Stories are bacon

Stories are bacon

Like bacon, stories will make everything you write more compelling. They are the most important element of your nonfiction book. (If eating bacon is offensive to you, this metaphor won’t work for you, so don’t read on.) Here is why stories are like bacon: A little goes a long way No one wants a meal…

Why fiction writing advice is worthless to nonfiction writers

Why fiction writing advice is worthless to nonfiction writers

There are a million suckers hoping to publish their fictional stories. As a result, there’s lots of advice from people hoping to help — or prey on — these suckers. If you write nonfiction, this sort of advice is just noise. Why you should ignore advice for “writers” If you tell someone you are a…

If books are so great, why is it so hard to give them away?
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If books are so great, why is it so hard to give them away?

Books are great individually. But in big bunches, they’re not as sacred as they once were. I’m in the process of moving and I have a lot of books. I’ve been collecting science fiction books since I was a teenager — I’ve accumulated hundreds of hardbacks and hundreds more in paperback, with special bookcases to…

Are you writing a memoir or an advice book? Avoid the murky middle.

Are you writing a memoir or an advice book? Avoid the murky middle.

It is tempting to add personal stories to a book of advice, or bits of advice in a memoir. When mixing the two genres, though, be careful not to mix your objectives, or readers will find your book confusing. The challenge here is one of tone. Recall the ROAM analysis: Readers, Objective, Action, iMpression. Consider…

The cost of developmental editing and how to manage it

The cost of developmental editing and how to manage it

Developmental editing is the process of making a nonfiction book better in every way — including clarity of ideas, structure, tone, paragraphs, sentences, and words. Developmental editors aren’t cheap. Today, some ideas on how to manage that expense and make the book better at the same time. Cheap editors aren’t a bargain Depending on the…