Write a Non-Fiction Book First to Sell More
Why do people buy non-fiction books? Most readers buy books to solve problems or help with fulfilling a need. For example, when I started speaking for a fee I went out and bought a couple of popular books about speaking. Browsing in the bookstore, I was attracted to Lilyan Wilder’s book “7 Steps to Fearless Speaking” I read the back cover. I noticed she could help with 7 easy steps. I skimmed the table of contents, read a few lines and immediately liked her easy to read style. It went in my purchase basket.
Because I wanted to hear from several authorities on the subject, I picked up another book by Nido R. Qubein, “How to Be a Great Communicator: In Person on Paper, and on the Podium.” His cover design was white with clean lines and a personable picture of him on the front. His style of writing was not as easy to read but it still went in my purchase basket as well. Which brings us back to my original point; people buy non-fiction books to solve problems. To identify your targeted market, pinpoint a problem they have and the solution of course.
Problems come in all shapes and sizes. Usually a general category problem applies to all types of markets.
HOBBIES. Is your tennis game, golf game, bridge game as good as you’d like? Are you considering taking up horse-back riding? Want to improve your computer skills? What ever the case may be, your desire to improve or change your level of performance is considered the problem.
HEALTH. The first thing you do when your doctor diagnose your cholesterol is high and you need to lose 20 pounds. You go look for a book that will walk you through step by step to lose weight or lower cholesterol. You turn to someone that has solved the problem to learn from their experience.
MENTAL STATE. Are you feeling stressful about the economy? Are you noticing unexplained physical symptoms possibly related to stress? Once again, you have a problem and you are looking for a solution in book form. Someone who has outlined easy steps or ways to de-stress in our society.
PERSONAL FINANCE. Worried about lay-offs, down-sizing, retirement? Books that offer financial solutions to economic problems during shaky times are guaranteed to succeed.
MARKETING. We live in a competitive society. Small business owners and managers everywhere need a growing database of customers and clients. Therefore, they seek out how to books that offers solutions on improving their advertising copy, improving their business image or their website.
Each of the problem categories describes a problem and a need for a solution. The main goal of your marketing plan is to identify the problem your book solves and then present the solution. The more intense the problem and the easier you can make your solution, the more readers will seek out your book.
Your task becomes to re-structure your knowledge into bite-size reader solutions. Appeal to the masses, by letting them know what’s in it for them and how easy the solution is with your book. For example, let’s consider the book title I mentioned earlier about speaking. The title could have been: “How to Overcome Your Fear of Speaking” instead of “7 Steps to Fearless Speaking” The latter is more appealing because it alludes to only 7 steps to my solution.
Don’t put it off any longer. If you wait, you can be this time next year without fulfilling your dream of writing a successful book. You have the solution. Now write it down. While you’re at use the tips above and write a book that sells well. Make it different. Make it count. Make it yours.
Earma Brown
http://www.articlesbase.com/non-fiction-articles/write-a-nonfiction-book-first-to-sell-more-72552.html
Is writing an autobiography a good book for my first book or should I write a non-fiction first?
I want to write a book but I’m not sure if I should write an autobiography or a non-fiction book as my first book. I was told that I could write a good book already by some samples I’ve already written but now its time to write a book and I’m clueless. Also what book do you think would sell more autobiography or non-fiction?
I would write the non-fiction book first, that way, people would know more or less who you are and would be more likely to read your autobiography. If it goes well, of course.
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An autobiography would only sell if you have an interesting life, some extraordinary things, not just lame things like my significant other broke up with me when I was sixteen. That may be interesting and memorable to you, but a snoozer to everyone else. Go non-fiction unless your last name is Obama or Bush.
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kibbz, autobiography is a hard sell unless your life has been extraordinary in some way, usually by overcoming some enormous challenge or by fame. If that doesn’t apply to you, go with the non-fic.
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Before you consider what to write, see if you can recognize the faux pas you have already repeated here!
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Go for a non-fiction book first, for an auto-biography is hard to sell.
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writer and reader…
Broadly speaking, autobiography IS non-fiction, so your question makes no sense. Presumably you have access to excellent library facilities and are highly educated. Suggestion: there are books to be written, clearly from an ideological standpoint, which I am sure you have, about the climate change scam and taxation. Assuming, of course, that you are scientifically literate.
Check out Christopher Booker for a little starter…..
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Consider doing a lot of writing first as practice – then you’ll have a better idea of what people want to read.
I write online articles for hubpages, where you not only get experience but can also earn some money.
http://hubpages.com/_c1wbqn48wzx3/hub/Hubpages-info
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I Had The Same Problem 🙂 But I Started Both Andd Found The Non-fiction Was Better 🙂 It All Depends On Yhur Imadgination 🙂 What Kind Of Stuff Are Yhuu In To? Vampires? Fallen angels? Romance?(Twisted Love Triangles) etc.. :)Xx
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First of all, people need to learn what non-fiction is, as a few people on here clearly think that a novel is non-fiction. It isn’t. ‘Non-fiction’ = anything that’s true. ‘Fiction’ = anything you made up.
So, your question doesn’t really make sense, because an autobiography IS non-fiction. However, be aware that nobody is interested in an autobiography if they haven’t already heard of the subject. Unless you have had a remarkably exceptional life – and I mean REMARKABLY, not just that a few interesting things happened to you – then nobody will buy your autobiography because they don’t know who you. You don’t become well-known through an autobiography. You become well-known, and THEN you write an autobiography.
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Kibbz,
Autobiographies are for people who have had an exception life. It all depends on your life and how interesting it is. A young person would be wasting their time on this type of work if that’s the case. Non-fiction is something that’s a true story, but there are catches to writing both an auto-bi and nonfiction. You have to have the permission of those whom you will mention in your work. These permissions must be submitted with your submission to a literary agent. Some people get by without this, especially politicians who take stabs at one another after they retire. Some of these people end up being sued.
Why do you want to write a novel? Every one of you young people wants to write a novel to start out with. This is such a waste of time if you don’t have any tips on where to send it. A nonfiction novel will sell, but you have to have a literary agent to send it to. Plus, just like an auto-bi, it must be interesting enough to hold the interest of the agent. This isn’t just my opinion. As a published author, this is a fact. I’ve been there and done that. I have had enough rejects in my time to wallpaper an entire house. Ask any of these people who have tried to submit their work and failed at it.
First and foremost, you must know how to format your novel. You just don’t write something and then mail it to someone. There are guidelines to follow, and, if you don’t follow them carefully, you’re in for a rude awakening. There are query letters to write to literary agents. Once again, there are guidelines to follow. Get a book on writing in general and one on dialogue. Study how to format your manuscript and how to format and type of your query letter. A doctor can’t build a skyscraper, and a lawyer can’t take out your tonsils. There has to be a (know how) no matter how smart a person is.
Try you hand at short stories first. There are anthologies looking for good stories. Once again, there are guidelines to follow. Save yourself the aggravation and depression of getting your work sent back unread. Get those books. Read them, learn them, live them.
PJ M
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Published author.
Publishers won’t look at an autobiography unless you are already famous.
Publishers won’t look at non-fiction unless you are already an expert in the field.
You’ve written "some samples"? I’m afraid you aren’t remotely ready to write a publishable book – standard rule of thumb for how much practice it takes to get to that level is either a million words or four completed, polished, novel-length books.
Take the rose-coloured glasses off, stop asking people who don’t know what they are talking about (nobody tells someone they "could" write a good book), and start practicing writing.
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