The term “plot” is usually associated with fiction, but a successful non-fiction book also has a plot. In fiction, the plot is the storyline from the beginning to the end, driving the character toward a goal. In non-fiction, the plot is the organization of information and how it builds to make an argument, to prove a point, and to come to convincing conclusions.

Non-fiction books have plots. At least, they should have plots. One of the biggest flaws I see in non-fiction books by self-published and new authors is a failure to create a plot in their non-fiction books. What do I mean by a “plot”? I mean a clear purpose, a point. Authors should not just assume that because their book is about a non-fiction topic, be it biology, a city guide, history, or religion or any other non-fiction theme, that readers will understand what their point is. A non-fiction book’s plot is like a road map. It is there to guide readers from one point to the next making it clear where the book is going, and arriving at the logical and informative conclusion.

Non-fiction books are informational, but they are also argumentative. Every non-fiction book has an argument to make, even if it’s as simple as a guidebook of Austin, Texas. The guidebook should be designed to demonstrate what a wonderful place Austin is—the argument is to convince the reader to spend time in Austin, that it is worth spending time there. The directions, the road map, are the points along that argument to build on and get to the next point and ultimately the conclusion so the reader walks away feeling that visiting Austin, Texas was a marvelous and worthwhile experience.

How do you make the main points of your non-fiction book stand out? Think about how you get from one place to another on a road trip—you follow directions. You take Interstate 81 to County Road 578 and then turn at the corner of Main and Washington Streets and go three miles to the stoplight and turn left into the driveway. You do the same thing in writing a non-fiction book. You plot out the organization by figuring out the argument, its points, and how you get from point A to B and then to C.

When writing a non-fiction book, first ask yourself, “What is the argument?” and “What do I want readers to know about this topic and be convinced about when they finish reading it?” Whether you write an introduction and conclusion or just have Chapter One and a final Chapter Ten, you need to make it clear at the start, “Here is where we are, and here is where we’re going,” and then at the end of the book, make it clear, “Here is where we’ve been and here is where we arrived. This is how and why we came here and what it means to us now and in the future.”

For example, in writing about human evolution, the introduction would probably make reference to what was believed in the past about how life developed and reference Darwin’s theories and explain what is generally accepted today about evolution. Then explain what you hope to prove. At the end, sum up your argument by reviewing the points you made to prove your new theory of evolution and why it is in your opinion the right theory.

Now that you’ve established the end points (the introduction and conclusion), plot out the individual rest stops, the individual chapters. That’s where the plot thickens. A good non-fiction book is like a mystery novel, keeping the reader on the edge of his seat, craving more information, wanting to put all the pieces together. This requires a logical organization of the book’s chapters so they act as signposts to the reader along his journey.

In determining chapter order, we need to be logical. For example, if your road map wanted to show how to go from San Francisco to Seattle, it wouldn’t make sense to discuss places in Oregon after you discuss places in Washington since you have to pass through Oregon to reach Washington State. Similarly, if you want to explain how DNA can be used to trace someone’s ancestry, first you need a chapter explaining what DNA is, and then how scientists study it before we can apply it to understanding human ancestry.

On an individual level, each chapter of a book can be viewed as a different overnight stop on your journey. At the beginning of the chapter, you need to point out where the reader will travel that day, and at the chapter’s end, review where he has been and give a hint of where the next chapter will go. Each chapter should be the natural progression of the previous chapter.

Yes, this whole process is basically about organizing your non-fiction book, but don’t forget the plot, the element of surprise, the mystery. If you have something important to say, make it clear as you progress through the book why what you have to say not only is important but amazing, insightful, new, and profound, and in each chapter, leave the reader wanting more and compelled to read on.

Think about the programs that grip people’s interest on TV—those amazing discovery stories, the shows that piece together evidence to unearth the lost Ark of the Covenant, solve the mystery of Bigfoot, or find the lost continent of Atlantis. Those programs when done well are intriguing; they keep us glued to the television screen. A book can absolutely do the same by making each element of your research like a clue to the unraveling of the mystery, the conclusions you wish to make.

Whatever your non-fiction topic, make it intriguing to the reader. You can organize it so each chapter naturally progresses to the next, just as one clue leads to another until the mystery is solved, the secret revealed, the new information that can change the world shared. It may require rearranging chapters; it may be just adding a sentence or two at the beginning, middle, or end of chapters to keep readers reeled in with promises of the next amazing piece of information.

People read fiction to be entertained. People read non-fiction for information, but if you make the information entertaining, readers are more likely to enjoy the book, finish the book, remember the information, apply it, and come back for more. A good plot makes a good book. A good plot in a non-fiction book can make it more compelling than fiction.

Irene Watson is the Managing Editor of Reader Views, where avid readers can find reviews of recently published books as well as read interviews with authors. Her team also provides author publicity and a variety of other services specific to writing and publishing books.

Actionable content tells readers what they need to do to incorporate the information in your book into their existing habits. It’s what takes your work from being insightful to being truly educational, which is what will ultimately be of the greatest benefit to the reader. In this respect the author is a teacher, showing people ways they can improve their businesses, get healthier, stay out of debt, or solve some other problem.

There are many different types of actionable content you can develop to include in your work:

1. Quiz. Test the reader on key concepts by posting a small quiz at the end of a section.
2. Self-assessment. Have readers assess their current behaviors and compare them to the habits you’ve introduced. You can then introduce them to ways to change their behavior (if necessary).
3. Activity. Give readers an activity that engages them in the process of applying the information you just shared. For example, a health book could ask readers to pick one unhealthy food to eliminate from their diets that week. A business author could create a team-building exercise that the manager could apply at work that week.
4. Sample problem. If you are educating people on ways to solve certain issues or make certain judgments, give them sample problems. For example, if you are writing a book on flipping houses, give your readers a scenario in which they would need to evaluate a property’s earning potential compared to the cost of improvements.
5. Next steps. Now that they have the tools and ideas you introduced, give your readers the next steps they should take. Do they need to do more research? Then direct them to additional resources. Do they need to reallocate time or some other resource? Then tell them exactly how do go about doing it.

You can weave this actionable content throughout the work, placing in different areas depending on what makes sense for your book. For example, you can try the following approaches:

1. Close each section with an assignment. After you have introduced the reader to a new concept or strategy, give them an activity they can do to either asses how they are working now or to start incorporating a new habit or thought process.
2. Sprinkle them throughout. Have readers slowly build their skills throughout the book by having them do activities before, during, and after the introduction of each new concept.
3. Put them at the end of the book. You can group all activities at the end as part of a “Next Steps” section or an appendix.
4. Direct people to an accompanying workbook. You can group your book with a workbook. Special note: Workbooks don’t work well as standalone products. A book that thoroughly explains the concepts and strategies behind the activities you are teaching should accompany your workbook.
5. Get interactive: Send readers to a website or other online destination that has activities for the reader.

Remember, when a reader is comparing your book to that of your closest competitor, he or she is looking for the one with the most value. Make readers’ decisions easy by giving them content they can immediately use to improve their business or personal life.

Shennandoah Diaz is the Business Development Assistant at Greenleaf Book Group, a publisher and distributor supporting independent authors and small presses. Diaz develops educational materials for authors in addition to managing Greenleaf’s social media, writing case studies and white papers on the publishing industry, and coordinating Austin Publishing University.

The process of writing nonfiction is not merely about making sure our story is accurate, but conveying new knowledge about a subject that leaves the reader open to new ways of perceiving problems. Writing with a sense of integrity requires that we possess an unreserved opening to the truth wherever it may be found. We leave our preconceived notions about the nature of life and how it ought to be on the shelf before we pick up our pen. This approach requires the utmost in discipline.

Good writers of nonfiction can think multi-dimensionally. This means that writers can observe problems from a multitude of perspectives in the process of conveying various ideas to readers. Some information may be clear-cut in its interpretation and significance, but many issues may require holding various opposing thoughts in a state of tension. Simplistic information and answers is not good enough for most astute readers. They demand a depth of content from the writer.

Much of what I read is not well thought out. It tends to be shallow, rigid and lacks the depth which comes from wrestling with new information and ideas over time. These are the nonfiction writers who believe that most people want a quick fix. They present their information in a neat and orderly fashion with little substance or depth. In essence, they talk down to their audience. Their “talking points” are one-dimensional and do not present their readers will new and challenging ways of viewing the world.

The primary goal of nonfiction writing is to present the reader with new information that is time-tested and leaves the reader with a renewed sense of curiosity over the topic. The reader should come away from the experience with a open-ended sense of “wondering.” The information should make the reader want to explore a given topic in greater detail. The reader should have developed a sense of passion about pursuing the issue further. The writer conveys the information in a way that stirs-up the reader to question and ponder the complexity of any issue. One sign that this is happening is when readers underline various passages and write notes in the corners of a chapter or article. Readers may indicate that they have read the manuscript or article several times in order to digest it.

Nonfiction writers present information that has the capacity to change people since words are powerful. Good nonfiction writing should have an emotional impact on the reader. As a writer, you want to believe that your audience will never be the same because of what you have disclosed. It is a quality of good writers that they are able to make emotional contact with their readers. Readers come away from the experience feeling a sense of well-being, perplexity, or desire to pursue the topic with increased passion. Nonfiction writers have a deep sense of responsibility for providing their audience with the best available information, ways of connecting with that information, and a desire for their audience to search the subject more comprehensively.

James P. Krehbiel, Ed.S., LPC is an author, freelance writer, licensed professional counselor and nationally certified cognitive-behavioral therapist practicing in Scottsdale, Arizona. He specializes in working with children and adults who experience anxiety, depression, grief and pain management issues. His latest book, Troubled Childhood, Triumphant Life: Healing from the Battle Scars of Youth (New Horizon Press) is now available. James can be reached through his website at www.scottsdaletherapy.net.

Understanding your goals can be elusive and that they too can change. The first goals that pop into writers’ minds are not what they truly want. Or they mature and develop and their goals and values change.

The best way to determine your actual goals is to ask yourself non-judgmentally why you want to write a book. Be honest. Dig deep to find the actual reasons why you want to write your book, because they can influence the choices you make and the direction you chart. Do you have a point to make, a story to tell, or a feat to accomplish? Admit if you want fame, fortune, and recognition, but understand that they may be difficult to attain.

Before you begin to write, after you are clear on why you want to write, create a step-by-step plan. Think about the best way to get information and understand your topic, how you can find out what you should read and whom you should interview. Assess the competition, learn how you differ, and identify your niche.

Set financially realistic goals, which means don’t expect to make a fortune from your book. In fact, don’t write a book to make money, because you will probably be deeply disappointed. As Louis Patler points out, even books that sell well may make questionable financial sense.

By Rick Frishman
Reprinted from “Rick Frishman’s Author 101 Newsletter”
Subscribe at http://www.author101.com and receive Rick’s “Million Dollar Rolodex”

I was very lucky to team up with Berkley, but I must say that I worked very hard to find an agent and publisher. I thought it might be helpful to other aspiring authors to provide a brief discussion of how I made my dream a reality.

In order to become a successful author you must, first, get your attitude in the proper zone. You must believe that you are an author. You must think, eat, and drink as an author. You must believe that you will be successful; for if you do not believe in yourself, you won’t have a snowball’s chance in Hell of convincing anyone else. Once you believe that you are a writer, you must start building your team.

I could never have done this on my own. The first professional you need to recruit to your team is an agent. Acquiring an agent takes preparation and hard work. Literary agents make a living representing good authors. They are the gatekeepers of the literary domain. So, what can you do to attract a good agent?

Good agents receive queries, proposals, letters, manuscripts and just plain gimmicks by the truckload. There are not enough minutes in the day for agents to read all the crap they receive, so most of it is pitched. If I were an agent, I would pull out each one-page query for review and discard the rest.

There is a science to writing queries. They must be clean, crisp and concise. They must convince the agent that he or she needs to look further into your work and they must do it in a paragraph or two. I am not going to attempt to tell you how to write your query, suffice it to say brevity will get you everywhere. I will provide an additional piece of wisdom – convince the agent that you can make them money by selling your book.

Once you have written the perfect agent query, you need to decide whom you will send it to. I simply Googled “Literary agent list,” and more hits popped up than I could have ever looked at. The first website alone had contact information for hundreds of agents. Here is where you need to become restrictive. I used several factors to narrow down my personal agent query list.

1. I only picked agents who were in New York City. I reasoned that NYC is the center of the publishing universe. I also believed that the publishing world works like all other businesses. People do business through their personal connections. It is much more likely that an agent in New York City will know the right editor at the right publishing house for you, than an agent in Dallas, Texas. So I focused on the Big Apple.
2. Only select an agent who belongs to a major trade organization: Association of Authors Representatives (US) or the Association of Authors Agents (UK). Agents in these professional organizations adhere to strict ethical standards.
3. Never deal with an agent who asks for a reading fee. Legitimate literary agents earn their fees through commissions.

Those are my three hard and fast rules. Also, it might be helpful to select an agency that deals in your genre. If you are writing a gardening book, don’t pick a military history agent. You may also think of creative ways to narrow down your own list.

Send your queries out all at once. I used email and snail mail. Some agents love their computers and others avoid them like the plague. So, it is wise to query everyone on your list with a letter and an email.

Then wait. Rest assured, if an agent is interested, he or she will contact you. There is no need for repeated follow-ups. A single follow up telephone call after about two weeks could be helpful. Ask if they have received your query and be prepared to deliver the query over the telephone. If the agent remembers your query and politely rejects your work, ask for constructive feedback.

NOW LETS PREPARE

Stop writing and direct all your attention to your query and proposal.

I found Guerrilla Marketing for Writers to be a great resource. It has a section on queries and proposals and much, much more. Let me try to excerpt it and add in a few other hints I have learned along the way.

First, and foremost – Publishers want to make money.

You need to convince them that your book WILL make money. Here is how you can start. (The authors of Guerrilla Marketing actually suggest that you do these first few steps before you ever start writing. I waited until I was half finished before I did these things and they still helped me)

1. Identify your audience – FIRST. I actually have many audiences but my primary audience is family members of the men and women who have served in Iraq.

2.  Write a hook for your book. Mine is:

Marines in the Garden of Eden tells the story of America’s sons and daughters who fought, bled and died in a dusty desert town on the banks of the Euphrates River.

See how my hook is directed at my audience. The hook should be used in your query and again in your proposal. I am finding myriad uses for my hook during the marketing of the book as well. Keep your message integrated.

3. Then, write a one-page synopsis that links your hook (promise to the reader) to your plot/story.

Keep the hook and synopsis close at hand and make sure you don’t wander too far from your audience. Make sure you deliver on your promise to the reader (the hook).

4. Write a one, or two page analysis of the market and your competition. This will take some research but the time spent will pay large dividends. Find out rankings of similar books and try to find out the number of copies they have sold. Ask your local bookstore if the sales have been good/bad on not just specific books but on your subject matter as well. Understand the market and let the potential publishers know that you do understand the market. Be brief. REMEMBER – publishers want to make money. Show them that your kind of book is profitable.

5. Write a one-page bio. Again, they want to know how YOU can sell books and make money for them. My bio is the weakest part of the proposal because I have a hard time talking about myself. I feel like I am bragging, but you must brag.

6. Write the table of Contents – This was like my master outline, or twelve bullets to keep me moving in the right direction.

7. Then find one of your best chapters, it doesn’t matter if it is the first chapter or the fifth chapter. Spend enough time on that chapter to make it perfect in every way. Make it your best effort. I personally did not pick the last chapter because I didn’t want anyone to know how I would end the book. Make that single chapter part of your proposal.

This will be the only writing sample the prospective publishers will see. They will base their decision on it, so it better be good.

8. Add in additional materials you might think they would be interested in, like photos, recommendations, etc.

Now, when you put it all together, you must remember that the editors and the people that will see your proposal get hundreds of these things a week. You want to make it as easy for them as possible. I placed mine in a red three ring paper binder, the kind you would use for a term paper. The cover was clear so that the title page could be read without opening the binder.

Then, I tried to suck the reader in. My hook was on the first page and was only a short paragraph. My hope was that the reader would be “hooked” and turn the page. THAT IS THE ONLY PURPOSE OF THE HOOK, to get the reader to turn the page. They see so many of these things that the vast majority are set aside before page two.

My second page was a single-page synopsis of the book. During the final polishing, my agent suggested that I add a proposal table of contents just to make it easier for the reader to find things. I really don’t think that was necessary.

I think that the synopsis is even more important than the hook. Here, again, in a single page, you must show how you are going to deliver on your promise; you must describe your book. The sole purpose of the synopsis is to get the reader to turn the page – again. Lots more proposals end up in the circular file after the synopsis is read.

Okay, now you have the reader hooked on your story. You have also shown him/her that you can captivate a reader and that you know how to write a “page turner.” If the editor goes on, you have already scored big points – in just two short pages.

Now they want to know – Will the book make money? So tell them who your audience is, specifically, and also who your competition is. Make them see dollar signs.

Then, take one page to tell them about yourself. By now, your idea has been sold; the editors are looking for more ammunition to support their decision to publish you.

I included the book’s table of contents and outline next to give the reader an overall guide to the entire book and next was my perfect chapter.

I also thought it would be helpful to provide my extensive bibliography and some photos.

In short, I put together a plan and I executed my plan. I wrote the best agent query letter I could, I wrote the best proposal I could and I wrote the best book I could.

I found an agent. I found a publisher (Penguin Group USA) and now I am working at finding readers for Marines in the Garden of Eden.

I hope this helps. Please provide feedback on this article by contacting me through my website at www.MarinesintheGardenofEden.com.

Richard S. Lowry is an internationally recognized military historian and author. His latest book, New Dawn, the battles for Fallujah, will be released by Savas Beatie LLC in May, 2010. Richard has previously published Marines in the Garden of Eden (Berkley Caliber, 2006), The Gulf War Chronicles (iUniverse, 2003 and iUniverse Star, 2008), and US Marine in Iraq: Operation Iraqi Freedom, 2003 (Osprey, 2006). Additionally, he contributed to Small Unit Actions (United States Marine Corps History Division, 2008).

One thing I think about as I write is “truth.” And if you intend to follow the trail of creative nonfiction, you’ll also be challenged by the concept of what is true and what is not. Too many casual readers think the word “creative” gives a writer license to make up things to enhance a creative nonfiction piece. That’s not true.

For example, in my memoir, Seven Wheelchairs: A Life beyond Polio, there are snatches of dialog. Granted, no one can remember conversations which occurred decades in the past, but a good writer tries to relay “the truth” of a conversation. A good writer might even consult the other person involved to assess the accuracy of memory.

Recently, in the midst of reviewing Where Did I Leave My Glasses? for The Internet Review of Books, I stumbled upon a neurological star chart which might be useful for writers exploring the edge of the universe between truth and reality. Here is a sample:

” … computer remembers all or nothing. No in-between. Whereas the brain is filled with in-between. Think of it this way: What you put into the computer is an abstraction of your experience. Retrieve it, and it’s unchanged. What you remember is an abstraction of that experience, then a reconstruction of the abstraction, then a reconstruction of the reconstruction of the abstraction, and so on and on and on—every time you retrieve it. And of course, the more time that passes, the truer this becomes.”

I think regularly about the muddy mixture of objective fact and subjective truth. While I know a writer has the obligation to quote correctly and describe accurately, I also know that when we set out to explore the swamp of self, we often get tangled up in the jungle of emotions. It takes courage and a measure of humility to ask ourselves to tell our readers what we know, or think we know.

Lear tackled the subject of memory, and its accuracy, by consulting scientists, and she finally came to the conclusion our writing comes from the place where memory lives, which in Lear’s description is “palimpsest,” a tablet of layered text, each preceding layer imperfectly erased. Lear’s work reinforces both my skepticism and my faith that there is an “objective” truth, but it may not be completely accurate. We should be prepared – without lying – to search for our own truths.

And, in truth, the more I think about it, the more I have moved away from the idea of “truths” to the point where I believe that “truths” are merely opinions about truths.

Gary Presley‘s <http://www.garypresley.com> work has appeared in Brevity, Salon.com, the New York Times, the Washington Post, and assorted other venues. His book (Seven Wheelchairs: A Life beyond Polio) is available from The University of Iowa Press and online retailers.

Got a Non-Fiction Book? Tell Your Reader What’s In It for Them!

NOTE: the following suggestions apply to non-fiction works.

Book titles and corporate slogans. The two have a lot in common (something I realized from all my years as a copywriter). Let’s look at some famous slogans:

GE. We bring good things to life.
Delta. We’re ready when you are.
Avis. We try harder.
Burger King. Have it your way.
Virginia is for lovers.

What’s true about all of them? They’re promises. They tell you what you can count on. Same with a brand. Think Dove soap. Tiffany’s. Volvo. IBM. Any doubt as to the promise in those brands? Keep this in mind as you create your book title. If you’re writing non-fiction, your title and subtitle are as crucially important as a great-looking cover.

Promise, Then Elaborate
When I created the title for my first book, I kept in mind the idea of the “promise,” and came up with The Well-Fed Writer (a detailed how-to guide to “commercial” writing, where the income potential money was FAR greater than typical “freelance writing”).

I then used the subtitle to reinforce, clarify, elaborate on the promise of the title. I went with: Financial Self-Sufficiency as a Freelance Writer in Six Months or Less – an additional promise in its own right. Don’t make readers wonder what your book is about; have them “get it” right away from the title and subtitle. A good rule of thumb on titles vs. subtitles? If the title you come up with sounds more explanatory than catchy (and is more than 4-5 words, max), it’s probably a better subtitle.

It all comes down to benefits. Good title/subtitle combos tell readers what’s in it for them, why they should bother picking up the book in the first place.

A Case Study
A few years back, I was hired to mentor a new self-publishing author, an ad industry veteran who’d written book on creativity. While he wanted to tap my expertise on a variety of nuts and bolts issues, in his mind, his cover artwork (and photography) was paid for and nailed down, along with, of course, his title, too:

The Field Guide to Creativity:
One Path And 101 Pointers For Discovering Fresh Ideas

I told him his title needed work. He wasn’t happy. But, after all, here was a book – a really good, interesting, valuable and yes, creative book – purporting to help people be more creative, and its title simply wasn’t. Well, he took my advice, revisited the idea, he and I and a bunch of his friends (via email) brainstormed a bunch of jazzier titles, and here’s what he ended up with:

ZING! Five Steps & 101 Tips for Creativity on Command

Not a promise in a strict sense, but in way, the feeling it evoked was.

Speaking of Creativity…
I had a client recently, a long-time elementary school art teacher, who’d created a wonderful “idea book” for young people designed to spur their unique creative expression through a host of fun, unusual artistic techniques, complete with necessary supply lists. Early on, she’d named this seven-year labor of love:

The Color Book: A Book of Ideas to Inspire Young Artists

Her rationale: color and choice of color were fundamental to a child’s artistic development (and the book was so colorful). I questioned it. My thinking? For starters, her title made sense to her, given what she knew about the concept – none of which was self-evident to a buyer.

Just as importantly, it was potentially confusing; it could mean a lot of things (i.e. color swatches, history of color, etc.). Finally, it didn’t explain what the book was and didn’t begin to really do justice to the book’s mission. I suggested something I felt was more descriptive of that mission:

Art Sparks! A Creative Adventure to Inspire Young Artists

Again, a promise. And while she liked it, she initially resisted it, more out of attachment and inertia. But, she quickly realized that she needed to think of her buyer, and came to love it as she saw that it truly captured her heartfelt mission for the book. Now, someone can look at the title and know instantly what the book is about and the benefits they’ll get from reading it.

Know what the #1 best-selling trade paperback of 2002 was, according to Publishers Weekly? A cookbook! And one that sold 1.8 million copies. Title: The Fix-It and Forget-It Cookbook: Feasting With Your Slow Cooker. (Authors: Dawn J. Ranck and Phyllis Pellman Good). Now is that a promise or what?

(Adapted from The Well-Fed Self-Publisher: How to Turn One Book into a Full-Time Living, by Peter Bowerman.www.wellfedsp.com).
Can’t land a publisher? Why not do it yourself, and make a living from it? Check out the free report at www.wellfedsp.com, the home of the award-winning 2007 release The Well-Fed Self-Publisher: How to Turn One Book into a Full-Time Living. Author Peter Bowerman is known for the award-winning (and self-published) Well-Fed Writer titles, which have provided him with a full-time living for over five years. (www.wellfedwriter.com).

Whalin has been on both sides of the editor’s desk. He not only has experience as an editor at a publishing house, he has written more than 60 published books. In Book Proposals That Sell, he shares what he has learned with writers who aspire to get their non-fiction books published.

Book Proposals That Sell begins with an introduction to some basic realities of the publishing business. For example, non-fiction books are typically sold with a strong proposal rather than by submitting a completed manuscript. (The opposite is usually true for fiction.)

The 21 secrets are a step-by-step process to completing a powerful book proposal. Each secret leads you closer to your goal of producing and submitting a proposal that will present you and your ideas in the most effective and professional way. And each secret has details and examples to help you understand how to implement it.

The 21 secrets include:

• Know the audience for your book.
• Understand what each chapter will contain.
• Cast a vision of your book.
• Write a spellbinding sample chapter.
• Maintain a log of your submissions.
• Get more proposals out the door.

Although some of the secrets are common (but often ignored) knowledge, such as always include a SASE, others may be surprising. For example, many authors would not see the value in getting high profile endorsements for a book proposal, thinking that the publisher will take care of getting endorsements once the book is published. In fact, endorsements from celebrities and leading authorities can be key in getting your book proposal noticed by a publisher. Whalin explains the importance of these endorsements, how to go about getting them, and from whom you should get endorsements.

The Appendices are also filled with useful information and resources, including a sample book proposal that sold for a six-figure advance, a checklist for your non-fiction book proposal, and the Thomas Nelson (Publishers) Guide to Writing a Winning Book Proposal.

If you are interested in selling your non-fiction book, W. Terry Whalin’s Book Proposals That Sell should have a place on your bookshelf. Better yet, don’t put it on your bookshelf, but keep it next to your computer where you can reference it frequently as you work on your next book proposal.

• 2% of the 200,000 books published each year become bestsellers.
• 84% of the bestsellers are published by the 5 largest New York publishers.
• 2 out of 10 books published make a profit for the publisher.
• In 2004, 950,000 titles out of the 1.2 million tracked by Nielsen Bookscan sold fewer than 99 copies. Another 200,000 sold fewer than 1,000 copies.
• Only 25,000 books sold more than 5,000 copies.
• The average book in America sells about 500 copies.
• Only 10 books sold more than a million copies in 2004.
• Fewer than 500 books sold more than 100,000 copies in 2004.

The magic number for a book to be considered successful is 10,000. When The Wealthy Spirit reached 12,000 books sold, my editor called me and said, “We’re ready for your next book!” And so I got the contract to write Zero to Zillionaire. The Wealthy Spirit has now sold nearly 20,000 copies and Zero to Zillionaire is approaching the magic number of 10,000 copies sold.

The good news is you don’t have to have a blockbuster like The Da Vinci Code in order to be successful with your books. You only have to sell 5,000 to be in the top 2% of bestselling books. That looks a lot more doable than selling a million, doesn’t it?

Royalties on books usually start at 10% – and unless you have a major publisher, they are now based on wholesale price and not retail, and the reserve against returns is 15-25%. So the odds on making your fortune from a book alone are slim.

Non-fiction books are like business cards. They are my best marketing pieces, help me spread the word about my seminars and professional speaking, and give me oodles of credibility so I can charge good fees for my work. Many times people have signed up for my workshops just because they were fans of my books. They are one of my “multiple streams of income” and I have ideas for more books to come!

Non-fiction book sales are all about PLATFORM. That means, how many people know you are will buy your book? That’s why you see so many celebrity books – they have huge platforms and so will sell many more books than an unknown author. That is why Jessica Seinfeld got a book deal for her cookbook when the unknown author who pitched basically the same book 6 months prior to her didn’t get a deal. Books are widgets and publishers are manufacturers and their number one goal is to sell a lot of widgets. Never forget that!

Here’s some insider info: I was a speaker at a conference in Mexico in October, along with Marci Shimoff, author of 6 Chicken Soup for the Soul books. She is a part of a mastermind group of best-selling speaker-authors that do mailings for each other – you’ve seen the “Be a Bestseller on Amazon” promotions will all the free goodies from other self-help authors, yes? Marci’s announcement about her new book Happy for No Reason, which is a fabulous book, went out to 5 million people! That’s what I mean by platform, and why she got a big deal with a major publisher.

But look, she started small, too. She pitched Chicken Soup for the Woman’s Soul to Jack Canfield when there wasn’t any idea for a series of “Chicken Soup” books – there was only the one book. But she saw a sequel in meditation and called Jack and pitched her idea. Then she built her reputation by speaking and writing more of those titles and I’m guessing not much money in the beginning. Now she commands big speaking fees and gets big advances for her books.

The book business is like every business. People who have made it usually built their brand and their business slowly over time and came into the big money later after years of hard work. Read the biographies of any famous person and you’ll find that same story over and over. Faith Hill became famous with her fourth album. Bon Jovi sold his 50th song demo, and the band didn’t make any money until their 3rd album. That’s why you have to love your work – your goals have to be so juicy that it’s fun just to work towards them! Because that’s all that will sustain you through the failures along the road to success. Look at everything as fun and an adventure along the way and you’ll be happy and successful every day of your life.
And that’s my secret of happiness.

Chellie Campbell is the creator of the Financial Stress Reduction® Workshops now taught by coaches across the country, and the author of The Wealthy Spirit and Zero to Zillionaire. She is one of Marci Shimoff’s “Happy 100” in her current NYT bestseller Happy for No Reason and is prominently quoted as a financial expert in The Los Angeles Times, Pink, Good Housekeeping, Lifetime, Essence, Woman’s World and more than 35 popular books. For more information, visit her web site www.Chellie.com.

1) Persuade and motivate your reader.

It’s your #1 goal when writing. Provide your readers with smartly-expressed thoughts by choosing words that drive your sentences from one to the next and create a seamless reading experience. Think of the horse-before-the-cart analogy. That cart’s not going anywhere until the horse pulls it into action.

2) Paint a picture.

Would you rather eat a chocolate dessert or a creamy, chocolate layer cake? A piece of fruit or a crisp, juicy apple? Drive a car or drive a luxury Jaguar with soft, leather seats and new-car aroma? Your readers won’t see what you’re talking about unless you paint a vivid picture.

3) Clear the clutter.

Words like “that, so, very, and much.” Look at your sentences closely—how many times do you use these words in your writing? Are they necessary? If extra words are not adding to the sentence, leave them out.

4) Pick a style—and stick with it.

Whether you prefer formal or informal writing, use the same tone throughout your piece to create fluidity and keep your readers focused. Formal writing is used in professional writing, technical writing, and most business writing. Informal writing creates a more casual tone and uses contractions liberally (i.e., you’re vs. you are; won’t vs. would not, and so on).

5) Walk away.

Put your draft down and walk away for an hour, a day or a week. After a short break, you’ll view your draft in a different light and be able to pick up what you missed earlier. Sometimes all it takes is a new perspective.

6) Get another set of eyes.

Don’t be embarrassed (or too proud) to let someone read your work. Step back from your writing and let an objective set of eyes view your work from a reader’s point of view. Remember: feedback is your friend.

7) Edit, edit, edit.

Editing and proofreading will make the difference between mediocre and magnificent. It’s important to rework your writing, but it’s even better to hand your work over to a professional editor. An editor’s job is not to criticize, judge or take away your voice; their job is to make your writing better.

Karen L. Reddick, MVA, is an author, editor, and virtual assistant and owner of V And E Services and The Red Pen Editor providing author assistance and editorial services to authors, writers and publishers. Learn more how Karen can help with your next virtual book tour at www.VandEServices.com and sign up for The Editor’s weekly grammar tips at www.TheRedPenEditor.com