publishing will see an increase in the numbers of:

• Specialised, smaller books of around 130 to 160 pages as people demand fast reading, focused content that not only entertains but also instructs and provides easy practical application.
• The same nonfiction book’s subject and updates available through websites in e-book format as well as packaged in other forms of multimedia. Nonfiction authors available for consulting, personal coaching or mentoring in their field of expertise.
• The options of a readers’ workshop or retreat to hone skills and make network connections.

Companies, professionals and celebrities are positioning their marketing to meet these 21st century publishing criteria by engaging book producing specialists to have their books written, produced and positioned to implement these and other global marketing strategies. The future will also see increases in the employment of ghost writers, so a book is published without having to write it or worry about finding a traditional publisher.

The obvious advantage of engaging a ‘ghost writer’ and a ‘book-producer’ is you can almost instantly become an author-publisher and global book marketer. If you wish to maintain your book’s integrity as being your book you might opt for writing it yourself. Or, seeking the assistance of an author-mentor to help keep you on track.

Just as for our predecessors found the printing press enabled them to mass produce the entire book, including displaying the author’s name on every copy. Prior to the printing press, author’s painstakingly hand wrote and designed their entire book. Often unscrupulous copiers would copy originals and write their own name as the author.

The printing press gave authors the ability to produce mass quantities of their books and establish their authorship. Traditional publishing was born in this era. The new era for the nonfiction book will unfold greater opportunities for authors and give the more thrifty ones the potential to become not only authors but also, self-publishers and information specialists.