Write Nonfiction in November

If you want to sell your nonfiction writing, at some point you’ll have to write a query letter. This holds true whether you are writing a book, an article or an essay. If you remain uncertain about what writing a query letter entails, return to the origins of the word itself. The word “query” means “a question” or “an inquiry.” A query letter asks an editor or an agent if they might be interested in purchasing your work or representing you.

Remember that a query letter has three basic parts: a “lead” (Yes, just like the beginning of an article…) or a paragraph that “grabs” the reader and explains what the manuscript is about; a paragraph describing the details of the manuscript; and a paragraph explaining why you, the author, are the perfect person to write this particular book, essay or article.  (For more information on how to “pitch” yourself and your ideas, read yesterday’s WNFiN post.)

Once you’ve managed to get these basic elements into your query letter, there are some other things you need to do…such as turning out a flawless letter. Here’s what Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the  multi award-winning Frugal Editor, has to say about how to accomplish this feat.

Five Things to Avoid for a Pristine Query Letter
By Carolyn Howard-Johnson

We are selling our work when we approach any gatekeeper whether that’s an editor, an agent, a contest judge, or some other person who gets to approve or nix our work. Here are five little things to avoid so you’ll look like the professional you are:

• Don’t tell the gatekeeper you always wanted to write. You can think of something more pertinent to your cause (and something more original!) than that.
• Don’t use the verb “quote” when you want the noun “quotation.” Some style books will tell you that it’s okay, but agents and editors can be a picky lot. Use zero-tolerance grammar rules for your queries.
• Don’t pitch more than one book or article at time. You want to give just one your best shot.
• Don’t call your own idea or work marvelous or awesome. Gatekeepers think these are four-letter words.
• Don’t overdo exclamation marks, question marks or the use of sentence fragments. (Yes, fragments are acceptable when they’re used for a good reason.)

Here’s one last suggestion from the stable of fiction writers’ tricks: Use anecdote and dialogue to make the nonfiction sample you submit with your query come alive.

About the Author

Carolyn Howard-Johnson is an award-winning author of both fiction and nonfiction, a former publicist for a New York public relations firm and an instructor for the UCLA Extension’s renowned Writers’ Program. She is a former journalist and editor with years of publishing and editing experience including national magazines, newspapers and her own poetry and fiction. Her The Frugal Book Promoter: How to Do What Your Publisher Won’t (www.budurl.com/FrugalBkPromo) won USA Book News’ best professional book award and the Irwin Award. The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success (www.budurl.com/TheFrugalEditor ) is top publishing book for USA Book News and Reader Views Literary Award.

http://HowToDoItFrugally.com
www.budurl.com/FrugalBkPromo
www.budurl.com/TheFrugalEditor

Please visit www.copywrightcommunications.com and sign up for the free newsletter to receive a gift at the end of the Write Nonfiction in November challenge!

Don’t forget to sign into the WNFiN social networking and chat room and tell us what you are writing about or start a discussion. http://writenonfictioninnovember.ning.com/

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A writer wanting to obtain a literary agent most often has to send an agent a pitch or query letter before ever entering into a conversation about representation. Additionally, if aspiring authors decide to approach publishing houses without literary representation, they must take the same route: compose and send a pitch or query letter.

Sometimes, if you’re lucky, you might have the opportunity to pitch agents and acquisition editors in person, such as at a writer’s conference or some other writing event. Or you might get the chance to do so on the telephone. I once called an agent to ask a simple question. I assumed a secretary would answer, but the agent himself answered. Before I knew it, he was asking me questions about my projects, and I was pitching them. This past summer I had a chance to meet with the actual publisher of an independent publishing company. She wanted to hear about all my projects. (I have a lot of them, so I had actually typed up all the pitches before hand and was able to hand her the piece of paper!) At such times, it’s so important to have your pitch, sometimes called an “elevator speech,” ready. Always be prepared to pitch!

A few years ago I won the pitch contest at the San Francisco Writer’s Conference. I actually was pitching a novel I wrote during NaNoWriMo. I give a lot of credit for that success to writing-career-coach and manuscript consultant Teresa LeYung Ryan and her co presenter, Elisa Southard (look for her guest blog later this month). What I learned in their session about pitching I immediately put to use. And it worked! I’ve been helping people hone pitches ever since. (It’s easier to help someone else, I must admit, than to come up with one for your own book.)

I asked Teresa to offer her tips on pitching to agents and editors here during WNFiN so more people could benefit from her wisdom. Here’s what she had to say.

Make Every Word Count When Pitching to Agents or Acquisition Editors
By Teresa LeYung Ryan

You have spent months, perhaps years, writing and rewriting your project.  Now you’ve decided to pursue either an agent (who earns his/her commission when he/she sells a client’s work to a publishing house) or an acquisition editor (who buys authors’ works for the publishing house for which he/she works). Let’s say you’ve done your homework and have compiled a list of agents or acquisition editors who specialize in the kind of project (commodity) you wish to sell.

An agent or acquisition editor receives hundreds of pitches or query letters each week.  What can you do to catch these folks’ attention?  Use the right bait.  Make every word count.

Whether you’re pitching in person, over the telephone, through an E-Mail, or by old-fashion mail, keep this in mind that the pitch (bait) has three components:

• who needs your project
• the unique qualities about your commodity
• why you are the perfect author for this work

Here are three examples of nonfiction book pitches that put these three components to work and make every word count at the same time:

Genre: Self-Help/Metaphysical/Psychology

Most people over the age of 10 dream at least four to six times per night.

Through My Dreams: A Simply Guide to Dream Interpretation, I can help everyone interpret dreams by combining their feelings with personal symbolism, dream what they want to dream and improve their waking lives through their dreams.

I am Angie Choi, a certified hypnotherapist who has utilized radio, television, workshops, classes, articles, and a website to educate and inspire people to tap into their dreaming potential.  I’ve worked with school districts, youth groups and community-based organizations. http://www.alivehypnosis.com

Genre: Journal/Guide/Inspirational

More than 50 million people provide care for a chronically-ill, disabled or aged family member or friend during any given year.

You Want Me to Do What? Journaling for Caregivers allows these caregivers to process their stress and celebrate the good in life by giving them open-ended instructions on spilling their guts in the safety of a private journal and offering two hundred sentence starts to help them begin writing.

I am B. Lynn Goodwin, a teacher of workshops on care giving.  I write for numerous publications, and, I am the founder and managing editor of WriterAdvice, which has been helping writers for twelve years.  http://www.writeradvice.com/

Genre: Biography/Women’s Studies

The birth control pill is currently used by more than 100 million women worldwide and by almost 12 million women in the United States.

Margaret Sanger: Her Life in Her Words is a collection of compassionate writings, speeches, letters, and diary entries by the controversial fighter for legalized birth control and sex education and a key player in the development of Planned Parenthood.

I am Miriam Reed, Ph.D., creator of one-woman performances, who has revitalized appreciation for Sanger and her crusade to help women take charge of their bodies and their lives.   http://www.miriamreed.com

If you follow the above examples, not only will you have the perfect pitch, but also you’ll have core messages for all your writing endeavors.

Other Tips When E-Mailing Your Pitch:

• Use an appropriate subject line.  (i.e. We met at _____ Writers Conference;  I’m referred by _____;  Book proposal from {your full name})
• Use a proper salutation. (i.e.  Dear Ms./Mr. _______)
• Provide your telephone number(s), email address and URL in your signature block.
• Never write in all capital letters. If your email doesn’t give you the option to italicize (or bold) book titles, then it’s okay to use all capital letters with titles.
• Separate blocks of text with white space.
• Send the email to yourself first; check it, then send it to the agent/editor (cc or bcc yourself).

About the Author

Teresa LeYung Ryan’s motto:  “You can be happily published by being yourself.”  As a writing-career-coach and manuscript consultant, she helps her clients identify themes and archetypes, choose the right publishing route and map out their success.  She especially enjoys helping writers craft their pitches, query letters and synopses.  As a community spirit, Ryan speaks out for public libraries, honors immigrant-stories, advocates compassion for mental illness, and, helps survivors of family violence find their own voices through writing.

www.WritingCoachTeresa.com
www.LoveMadeOfHeart.com

Please visit www.copywrightcommunications.com and sign up for the free newsletter to receive a gift at the end of the Write Nonfiction in November challenge!

Don’t forget to sign into the WNFiN social networking and chat room and tell us what you are writing about or start a discussion. http://writenonfictioninnovember.ning.com/

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It’s Day #9 of the Write Nonfiction in November challenge! We’ve covered a lot of ground already, and I thought we’d take a break from the business side of nonfiction writing to talk a bit about actual writing—memoir writing to be exact.

Memoir writing represents an area of nonfiction writing I know much less about, so I’ve asked my friend and Linda Joy Myers, president and founder of the National Association of Memoir Writers (NAMW) to join us today and cover this topic. Recently, however, she and I spoke together during a NAMW teleseminar, and we discovered many ways memoir writers can put to use the tips and tools being offered here in this blog this month to publicize and publish their work. So, I hope memoir writers will take advantage of the great information from WNFiN’s guest bloggers. I also hope those nonfiction writers who have wanted to try their hand at writing a memoir will take advantage of Linda’s experience and wisdom and get to work this month on their memoir or some vignettes.

The Top Six Questions Memoir Writers Ask
By Linda Joy Myers, Ph.D.

Most people are inspired to write a memoir, because they have something significant, such as experiences and lessons, they want to share. Some writers have been capturing their wisdom by journaling for years, but a journal does not constitute a story and it isn’t written for others. A memoir is written to be shared and includes events and situations shaped into a story.

In my work as a memoir coach, I see memoirists struggling with some basic questions. In addition to some basic questions, such as “Where do I start?” and “What do I include?”, they want to know how to deal with family and how much to write. Indeed, memoirists have many questions, so I compiled the top six questions memoir writers ask—questions that all memoir writers must solve as they begin to write their life story. They are:

• Where do I start?
• What do I include?
• Should I just copy my journals?
• What makes my life interesting to other people?
• Do I have to write a whole book? (Gasp.)
• What will my family do when they find out I’m writing a memoir?

Now, here are the answers I typically give when asked these questions.

1.  Where do I start? Begin a memoir, essay or a book with a significant turning points, or moments of change, in your life. It might include the death of your grandmother, the day you fell in love, the moment you found out you were adopted, or the day you discovered you were pregnant. We have many of these moments in our lives. Ask this question: when did my life take a turn from the direction in which it was going? When were the moments of profound change?

Make lists of these turning points, and then begin writing. Choose one turning point that grabs you emotionally, and go with it. You do not have to write in any kind of chronological order. Allow your emotions to be your guide.

2.  What do I include? This is a big question. To craft a memoir you must choose from the overwhelming details in your life. If you begin with turning points, include only what is necessary to give the reader an experience in scene of what happened. You need to interleaf action and feeling, and use sensual details such as taste, sound, texture, and description to create a world the reader can enter.

3.  Should I just copy my journals? I tell memoirists that a journal is not a story, unless the journal was written with a reader in mind—but that’s not what a journal is for. A journal is meant to be private. Most people vent and write randomly in journals, leaving out details, because the writer already knows them.

A memoir is an artistic combining of significant moments to construct a text that brings a reader into your world and gives them an emotional experience.

4.  What makes my life interesting to other people? People who read memoir want to understand themselves better by entering into someone else’s story and learning how they worked things out. Many people are not aware that they have lived an interesting life and that even small moments of a life can inspire others. Stop worrying about whether your life will interest readers, and go about your business of finding the turning points significant to you. You write a memoir for you first and foremost, as a way for you to reflect and learn about yourself and to contemplate your life in new ways. You will learn about yourself as you write, and you will be surprised by what you discover. Stay in the flow of the process of writing. It is your friend and guide. Trust it to lead you into the heart of your story.

5.  Do I have to write a whole book? (Gasp.) Yes, that is how I felt every time I thought of writing a memoir. Feeling overwhelmed by the enormity of my task stalled me for a long time—until one of my mentors said, “Just write one vignette, one small story, at a time. Keep it small, focused and about something important to you.”

That gave me permission to stop being so grandiose in my expectations about writing a book that I was scared into silence. I began writing one significant moment at a time for a few months. When I had quite a few stories, I could see how I might fill in the blanks of my timeline. I didn’t know where my story ended—after all, I was still living my story as I wrote it! As I saw the themes emerge as I wrote, I discovered the arc of my book and the appropriate ending.

After you capture some turning point stories, you may find yourself with several personal essays you can send out for publication. Each vignette or chapter represents a story with a desire, conflict and resolution. Shape your memories and your stories so they have dramatic form. You will find out that you have many small jewels—of your life—that have meaning and that can be shared.

6. What will my family do when they find out I are writing a memoir? It depends on your family! Some family members get worried, rattled and defensive, wondering if they will be portrayed fairly, worrying about secrets being revealed or if you have the “correct” version of the family history. If you share your memoir with family and friends while you are writing it, you run the risk of censoring what you have to say to keep the peace or trying to please everyone, which is impossible. Remember this is your story, and it has to be written from your point of view with your feelings and reactions.

I always recommend that memoir writers create what I call a “safe sacred space” while they create the first draft of their stories. It’s important to guard your creativity from prying eyes. Our early sketches are fragile, like small sprouts, and need to be protected from the winds and weather of the world.

The most important advice I can offer is to begin writing your memoir today! Select your turning points, and immerse yourself in the moments that shaped you. Close your eyes, and see yourself at that moment. Bring it alive in your memory, and begin to write.

Writing your memoir and revealing yourself represents a brave act. It also constitutes one of the most satisfying things you can do. Use the month of November to write 10-30 new vignettes. Keep them short and focused, and do not edit. Just keep writing!

About the Author

Linda Joy Myers, Ph.D. is the President and founder of the National Association of Memoir Writers. She is the author of the prize-winning memoir Don’t Call Me Mother. Her new book, The Power of Memoir—How to Write Your Healing Story will be available in January 2010. Through her workshops, online coaching, and speaking engagements, Linda integrates the principles of healing and creativity in presenting the powerful healing process of writing true stories.

www.namw.org
www.thepowerofmemoir.com

Please visit www.copywrightcommunications.com and sign up for the free newsletter to receive a gift at the end of the Write Nonfiction in November challenge!

Don’t forget to sign into the WNFiN social networking and chat room and tell us what you are writing about or start a discussion. http://writenonfictioninnovember.ning.com/

Nonfiction writers looking for traditional book publishing contracts—wanting to sell their manuscripts to small, medium or large traditional publishing houses, need to find themselves literary representation. While finding an agent may not be necessary for many small publishing houses that accept unagented work, most mid-sized and large publishing houses, indeed, only accept agented book proposals. Occasionally an unagented proposal is “discovered” in the “slush pile” and purchased, but this occurrence doesn’t happen often.

For this reason, serious nonfiction writers set on the traditional publishing route, rather than self-publishing, must find agents to represent their work. Agents seem like an illusive bunch, hard to reach and hard to know. That makes it hard for writers to know how to present themselves and their work to an agent in a way that will result in that coveted literary representation contract, which hopefully leads to a publishing contract. So, I asked my agent, Verna Dreisbach, to tell WNFiN readers what she looks for in a client. She not only mentions what she looks for in a nonfiction writing client but in a fiction client as well, thus offering some helpful insight for all writers.

What do Agents Look For?  Great Writers, Great Professionals
By Verna Dreisbach

My idea of a great client can be summed up in one sentence: Professionalism is just as important as good writing.  I choose authors that I connect with both professionally and personally. I believe we have to like each other and respect one another as with any type of friendship or personal acquaintance. Unfortunately, I’ve had prospective clients change my mind as to representation based upon incessant emails, telephone calls, unrealistic expectations, and just plain rudeness.  I prefer to represent true writers—those who will continue to write regardless of whether or not they ever see their book on a bookstore self.

I am looking for well written books with a distinctive voice.  I want books that a writer has poured their heart and soul into with each and every word—that they didn’t rush through when writing their manuscript, that they took the time to create and master with the art of storytelling.  Most manuscripts are rejected because they are beginning drafts.  They contain the idea, but the language to tell the story has not been developed.  Or, it is apparent that the author hurried through their story without stopping and getting to know their characters.  Fiction writing is an intimate experience and the more in touch the writer is with their characters, the more real they will become to the reader.  I want to feel what I read. Writing fiction is an art and should be treated as such.

Let’s talk specifically about nonfiction. I am open to representing just about any type of non-fiction for an author who has an expertise in their field and a solid platform.  To the non-fiction author, the idea of a book should be only a minor part of their work, not the end goal.  The book only will aid them in achieving whatever purpose they have in their profession, and book sales and promotion will follow naturally.  They write a book and promote it with, or without a publisher’s help, and there is no doubt as to its potential success.  Their only concern should be with which agent they want to represent them.

Non-fiction needs to be presented to agents with a detailed and professional book proposal.  This is no easy undertaking, and I don’t think I’ve signed on a client that has attempted this alone.  Nonfiction book publishing is a business, and the book proposal is a detailed and precise business plan.  Most proposals run at least a dozen pages, and that does not include the sample material from the book.  If I get a half-hearted attempt at a book proposal, then I figure I’m getting a half-hearted attempt at a book.

Remember…

1. This is a business; treat it as such.
2. You are a professional, and act accordingly.
3. Writing is an art, so take the time to develop your talent and learn the craft.
4. Agents don’t get paid until the work sells.  We have to really, really, really like what we sign on.  Really.
5. You are a writer and your first love is writing.  Enjoy it!

About the Author

Verna Dreisbach, of Dreisbach Literary Management, is an agent, author and educator. She is currently finishing her MA degree in creative writing and her Seal Press anthology, Why We Ride, is due for publication spring 2010.  Verna is the founder and president of Capitol City Young Writers, a national non-profit organization that supports and encourages creative writing in aspiring youth and co-founder of The Writers Police Academy, which will take place in North Carolina next September.   Verna represents both fiction and non-fiction authors with a particular interest in books with a political, economic or social context.  She represents a variety of fiction including commercial and literary.  With over 13 years as a police officer, Verna also has a genuine interest and expertise in the genres of mystery, thriller and true crime. No fantasy, sci-fi or children’s books.

www.dreisbachliterary.com
www.capitolcityyoungwriters.org

Please visit www.copywrightcommunications.com and sign up for the free newsletter to receive a gift at the end of the Write Nonfiction in November challenge!

Don’t forget to sign into the WNFiN social networking and chat room and tell us what you are writing about or start a discussion.

As mentioned in yesterdays WNFiN post, when a publisher or acquisition editor examines a prospective author’s nonfiction book proposal, he or she will look long and hard at a number of things that have little to do with that writer’s writing. In particular, purchase of a manuscript depends to a great extent upon a proposal section called the “Author’s Platform.” If  ”platform” represents new terminology to you, it’s time to become familiar with this word…very familiar, very fast.

A platform consists of:

• expert status
• numerous appearances on radio and Internet talk shows and television talk and news shows
• frequent quest blogs
• a well-known presence in on-line forums and social networks
• large numbers of followers on social networking sites
• popular videos or podcasts
• frequent interviews on other peoples’ podcasts
• your own Internet, radio or television show
• a multitude of published articles or books in both print and Internet publications
• an extremely large mailing list
• frequent talks and presentations given to small, medium and large groups

Now, you could argue that most of these things I’ve listed have little to do with being an author or writing. And to a certain extent would be right. (And most writers don’t want to spend any time or effort on any of these activities.) However, in today’s publishing world…in today’s nonfiction publishing world in particular, all of these things have everything to do with getting published, because they have everything to do with building an author’s platform. The more of these platform elements you include in your day-to-day activities, the more likely you will be to sell your nonfiction book. You must build a tall, wide and strong platform for a publisher to take you and your work seriously.

That said, ways exist to build a platform online. In fact, more ways pop up every day. So, if you really don’t want to spend your time away from the comfort of your home and speaking to audiences–traditionally the best way to build a platform–or you just hate getting up in front of  a group of people, you can build you platform in other ways.

Stephanie Chandler, author of The Author’s Guide to Building an Online Platform: Leverage the Internet to Sell More Books, From Entrepreneur to Infopreneur: Make Money with Books, eBooks and Information Products and LEAP! 101 Ways to Grow Your Business, initially built her platform online. For this reason, I thought she’d be a great expert guest blogger to tell WNFiN readers how to follow in her footsteps. She suggests 10 ways to build your author platform online.

10 Ways to Build Your Author Platform Online
By Stephanie Chandler

1. Launch and optimize your website: No matter where you are in the process, a website is  essential to build an audience, share samples of your work, showcase your accomplishments, attract media and impress publishing professionals.
2. Host a blog: A blog can be a wonderful creative outlet for a writer, not to mention a savvy promotion tool. Update it frequently (three times per week) and your audience will find you. To start yours, check out www.Typepad.com or www.WordPress.com.
3. Update online profiles: Many sites allow you to post a bio with your public profile. Make sure you have several versions of your bio readily available in short, medium and long formats. Showcase your expertise in your subject matter, mention your book(s) and always include a link to your site and/or blog.
4. Publish a newsletter: Build loyal fans for life by publishing an interesting electronic newsletter with content related to your book(s). Include a sign-up box on every page of your site. Get started with www.ConstantContact.com or www.iContact.com.
5. Form online partnerships: Find people who reach a similar target audience, and look for ways to team up and promote each other. You can publish articles on each other’s websites or newsletters, host an event or contest together or even share a blog. Be creative and pool your resources.
6. Promote with articles: Write for industry publications and related websites to build your credibility. Writing opportunities are abundant on the Internet! You can also make your articles available for reprint through sites like www.ezinearticles.com, www.ideamarketers.com and www.goarticles.com.
7. Contact Bloggers: Search blog directories such as www.Technorati.com to locate blogs that cover subjects related to yours. Contact bloggers to inquire about book reviews, guest posts, interviews and other ways you can work together.
8. Be a guest on Internet radio shows: Podcasts, teleseminars and Internet radio shows provide a fantastic opportunity for exposure. Unlike traditional radio where you might be interviewed for 10 minutes, online shows typically have guests on for up to an hour. An added bonus: listeners are often at their computers ready to buy. To find relevant shows, search Google for keywords and look at shows archived on iTunes. Also check out sites like www.blogtalkradio.com, www.alltalkradio.net, www.wsradio.com, www.womensradio.com, and www.planetteleclass.com.
9. Leverage social media: Sites like LinkedIn.com, Facebook.com and Twitter.com are ripe for finding and building an audience. Create an interesting profile and get active in social networking communities. Your biggest cost  will be in your time, so spend it wisely, and identify the best opportunities to expand your reach. Here are some helpful tools: www.tweetdeck.com, www.hootsuite.com and www.ping.fm.
10. Be seen and heard everywhere. Marketing is all about repeat exposure. Build your brand by getting known for your expertise. Participate in all of the above suggestions and more. Contact the media, go out and speak, write articles for trade publications, and find new ways to reach your target audience.

About the Author

Stephanie Chandler is an author of several business and marketing books, including The Author’s Guide to Building an Online Platform: Leverage the Internet to Sell More Books, From Entrepreneur to Infopreneur: Make Money with Books, eBooks and Information Products and LEAP! 101 Ways to Grow Your Business.

She is also founder and CEO of www.AuthorityPublishing.com, which provides custom book publishing and author marketing services for business, self-help and other non-fiction books. A frequent speaker at business events and on the radio, Stephanie has been featured in Entrepreneur Magazine, BusinessWeek, Inc.com and many other media outlets. Visit www.StephanieChandler.com for author and speaker information. Additional resources for entrepreneurs, authors and speakers are available at www.BusinessInfoGuide.com.

www.StephanieChandler.com
www.BusinessInfoGuide.com
www.AuthorityPublishing.com

Stop by www.copywrightcommunications.com and sign up for the free newsletter and get a gift at the end of November.

Also check out Nina’s ebook: Using the Internet to Build Your PLATFORM One Article at a Time,
8 Tips for Getting Publicity, Exposure andExpert Status by Providing Free Copy On Line

I know we’ve only just hit day number six, but it’s time to get into the real nitty-gritty of nonfiction writing: the business end of book publishing. (I warned you we would!)  If you’re going to write a nonfiction book, you must be sure you have a marketable product. (This is true of articles, too, but we’re going to talk about books today.) While fiction writers also must be sure their book manuscripts have a market, they don’t have to concern themselves with such things as promotion and platform. These, however, represent the essentials of selling nonfiction books. Without them, you won’t find literary representation or sell your book to a publisher.

So, while you’re writing your nonfiction book this month (or any time), you must consider—and work upon—the business aspects of nonfiction writing. Don’t put it off. Begin immediately, if you haven’t already. (If you have started, step up whatever you are doing a notch or two.)

Randy Peyser, the owner of Author One Stop, a national publishing consulting firm, not only works with many nonfiction authors, she has contact with a variety of publishers and agents. For this reason, she has a good deal of insight into what nonfiction writers need to get their books sold to a traditional publisher. You’d be surprised to discover that they don’t just look at your manuscript. Acquisition editors are looking well beyond your wonderful words and well-crafted sentences to how easy it will be to get your book onto the shelves of major bookstores—and sold to eager readers.

Read on to hear what Randy has to say about what questions publishers are asking before they purchase a book manuscript. You’ll want to be sure to have them answered before your manuscript and book proposal come under their consideration.

When you’ve finished reading this post, crack out a book about how to write a book proposal and how to build a platform. If you don’t know much about these topics, don’t worry. Write Nonfiction in November will feature expert blog posts on these topics in upcoming days, and you can find past blog posts on these subjects in the November 2008 and 2007 archives.

The Five Biggest Questions Publishers Ask
Before They Will Buy Your Manuscript
By Randy Peyser

In this economy, the marketing departments at book publishing companies are counting every bean to see if the numbers justify the purchase of your title. Even if you find an acquisitions editor who absolutely loves your book, if the numbers don’t add up to the satisfaction of the publisher’s marketing department or the book buyer from Barnes & Noble, your book is toast.

The five biggest questions that publishers ask before they buy your manuscript are:

1. Is your topic current?
2. Is your topic differentiated from every other book that is already out there?
3. Will people be interested in this topic, and, if so, what is the size of the market?
4. How extensive is the author’s publicity platform?
5. Do the numbers add up?

Here’s how the math breaks down: Publicity = Eyeballs, and Eyeballs = Sales

Picture this scenario: The book buyer from Barnes & Noble meets with a publishing house to decide which books he is going to order for Barnes & Noble for the upcoming season. He takes out his computer and starts asking questions about each title.

What he really wants to know is: What is the size of the target market for your book and how big is your platform? The book buyer then writes the stats down for your book and compares them against every other book he is considering.

The books with the biggest numbers win.

Four Tips to Build Your Numbers

1. In the “About the Market” section of your book proposal, include real numbers (strong and clear statistical evidence) to show how large the market is for your book. For example, in addition to mentioning every legitimate market for your book, think about specific associations who would be interested in your topic and include the size of each of their national memberships in this section.
2. Contact movers and shakers who have large email lists and ask them if they would be willing to send out an email message blast to announce your book when it comes out. Find out the size of each list and include this data in the Promotion section of your book proposal.
3. Blog like crazy and include the number of your connections on Linked In, your Facebook fan page, and all other social media sites in the Promotion section of your book proposal.
4. Speak, speak, speak. Publishers want you to be in front of eyeballs way before your book comes out. Get out there and speak or teach seminars or teleclasses. Include all of this information in the Promotion section of your book proposal.

If you can prove your publicity platform, justify the market and write a book that adds something new and different, you’ve got a potential winner on your hands. So get out there and build your numbers!

About the Author

Randy Peyser owns a national publishing consulting firm called, Author One Stop. Her 10 award-winning editors includes: a book reviewer for People Magazine, The Washington Post and The Boston Globe and an editor of 20 New York Times national best sellers (including those written by Sidney Sheldon, Dan Rather, Gail Sheehy, and Margaret Truman). Services offered by Author One Stop include: editing, ghostwriting, book proposals, help finding top literary agents and publishers, self-publishing, and internet publicity.

www.AuthorOneStop.com
Randy@AuthorOneStop.com
(831) 726-3153

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My writing roots are grounded in magazine journalism, and I still spend a good bit of my time each year writing articles for a variety of publications. I have a monthly gig writing an article for a trade magazine, and I try to write a variety of articles related to my interests and to the books I am writing and trying to get published. (I do the latter as a way to build “platform” and expert status.) My pieces are published both locally and nationally. I consider myself a fairly successful journalist.

However, I have failed miserably at one aspect of my journalistic career: reselling my articles. Journalists, as well as essayists and any writer producing work for newspapers and magazines, can make a huge amount of additional money on each piece they sell if they simply make the effort to resell their articles to additional publications.

Michael Sedge, author of Marketing Strategies for Writers, provides a phenomenal example of a writer who has mastered the art of reselling articles. In this blog post he offers some really valuable advice on how to ensure that you can, indeed, resell your work once you’ve written and sold an article to a publication. Pay close attention to what he writes…and don’t ever look at an article you write as a one-time sale again. You might even want to spend part of November trying to resell some of the articles you’ve had published in the past. (I think I will…)

How to Earn More and Work Less by Managing the Rights to Your Articles
and Considering the World Your Market
By Michael Sedge

Twenty-nine years ago, I walked out of my last job, determined to be a writer…and have been fulfilling that role ever since.  I’ve published thousands-and-thousands of articles, 10 books, written four TV documentaries, advertising copy, and children’s plays.  I have been a free-lance editor in one form or another—i.e., contributing editor, travel editor, managing editor, senior editor, European correspondent, war correspondent, Mediterranean and Africa editor—to over 40 publications and news agencies.  I have turned my writing into a number of successful spin-off businesses–Markets Abroad Newsletter, Strawberry Media stock photo agency, The Sedge Group, Michael-Bruno, LLC—serving such clients a The Associated Press, Newsweek, Time-Life, National Geographic, Mobil Oil, General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin, Discovery Channel, MCI International, Department of Defense and Department of State.

All of this and, according to my friends, I only work half-a-way. While that may be misconception—they do not see me at the computer in PJs at midnight or 4 a.m.—it is possible if one approaches their writing career with two key principles: (1) it is a business and (2) the world is your market.

While at the height of my writing career, I only produced 23 articles a year (while working on books, documentaries, and other activities).  That is fewer than two articles per month.  At the same time, however, my byline appeared approximately 207 times in global publications while my annual article income exceeded $50,000.

The secret?  I was selling each article an average of nine times to publications in various countries and languages, around the world.  Put into mathematical terms: 23 articles a year x 9 sales per article = 207 published articles.  I received an average of $250 per article x 207 = $51,750 annual income.

You, too, can make more and work less if you learn to work smart, manage the rights to your articles and consider the world your market.  The following is an except from my book, Marketing Strategies for Writers, that will get your started.

Sometimes I feel that writers intentionally make an effort to fail as business people. Take, for example, the thousands of freelancers around the world who write articles. They produce a feature, sell it, see it in print, and then begin work on another story. It too gets written, sold, and printed. Then a new article is begun. It becomes a vicious circle.

Now some would say that this is a pattern of success. I am here to tell you that it is a blueprint for excess work. below-average income, and ultimately, writer burnout. Why? First, given that the average article of one thousand words sells for approximately $375 in the United States, writers need to produce and sell eight articles a month if they want to earn an annual income of $35,000. Writing this many quality articles every thirty days is a huge task. Then, of course, because freelance writers are independently employed, they are required to spend a large percentage of their annual income on social security taxes, health insurance, and income taxes. After all these taxes and insurance payments are made, most writers—even those selling articles regularly—find themselves walking the tightrope of poverty.

If they would only approach writing as a business, however, this dire situation could probably be avoided. Let’s imagine for a moment that you are not a writer, but the franchise owner of Dollar Rent A Car. What are your products? Cars and vans, of course. Now what are your goals? To rent as many vehicles as you can, for as much as you can, and for as long as you can.

Now let’s apply these same business characteristics to writing. What are your products? Articles. What are your goals? To sell as many as you can, for as much as you can, and for as long as you can.

Yes, articles, are products. To succeed, you need to make as much money as possible from these products. The more use—in the form of sales—you get out of each product, the more money you will make. This requires that you set your own rates, control the rights that are sold, and expand your market opportunities beyond domestic borders.

As a businessman, my goals has always been to make no less than $4,000 a month—damned good pay for an article writer. To accomplish this, I am required to bring in $1,000 a week. This leads me to the $1-a-word rule (yes, I have rules for just about everything). Quite simply, if a publication is going to pay me $1 a word, that publication is entitled to exclusive rights to my work f or a period of one year. Thereafter, all rights automatically revert to me, and I am free to sell the article elsewhere. As with every rule, however, there are exceptions. If, for instance, a publisher wants a work-for-hire arrangement—whereby the publication owns the work forever—my base fee ranges from $1.50 to $2.00 a word.

So what about the many, many magazines and newspapers that do not have budgets sufficient to pay such rates? Very simply, the rights that a publication receives should be directly proportional to the price paid. I’ll even go one step further and say that the rights purchased must never exceed the needs of the publication. An excellent example is the Army Times Publishing Company, based in Virginia. The company’s primary market is Department of Defense employees and members of the U.S. military. So, when travel editor Cindi Florit offered me $225 for a feature on Italy’s sunken city of Baiae, I gladly accepted. When she asked for all rights, I pulled back the offer and said Army Times could have exclusive rights only in the Department of Defense and U.S. military market, to which she agreed.

The point here is that many editors, it seems, have been trained—primarily because they too began as freelance writers—to believe that all rights or first North American serial rights are theirs for the asking, as long as they have offered some pittance of compensation. I, for one, would like to know where this absurd thought came from. Army Times Publishing Company had no more need for all rights than does the Prague Post in the Czech Republic.

This morning, a reader of my Writer On Line column, “Going Global with Mike Sedge,” sent a message in which she said: “You suggest that authors establish their own rights, rather than wait and see what an editor offers. It’s a concept I’ve never heard of but find quite compelling and it makes ever so much sense.”

Of course it makes sense. It makes good business sense! A major part of guerrilla marketing is not to let the excitement of getting published blur your business vision. That is, you must be fairly compensated for your work and the rights you are selling. The key to rights is that you give each publication what it needs, within the legal boundaries of eth sale. For example, if a newspaper published in New York State is going to publish your article, it has no need for all North American rights. In this same respect, a national publication has no need for world rights. If I am working with a periodical that insists on more rights than are necessary, I immediately up the price of the article accordingly.

Recently, Scientific American Archaeology asked me to write a piece, but insisted on all rights. I realized that they had plans for an international as well as German-language edition of the magazine and, thus, planned to reuse my material. I therefore quoted a price of $1.25 per word, with the agreement that they would take at least two more features. They agreed to the deal. In this case I had sacrificed some standard per-word fee—for all rights usage—in exchange for additional assignments.

Granted, you might lose a sale by doing this. But, in the long run, you will end up making more money by being able to sell your articles again and again. Despite what editors and individuals involved with the New York publishing industry tell you, there are publishers that aggressively resell articles once they have all rights. Buzz magazine goes so far as to advertise the resale of articles. A recent issue, for example, carried an ad reading, among other things, “Reprints of any article are now available from Reprints Management Services. Call today.”

About the Author

A native of Flint, MI, (walking distance from Michael Moore), Michael Sedge has lived in Southern Italy for the past 36 years. “From my office window, I look across the Bay of Naples and see Mount Vesuvius, Sorrento, and the Amalfi Coast.”  He admits that he is living what most would consider a dream life.  Aside from his successful writing career, Sedge is a valid businessman and former regional president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Italy.  “One of the ventures I am most proud of is the Dolce Vita Writers’ Holiday, which I conducted in Tuscany for several years.  Great fun, great food, great people, and writers came away with a new approach to selling their work around the world.”  Today most of Sedge’s time is dedicated to being president of Michael-Bruno, LLC, a company he formed in 2003 to provide architectural design, engineering services, and construction management for the US government in Europe, Africa and the Middle East.  “I got to where I am through my writing.  I’ve used it as a stepping stone to a number of fascinating careers.  As long as I keep having fun, I’ll keep doing it,” he said.

Sedge can be contacted by email at: msedge@thesedgegroup.com

If, like me, you enjoy journalistic endeavors, but you also enjoy the more literary side of writing, you might want to try your hand at a piece of creative nonfiction this month. If offers a journalist with a fiction-like flair to have some fun while still reporting on true events.

However, creative nonfiction writers must know the rules of this genre or risk getting themselves in a world of trouble. For that reason, I’ve asked the experts at Writer’s Relief, Inc., an author’s submission service, to offer the readers of Write Nonfiction in November some advice on how to write trouble-free creative nonfiction manuscripts. Take heed of their words!

Creative Nonfiction: How to Stay Out of Trouble
By  Ronnie L. Smith, president of Writer’s Relief, Inc.

What is creative nonfiction?

Lee Gutkind, editor of Creative Nonfiction magazine, sums it up best: “This is perhaps creative nonfiction’s greatest asset: It offers flexibility and freedom while adhering to the basic tenets of reportage. In creative nonfiction, writers can be poetic and journalistic simultaneously.”

Creative nonfiction is a genre that holds great creative possibilities. It involves the use of factual events or characters to create dramatic nonfiction using techniques such as dialogue, scenery, and point of view (POV). It combines the fact-finding of journalism with the literary techniques of the fiction writer to create a dramatic story that just happens to be true. This is also called literary journalism, and, like journalism, it is a genre based on truth.

Suppose an author has written her memoir under the guise of creative nonfiction, but she has spiced things up with a near-death experience and perhaps a rape scene—things that never actually happened in her life. Ethically, this author must redefine her piece as fiction. The basic facts must be true in creative nonfiction.

If the same author wrote a biography about her great-grandfather, she has some license to fill in the blanks, as long as it doesn’t affect the outcome of the story. She most likely doesn’t know what her great-grandfather’s farmhouse looked like on the inside or what he liked in his coffee—ethically, the author has the right to create dialogue and other “facts” that make up the creative element of creative nonfiction. Some authors use disclaimers to make sure their readers don’t feel duped if names or minor details are changed.

Readers must assume that they are reading a biased interpretation of events as they view them through the author’s eyes. The basic facts are there, but the author is reporting his or her own version of those facts. The implied pact between writer and reader is this: I am telling you the truth, but the truth as it is filtered through my eyes.

Legal Pitfalls

While the people and places mentioned in creative nonfiction pieces are still around, writers often change the names of characters in their work to avoid conflict. As long as it doesn’t impact the story, changing Linda, the waitress at the Burger Barn, to Cynthia from the Hamburger Hut might save Linda some awkwardness. And if you’ve fudged the facts about her, changing Linda’s name just might save you from a lawsuit, but there is no guarantee. Linda can still sue you for defamation if she is obviously defamed, regardless of the name you give her in the book. Changing a person’s name is not a guarantee of protection, but it might help.

Other Ways to Stay Out of Trouble

Stick to the truth. In a defamation of character suit, an offending statement must be false for a plaintiff to prevail against you or your publisher. Untrue facts that negatively affect a person’s reputation or credibility are considered defamatory.

Be careful not to report facts that may cause damage to another person’s physical being or business. Revealing that Johnny from the bank is actually a mob snitch, even when the facts are true enough, can lead to physical harm to Johnny and legal hot water for you. And be prepared for an invasion of privacy lawsuit if you are exposing embarrassing or private facts about a person, even if they are truthful.

Protect yourself by getting written permission from people you wish to write about. And if they are no longer living, make sure you aren’t setting yourself up for a lawsuit from their family. (Obviously, you are fairly safe in writing about people who died long ago.) If the person is a public figure whose actions or background are a matter of public record, then you do not need permission, but be judicious about the facts you report. Senator Mucky-Muck may have an obsession with women’s feet, but leave his foot fetish out of your story, especially if it’s merely something you’ve thrown in to add some excitement to your story.

This article is for informational purposes only. For expert legal advice about your own publishing questions, always consult an attorney.

About the Authors

Writer’s Relief, Inc. is a highly recommended author’s submission service. Established in 1994, Writer’s Relief will help you target the best literary agents or editors for your creative writing, and they can prepare your work to meet industry-standard guidelines. Their goal is to relieve you of the time-consuming frustrations of the submission process so that you can do more of what you love: write! Visit their Web site at http://www.WritersRelief.com to receive their FREE Writers’ Newsflash (today, via e-mail), which contains valuable leads, guidelines, and deadlines for writing in all genres. Or you can connect with their submission strategists to get answers to all your questions about garnering more acceptance letters and publications.

www.WritersReliefBlog.com
www.twitter.com/WritersRelief
www.facebook.com/WritersRelief

During this month, we will explore a variety of nonfiction forms. For the next few days, however, we will take a closer look at journalistic endeavors. Many nonfiction writers have aspirations of writing for newspapers or magazines. Plus, many authors of nonfiction books find it necessary at times to write journalistic pieces to establish themselves as experts in their field or to publicize their books.

If you enjoy reporting on events, writing personal essays, exploring issues in-depth, interviewing people for personality profiles, or creating works of creative nonfiction, you will want to explore writing for publications. To develop a career as a free-lance journalist, though, you first have to land a writing assignment. Then you have to do such a good job with that assignment  that the editor wants you to write for the publication again. A great place to begin developing this type of writer/editor relationship is with a regional publication.

I have a soft spot in my heart for regional publications. Not only did I get my first “clips” or by-lines (published articles) writing for regional newspapers and magazines while I was still in high school and college, upon college graduation I went to work as a writer and editor for a regional magazine. I continued to work full-time for regional publications for a few years before moving on to other jobs in publishing, but I’ve never stopped writing for regional publications. In fact, regional publications have remained the mainstay of my freelance writing work everywhere I’ve lived.

For the beginning journalist, regional publications provide a wonderful way to start getting the clips you need to prove to national publications that you can write and produce professionally crafted and researched articles. For the seasoned journalist, they provide numerous article markets and a continuous source of revenue.

Since I moved to California eight years ago, I have often written for Bay Area Parent magazine’s Silicon Valley Edition. My editor there, Jill Wolfson, has welcomed my queries, and, in the last few years, also come to me with ideas she knew fell within my realm of interest. I enjoy working with her, and I think she has been happy with my work. So, I asked her to write a blog post for WNFiN on how nonfiction writers who would like to write for a regional magazine (or any magazine) should approach magazine editors, and what they need to do to develop a good, long-lasting relationship with those editors. Having read her post, I can tell you that I do all of the things she recommends…and I have never had a problem getting repeat work from a magazine.

How to Land a Nonfiction Magazine Assignment…
And Get Asked to Write a Second Article When You’re Done
By Jill Wolfson

As the editor of a monthly regional parenting magazine, I get some jaw-dropping queries from people who want to write for us. I think I can speak for most editors when I say: Here are some ways NOT to approach an editor. I’ve taken these verbatim from my inbox:

Hey Jill,

I’m a real journalist, so I could probably whip out something for your rag real fast.

Dear Editor,

I have no writing experience, but I think my child is really funny and I could write about that.

Dear Editor,

I want to write for you. Give me some ideas and I’ll do them.

And my all-time favorite:

Dear Editor,

I have no journalism experience and I’m not a parent, but I’m a real brat magnet. My nephew likes to jump on the bed when he comes to visit.

Now that you know how not to approach a magazine editor, here’s some advice on what will get her or his attention—and, importantly, what will keep that attention for future assignments. Just because a publication is regional or a give-away doesn’t mean that it doesn’t adhere to high journalistic standards.

6. Let the editor know if the story is taking a different shape as soon as possible. Things change during reporting; an editor understands that. If major shifts occur—a change in the agreed-upon angle or a major source who will no longer be quoted—alert the editor immediately. No one likes a big surprise at deadline.

7. Make the editor’s job easy, and you are likely to become one of the go-to writers. Turn in copy on time or even before deadline. If possible, ask someone to proof your article for spelling and grammatical errors. I don’t mind a few errors, but I get really concerned about a writer when an article comes in full of typos and bad grammar. What does that say about his/her fact-checking?

8. Be amenable to making changes in your story. That doesn’t mean being a push-over, but be flexible when working with the editor to make your story the best it can be. Typically, the editor knows his or her particular publication’s audience and might need a story “tweaked” to emphasize certain angles. If asked, make the extra call for additional research or rewrite the lead. Try to do so with enthusiasm (or at least pretend enthusiasm).

9. If you have certain extra skills, flaunt them. Can you provide quality photos with your articles? Great! Can you interview parents in Chinese? Wonderful! Do you have skills specific to the magazine or the article? For example, are you an expert knitter writing an article about crafting with children? Be sure to mention this.

Regional publications frequently use less-experienced writers than national publications do. We may pay less, but writing for regional publications provides a great way to break into nonfiction writing. By writing for this market, in a short time you can build an impressive portfolio of clips.

About the Author

Jill Wolfson is the editor of Bay Area Parent—Silicon Valley edition. She can be reached at jill.wolfson@parenthood.com. She also recommends potential writers join the Facebook fan page (Bay Area Parent Silicon Valley) or the online community at siliconvalley.parenthood.com.

Day two of Write Nonfiction in November has dawned. Are you feeling the pressure of moving forward with your nonfiction writing project? Are you fingers sitting over the keyboard and…not moving? Do you know what you want to write but are you having trouble getting the words to flow? Or are you having difficulty even figuring out what project to tackle during this month’s challenge or coming up with a subject about which to write?

If you are struggling with the dreaded writer’s block, or any semblance of a lack of creativity, I’ve got just the solution to your problem. I’ve asked my friend and creativity mentor, Mary Knippel to join us right at the start of the Write Nonfiction in November challenge. As the first expert guest blogger, she offers us some superb tips to keep our words flowing all month long.  Mary, who also is a writer,  speaker and workshop leader, conducts workshops to help participants connect with their creativity. Here’s what she has to say about connecting with your muse and generating creative energy.

Coaxing Creativity Into Your Writing Life
By Mary E. Knippel

Let’s talk about how to get the spark back into your writing. The phrase Writer’s Block is known to strike terror in the hearts of all writers, because when it occurs we can’t call on our creativity to perform as we’d command a dog to sit or to roll over. But we can use little tricks to coax and invite creativity into our lives.

Jack London tells us, “You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.” Somewhere in-between Mr. London’s club and the following suggestions, I hope you’ll find a way to invite creativity into your life.

1. Take a hike or a walk, or a swim, or do yoga. In other words, exercise and breathe deeply. The great writer Brenda Uland, who wrote the classic “If You Want to Write,” said we should walk for hours to exercise our muse. Since moving a pencil, pen or a computer mouse isn’t much of a weight-bearing activity, we need to unleash our physical side to tap into our brain.
2. Give yourself permission to play and develop an attitude of playfulness.Paint, sew, stamp, garden, collage, bead, hit a ball, jump in the water, or blow bubbles. Lose yourself in the sheer joy of bouncing a ball, paddling a canoe, watching the bobble of a fishing line instead of the blinking cursor while you try to figure out the next phrase.
3. Seek out the masters. Who do you admire? Why? What is it that sets them apart? Transcribe a chapter of your favorite book. Go to a reading at the local library, bookstore, college, or university. Attend a class or workshop.
4. Take a nap. Dream your way to creativity! A Harvard study determined that sleep helps us learn and proposes that sleep is a state required for the nervous system to grow and change. Musicians have heard the scores of operas and the strains of classical masterpieces while asleep. Our dreams produce unusual combinations of ideas that can seem surreal, but they also can result in an amazingly creative solution to an important problem.
5. Think outside the box. Experiment and break the rules. There’s usually another way to accomplish everything. Be an inventor. When faced with a seemingly unsolvable problem, decide on the outcome you want and work backwards. The shortest distance between point A and point B may be a straight line, but is getting there that way fun?
6. Sit in a different spot. Allowing ourselves to think outside the box means we can shift our perspective. I recently had to wait for my husband at his office and I felt like I was in George Jetson’s cartoon living room–very modern and futuristic without an ounce of warm and fuzzy. It made me appreciate my comforts and how I get into my writing space emotionally as well as physically.
7. Change your focus or point of view. Be willing to see the situation from another point of view. Fresh eyes could interpret things in an entirely new light. Stuck about how to approach your writing project? Write in a journal. Write an unsent letter. Make a list of random words.

I’m off to tear up some magazines for a collage before I begin writing. I hope you’ve found an idea or two to get your writing juices flowing.

Come on, coax your creativity today!

About the Author

Mary E. Knippel, writer, creativity mentor, speaker and workshop leader, conducts workshops on California’s San Mateo coast in which participants connect with their creativity, focus on fun and pursue play as a proven method to de-stress and cope with life’s challenges. Throughout her writing and presentations, Mary delivers one consistent message: Don’t wait until a health crisis to take care of yourself.

Mary is working on a memoir and book of personal essays. Her writing has appeared in publications in California, Colorado and Minnesota. As an editor, Mary participated in the 2009 San Francisco Writer’s Conference “Book Doctor” panel and helped numerous aspiring writers with their book projects. In 2009, she edited a book on wedding protocol, It’s Your Wedding–Not Theirs. Mary has made presentations to: the Peninsula Branch of the California Writer’s Club (CWC), the San Francisco Chapter of the Women’s National Book Association (WNBA-SF) as well as various religious and community groups in California and Minnesota. She served as president of WNBA-SF from 2006-09 and has served on the board of the CWC. A breast cancer survivor, Mary donates a portion of the proceeds from each workshop to breast cancer research.

For more information visit Mary’s web site at
www.openuptoyourcreativity.com.