5 Great Titles to Add to Your “How to Write a Nonfiction Book” Collection
by Amy Isaman
If you’re like most writers I know, you have a shelf (or five) devoted to “books on writing.” As readers and writers, we’re curious and maybe even a bit insatiable when it comes to books on mastering our craft.
While there are books that give a high level overview of publishing or are focused on publishing options or marketing, few actually break down specifically how to craft a nonfiction book that works.
These books do.They are the books I reach to again and again for their practical advice, wisdom, encouragement, and usefulness.
Blueprint for a Nonfiction Book: Plan and Pitch Your Big Idea by Jennie Nash
This highly practical book takes you step by step through Jennie Nash’s Blueprint for a Book process. Parts 1-3 will help you develop your ideas into a cohesive outline that works, whether you are interested in self or traditional publishing.
Each part is divided into topic areas with an explanation, clear examples, and questions to answer. Upon completion of these three parts, you will have a rough draft of your book proposal or a blueprint for the drafting of your book.
In parts 4 and 5 of Blueprint, Jennie walks you step-by-step through crafting a book proposal and pitching it to agents or publishing houses. Again, she provides examples that are invaluable as models for your own work.
2. The Art of the Book Proposal: From Focused Idea to Finished Proposal by Eric Maisel, PhD.
As you read Eric Maisel’s book, you feel like you’ve got a calm, steady guide offering differing ways of approaching a topic. This is probably because not only is he a therapist who focuses on working with creatives, he’s also a prolific author with over 50 published titles to his name.
While this book is on crafting a proposal, its strength lies in the exercises he shares to really get to the heart of your ideas and in thoroughly exploring and thinking about each piece of your book.
As the book was published in 2004, the proposal samples are somewhat dated, so look to this book for support with idea development and all the different ways you can frame a single idea. These sections are brilliant, especially if you’ve got a topic you could approach from a variety of angles.
3.The Book You Were Born to Write: Everything You Need to (Finally) Get Your Wisdom onto the Page and into the World by Kelly Notaras
Like the previous two books, this one takes the reader all the way through from idea to pitch, though this one goes a little further with a section on drafting, the writing mindset, the basics of building a platform as well as an overview of both traditional publishing and self-publishing.
One of the strengths of this book is Chapter Three on Hooks*. As Notaras writes, “The point of this little nugget of information [the hook] is to catch the reader’s attention–to hook them, like an unsuspecting mackerel–so they can’t walk out of the bookstore without your book under their arm” (43). She walks the reader through several criteria of a successful hook with clear examples to help the reader write their own.
* What Notaras refers to as a hook is the same thing as Jennie Nash’s “Point,” Eric Maisel’s “Focus and Frame,” Bernoff’s “Big Idea,” and AJ Harper’s “Core Message.” It’s the specific argument for your specific audience around which you are building your book.
4. Build a Better Business Book: How to Plan, Write, and Promote a Book That Matters, by Josh Bernoff
The audience for this book is business owners, so this book has a slightly different focus than the prior books. One of the strengths of this book is his focus on nonfiction books as a narrative or story that you’re taking your reader through. He also shares samples of his book plan which is his method of outlining a book.
Another strength is that Bernoff has a chapter on Case Studies and Stories and another on using Research and Data in your book. Few books address how to incorporate these crucial elements into your book, and while he doesn’t go into great depth, he provides a solid starting place for you.
5. Write a Must-Read: Craft a Book that Changes Lives–Including Your Own by AJ Harper
As the book jacket copy states, “A book is not about something–a book is for someone.” AJ Harper hits this concept of “reader first” hard throughout her book, and she shares invaluable exercises and questions to really help you drill down your reader.
Throughout the book, she constantly comes back to the reader. Aren’t sure what content to put in your outline? Think about your reader. Aren’t sure what stories to include? Include those that relate specifically to the reader.
Like Notaras’ and Bernoff’s books, Harper also goes through the writing and editing/revision process. I especially like her editing process as she encourages writers to make multiple passes through their books focusing on one element on each pass. It’s brilliant and something I’ve adopted for shorter pieces too, like this blog post.
Conclusion
While each of these books has its own unique approach, all of them argue that in order to write a successful nonfiction book, you must first identify your reader, craft a solid argument, and organize and plan your content before you begin writing your first draft. If you need support with this, certified Author Accelerator book coaches can help you get there.
Bio
Amy Isaman is a certified book coach and writing teacher who helps experts, educators, and entrepreneurs plan and write prescriptive/how-to nonfiction books. She works with clients 1:1 and in small group programs. She also teaches English and writing at a residential school for at-risk teens. Amy has a bachelor’s degree in English from UC Davis, an MA in Humanities: Literature, 18 years experience teaching writing at the high school and college level, and book coaching certifications for nonfiction and memoir. She has written and published four novels and has a nonfiction book in the works. Connect with Amy at amyisaman.com.
