How to Sell, Then Write Your Nonfiction Book

From idea to contract to execution, this is the first all-in-one guide for prospective nonfiction writers. How to Sell, Then Write Your Nonfiction Book is uniquely structured to help you sell your ideas or yourself before you invest time and effort in a lengthy book project. This comprehensive reference guide provides specific tips for pitching and writing various nonfiction categories, with suggestions from agents, editors, and published authors. With expert advice on the technical elements of voice and style, useful resource listings, and sample proposals, you will find all the tools necessary to ultimately earn a living from nonfiction writing.

Blythe Camenson has written numerous articles and authored or coauthored more than four dozen books, including Careers in Writing and Your Novel Proposal: From Creation to Contract. As director of Fiction Writer's Connection, an organization for new writers, she teaches members how to improve their writing and how to get published.

Preface

vii

Acknowledgments

ix

The Business of Publishing and How It Affects You

1

(20)

Book Categories and Where Your Book Fits In

2

(2)

What's Hot, What's Not

4

(1)

What Publishers Are Looking For

4

(2)

Who's Publishing Nonfiction

6

(5)

Frontlists, Midlists, and Backlists

11

(1)

Who to Approach

12

(1)

Working with an Agent

13

(4)

How Literary Agencies Are Structured

17

(1)

Loction, Location, Location

18

(1)

How to Find an Agent

18

(3)

Finding and Defining Book Ideas That Sell

21

(12)

Finding Book Ideas

22

(1)

Ten Steps to Judge the Merit of Your Ideas

22

(3)

Advice from Publishing Professionals on Selling Your Nonfiction Book

25

(1)

Identifying Trends and Avoiding Fads

26

(2)

Who Can Sell, Then Write a Nonfiction Book?

28

(1)

Experts on the Bestseller Lists

29

(1)

Making Yourself More Saleable

30

(1)

What Can Nonexperts Write About?

31

(2)

How to Approach Agents and Editors

33

(44)

Can I Really Sell the Book Before I Write It?

34

(2)

How an Agent Sells Your Book Idea

36

(1)

What Happens Once Your Idea Lands on an Editor's Desk

37

(4)

Tools of the Trade

41

(1)

Query Letters that Grab Attention

42

(7)

The Elements of a Book Proposal

49

(17)

Cover Letters

66

(3)

Follow-Up Letters

69

(1)

Completed Manuscripts

70

(1)

Formatting and Submission Details

71

(3)

Keeping Track of Your Submissions

74

(1)

Can You Resubmit Once Your Idea Has Been Turned Down?

74

(1)

Turnoffs

75

(2)

Sample Query Letters and Proposals

77

(86)

Query Letter and Proposal Sample #1

78

(26)

Query Letter and Proposal Sample #2

104

(34)

Query Letter and Proposal Sample #3

138

(25)

Money and Contracts

163

(14)

Advances

164

(1)

Agent-Author Contracts

165

(1)

When It's Time to Fire Your Agent

166

(1)

Book Contracts

167

(2)

Royalties

169

(1)

Flat Fees

170

(1)

Contractual Pitfalls

170

(2)

Royalty Statements

172

(1)

Help Is Available

173

(1)

Who Does the Index?

174

(1)

Advice from Two Publishing Law Attorneys

174

(3)

Researching and Writing Your Nonfiction Book

177

(18)

The Research You'll Need

178

(2)

Organizing Your Research

180

(1)

Writing Your Book

181

(1)

Formatting Your Manuscript

182

(2)

Organizing Your Thoughts

184

(2)

Unique Elements

186

(1)

Anecdotes, Case Studies, Quotes, and Interviews

187

(1)

Writing Styles

187

(1)

Writing Mistakes

188

(2)

Submitting Your Manuscript

190

(1)

Meeting Deadlines

191

(1)

Page Proofs

191

(1)

Staying Power

192

(3)

Selling Your Book to the Public

195

(9)

The Anatomy of a Press Kit

197

(3)

What to Send to the Media and When

200

(1)

Should You Hire a Publicist?

201

(1)

When the Reviews are Bad

202

(1)

Cautions

202

(1)

Selling the Next Book and the Book After That

203

(1)

Appendix A: Resources

204

(6)

Appendix B: References

210

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How to Sell, Then Write Your Nonfiction Book

Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials