While there are a number of choices when it comes to producing, distributing and promoting your non-fiction book, following a single system for writing it can prove to be extremely beneficial. Here is a way to save time by consolidating some of the writing steps.
Step #1: Research your topic. Proper research will help you determine if there is a market for what you are writing about, as well as identify where and how you can gather material for your book. Research sources are many and can include bookstores, the Internet, magazines, associations and book/writing events.
Step #2: Narrow your focus. As you learn more about your subject matter, you will discover that by making your book more specific, more potential buyers will identify with it.
Step #3: Draft back cover sales copy first. One of the greatest obstacles to book writing is lack of focus. Drafting your back cover before you write your book will help you focus on your readers and will guide you to what will be in your book.
Step #4: Select a working title. Drafting your back cover copy may likely produce several ideas for your book's title and subtitle. A "working title" will provide you with something to refer to as you write your book.
Step #5: Gather and use quotations. Including pertinant quotations (obtained during your research) in your book will add to its credibility.
Step #6: Add stories. Readers love stories. These accounts help them to remember the points you are trying to make. Stories can demonstrate that you are writing from experience and will add depth to your writing.
Step #7: Don't start writing with chapter one. Very few writers begin at the beginning. Write where your research and thoughts take you. You can fill in the blanks, including the introduction, later.
Step #8: Have your manuscript edited. No writer is so good that he or she should skip editing. While the information is yours, rely on a picky English pro to check the punctuation, grammar and style of your book. Then re-read your manuscript to make sure that the editor improved the copy without making material changes.
Step #9: Obtain feedback on your manuscript. One secret to good material is peer review. Smart non-fiction authors take each chapter of a nearly complete manuscript and send it off to at least four experts on that chapter's subject.
[This post was created , with permission, from excerpts taken from Dan Poynter's Self-Publishing Manual, Volume 2, written by Dan Poynter.]
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