Nonfiction Ink

My book blog tour kicks off today with an interview at WOW-Women on Writing. Check it out – you also have the opportunity to win an eBook copy of my latest book The Complete Guide To Hiring A Literary Agent.

Literary agent Katherine Sand’s book Making the Perfect Pitch offers a series of short articles and tips from top literary agents designed to help aspiring authors “catch a literary agent’s eye”. The chapter on “Pitching Collaborative Projects” is an informative and enlightening overview on the topic, but the short chapter on “How To Find and Contact an Agent” is too basic – most writers searching for agents will require more extensive detail on the subject.

This book is not a step-by-step guide on how to craft a pitch (the query letter, the synopsis, the book proposal); the book’s strength and value lies in the significant insider information provided by literary agents on what they look for in a pitch, their preferences, dislikes, and advice about pitching “do’s and don’ts”. You’ll get insights from 40 well-known and respected literary agents and experts, including Donald Maass, Jane Dystel, Michael Larson, Sheree Bykofsky, Jeff Herman, and Harvey Klinger.

Monday, February 8^th – Interview and Book Giveaway at WOW – Women on Writing

Tuesday, February 9^th – Guest Post on Creating A Writer’s Platform and Workshop Giveaway at Meryl’s Notes

Wednesday, February 10^th – Guest Post on Writing the Novel Synopsis and Book Giveaway at Writers Inspired

Friday, February 12^th – Ghostwriting Interview and Book Giveaway at Day By Day Writer

Monday, February 15^th – Guest Post on Breaking Into The Lucrative Book Ghostwriting Business at Freelance Writing on About.com

Tuesday, February 16^th – Guest Post on Query Letter Do’s and Don’ts and Workshop Giveaway at Thursday Bram

Wednesday, February 17^th – Interview at Selling Books

Thursday, February 18^th – Guest Post on Tips For Polishing Your Pitch and Book Giveaway at Hell or High Water Writer

Monday, February 22^nd – Guest Post on Are You Ready for a Literary Agent and Book Giveaway at Adventures in the Writing Life

Wednesday, February 24^th – Guest Post on 10 Essential Questions to Ask a Literary Agent Who Offers to Represent You and Book Giveaway at About Freelance Writing

Friday, February 26^th – Book Review and Book Giveaway at Webb on Words

Wednesday, March 3^rd – Guest Post on Secrets Every Writer Should Know About Query Letters and Book Giveaway at Writer Unboxed

During a recent interview, I was asked the question “What have you learned from writing your latest book (The Complete Guide To Hiring A Literary Agent)?”

As a ghostwriter of more than 30 published books, I’ve always understood (on an intellectual level) that publishers make the final decisions about an author’s book, but that realization really hit home when I wrote my own book. I was more than unhappy with the title the publisher chose (I wanted “acquire” a literary agent, instead of “hire” a literary agent) and I was devastated with the cover the publisher created for the print version of the book and some of the decisions made about content. In the end, I didn’t win any of the arguments. I thought the choices might hurt my brand and my reputation.

My contract stated that the book would be released in late December 2009. That date came and went and I was given a new date of mid-January, then the first week in February. Alas, another release date change has been announced now for either Spring 2010 or early Summer to coincide with release dates for several “related” books from the publisher. Of course, all my marketing (including the production and distribution of a book trailer and the scheduling of a book blog tour) was planned to coincide with the original release date for my book. At this point, my marketing campaign and book blog tour have been launched without the book being available in bookstores. I did what I could do – I moved forward. I created an eBook version of the book (using a book cover I commissioned) so that product will be available during the initial marketing push.

Ultimately I have to recognize and accept that I chose to contract with this particular publisher. It was my decision as an author. If I want to maintain complete control of the book cover, the title, the content, and the release date, then I need to launch a publishing company and release my own books. I learned a lesson that all authors need to be aware of… the publisher always has the final say. So choose wisely.

Christina Katz

Before writers establish an author platform, they typically establish a writer platform. Over the past decade, thousands of writers have parlayed established influence into traditional book deals. Landing a traditional book deal is still an effective way to exponentially increase your credibility and visibility.

Your “platform” refers to what you do in the world with your professional expertise that makes you visible and influential in the world. Having friends on Facebook or followers on Twitter is not your platform, unless the majority of those people know who you are, what you do, and are enthusiastic about your work.

I thought I would offer some advice about how to slowly and steadily establish a lasting platform. You may note the lack of fanaticism in this advice and the emphasis on enduring success instead. I’m a mother and a wife, a freelancer, a speaker, a teacher, and a blogger, so aiming for balance is the only way I can afford to work if I plan on sticking around for the long haul.

This advice has worked consistently for my students over the past several years. I think you will find that a grounded, step-by-step approach works just as well for you if you choose to follow it:

1. Develop a platform topic that you love and can work on tirelessly for the next few years. Your passion of the moment should come in second to the topic you could delve into deeply for a good, long time. Prior professional education and a depth of personal experience are going to be a boon to your platform if you have an eye on a future book deal.
2. Hang back from establishing a blog on your topic until you have cultivated a wealth of content and experience working with others on specialty-related activities that lend credibility and trust to your name. Others will tell you to start blogging immediately, but don’t, if you want to be efficient with your time and money.
3. Instead, gain authority by seeking publication in established, highly visible publications both in print and online that serve your target audience. Avoid the kind of publishing that anyone can accomplish, like posting on article sites, and work on your professional communication skills instead. By all means, avoid the content mills offering writers slave wages with the promise of future earnings.
4. Don’t begin any kind of marketing campaign for any product or service offerings until you have established yourself as a go-to person on your topic, again saving you time and money. Before you look at ways to serve others directly, channel your expertise into the best service methods possible based on your strengths and weaknesses. This is a meaty topic that is covered in-depth in my book, Get Known Before the Book Deal, Use Your Personal Strengths to Grow an Author Platform (Writer’s Digest Books 2008).
5. Then, develop a product or service that can become one of several multiple income streams over time that will support your goal of becoming a published author. For example, teaching classes over the years has allowed me to re-invest more of the money I earn from writing books back into book marketing. Make sure any offerings you produce are released conscientiously and are integrated into the professional writing you already do. Otherwise, you will seem like you are all over the place and just trying to score a buck.
6. Don’t expect your platform to support you financially for at least one or two years, as you micro-invest in it, re-invest in it as it grows, and expand your visibility.
7. Once you have a professional publication track record in your niche topic, then it’s time to hang your online shingle. I’ve seen this accomplished in as little as six months by exceptionally focused students. Take a portion of the money you’ve earned writing and invest it in a professional quality online presence.
8. A low-cost way to do this is to purchase your name as a URL and use a hosting site like GoDaddy.com to host a Wordpress.org blog. I use the Thesis Theme, which you can see in action at my blog. In this way, a blog can also serve as your website where you post your published clips, offerings and bio. If you don’t have a ton of money to invest in the look of your site, you can always pay a designer later.
9. Delay partnering with others on joint ventures until you have a clear idea of your own strengths and weaknesses in and around your topic. And when you do partner with others be extremely discriminating. Make sure the partnership is going to be win-win-win for everyone involved.
10. Start an e-mail newsletter or e-zine with those who are most interested in your topic. Build your list by invitation and then grow it into a permission-based following over time. Create an expected, ongoing dialogue that is mutually beneficial to everyone involved and your list will grow.
11. Now you are ready to start blogging. And yes, I mean while you continue to do all the things we’ve already discussed. Be sure to zoom-focus your blog on what you have to add to the conversation that is already going on about your topic. Don’t just share information; make an impact. Make your blog a go-to, up-to-date resource for your audience.
12. Partner selectively with others who serve the same general audience that you do with integrity and humility. Spend time getting to know folks before you decide to partner with them. You can’t afford to taint the reputation you have worked so hard to establish by partnering with just anyone.
13. Now that you have an established niche and audience, definitely participate in social networking. I like Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn because they all offer something unique. The best way to learn is to jump in, spend an hour online each week until you are up and running. Follow the instructions for getting started provided by social media expert Meryl K. Evans.

This start-up plan for a writer platform will eventually blossom into an author platform. From start to finish, implementing a solid platform following this advice should take you about a year. By the end of that year, you will have established yourself as a serious contender in both professional and online circles, without killing yourself for some huckster’s promise of overnight success.

Have a plan. Leave a legacy in words, connections and professional influence. If you are consistent, by the time the year is done, you will have made effective use of your time and money in 2010.  I wish you the best of luck in your platform-building efforts!

Christina Katz is the author of Get Known Before the Book Deal, Use Your Personal Strengths to Grow an Author Platform and Writer Mama, How to Raise a Writing Career Alongside Your Kids for Writer’s Digest Books. She has written hundreds of articles for national, regional, and online publications, presents at literary and publishing events around the country, and is a monthly columnist for the Willamette Writer. Katz publishes a weekly e-zine, The Prosperous Writer, and hosts The Northwest Author Series. She holds an MFA in writing from Columbia College Chicago and a BA from Dartmouth College. A “gentle taskmaster” to her hundred or so students each year, Katz channels over a decade of professional writing experience into success strategies that help writers get on track and get published. Learn more at ChristinaKatz.com.

Now that you’ve designed a writing schedule, gathered and organized all your research, prepared a theme or thesis statement to keep you focused, and created a detail chapter-by-chapter outline, you’re ready to start writing the book. Your book sections, chapters, topic headings, sub-headings, and sub-sub categories are all laid out in your manuscript document like a roadmap allowing you to follow them — topic-by-topic, point-by-point — and write the content in focused, manageable chunks.

THE OPENING
You want to capture the reader’s interest with an engaging opening that entices him to continue turning the pages. Here are 12 techniques (with samples) for beginning your nonfiction book:

Part 1 – Overview of methods and how to select the opening that’s right for your book

Part 2 – Anecdotes, case studies, quotations, descriptive, and narrative leads

Part 3 – One-line hook, statistical information, thematic lead, question, and comparison

Part 4 – Addressing the reader directly, journalistic lead, factual, and summary opening

If you’re still feeling challenged with your opening, here are a few more tips:

1. Think about why your idea is important and convey to readers how they will benefit from reading your book.

2. Connect with your reader by identifying a shared experience or view that ties into your theme (“Do you remember how you felt when you first learned to drive – the thrill, the exhilaration, the sense of impending freedom…..”)

3. Consider if there is any background information you could share about your idea that would engage readers.

4. There is no rule that you have to write in chronological order. Proceed to other topics and come back to your opening later.

YOUR TURN: How did you select the best opening for your latest book?

Need assistance or guidance completing your book project? I offer comprehensive writing, editing, and coaching services to get your book done and land a book deal.  Want to learn how to write a nonfiction book, develop a book proposal, or establish your author platform? I’m committed to helping you achieve your writing goals. My online writing classes provide a focused structure and assignments that produce tangible results.

Line By Line: How To Edit Your Own Writing demystifies line editing and enables authors to polish their own manuscripts. Author Claire Kehrwald Cook walks writers through the process step-by step from how to read and evaluate a sentence, to how to condense sentences to succinctly and clearly convey meaning. Along the way she tackles all the usual suspects: weak verbs, prepositional phrases, modifiers, structure, ambiguous words, parallelism and correlative conjunctions, punctuation, and subject-verb disagreement.

Most helpful are the extensive glossary of ‘questionable word usage’ and the numerous examples that help guide readers during editing. Used alongside a good book on grammar (such as Mignon Fogarty’s Grammar Girl’s Quick & Dirty Tips For Better Writing) and a professional developmental editor, Line By Line is a valuable resource for any writer wanting to craft a well-written manuscript.

I’m committed to helping you achieve your writing goals. I offer focused guidance and a structure with assignments and deadlines that produce tangible results.

Classes are conducted in an online platform (similar to Blackboard), which allows participants to interact with one another – recreating the live writing workshop experience. And for anyone who is shy about sharing his or her project, information can be sent directly (and privately) to me.

No need to worry about attending class at a set time. Each week during the course, you can check in to read material, submit assignments, and engage in discussions – at a time and place that is convenient for you.

Class size is limited to allow for personalized attention and feedback customized to your individual project. Please enroll early to ensure registration in your preferred class.

For more information and to enroll in a class, please visit Scenario Writing Classes

BOOK-TO-FILM: HOW TO ADAPT A BOOK INTO A SCREENPLAY
$369
Begins June 21, 2010 (8 weeks)

More than 70% of produced films are adaptations. Over the past decade, 7 of the 10 Academy Award winners for Best Film have been adaptations. And yet, many film adaptations fail. Why? Because translating a narrative format to a visual medium is an art. In this class you will learn how to effectively adapt a book into a screenplay.

By the completion of this class you will have a three-act structural map, a character breakdown, and an extended script outline to follow to complete the screenplay.

• Understanding the Difference Between Books and Screenplays
• Analyzing the Source Material
• Creating the Story in a Three-Act Structure
• Inciting Incident, Turning Point, Midpoint, Resolution
• Identification of adaptable characters
• Focusing on the main plotline
• Selection of minor characters and subplots
• Key elements, visual images, style, conflict and character development
• Addressing ways to dramatize inner conflict and create emotional impact
• Creating The Extended Script Outline
• Optioning Film Rights for Source Material

BRAND YOURSELF, WRITE A BOOK
$369
Begins May 10, 2010 (8 weeks)

This class is designed for entrepreneurs, business leaders, and aspiring authors who are committed to writing a nonfiction book.

By the completion of this workshop you will have researched and organized your book, created a detailed outline, and begun writing your content.

• Defining & Presenting Your Brand
• Detailing and Expanding Your Idea
• Understanding Your Readers and Target Market
• Organizing, Structuring, and Outlining Your Book
• Gathering Information: Research, Interviews, and Fact-Checking
• The Writing Process
• Revising and Editing

DEVELOPING CELEBRITY EXPERT STATUS: HOW TO BUILD YOUR AUTHOR PLATFORM
$369
Begins March 22, 2010 (8 weeks)

Nonfiction authors need an established platform to land a book deal. This class is designed for aspiring authors who are serious about becoming the go-to experts in their fields and expanding their media platforms.

By the completion of this class you will have developed or refined your media and online presentation, created a custom platform strategy, and implemented several platform-building techniques based on your individual plan.

• Defining and Conveying Who You Are & What You Offer (Your Brand Image)
• Identifying Your Goals
• Developing A Platform Strategy
• The Media Kit: Bio, Press/News Releases, Tip Sheets, Endorsements, Interview Questions, Photos, Expert Topics
• Pitching The Media: Television, Radio, Print
• Preparing for Interviews: Talking Tips, Conveying Your Message, Handling Questions, Sound Bites, Looking Your Best
• Creating Information Products
• Speaking Engagements
• Teaching Your Expertise: Creating a Class, Workshop, Seminar, Webinar, or Teleclass
• How to Leverage Your Online Presence: Websites, Blogs, Podcasting, Syndication, Newsletters
• The Power of Guest Blogging & How To Land Guest Posts On Influential Blogs
• Effectively Engaging In Social Networking & Media: Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Flickr, YouTube, Yahoo, Wikipedia, Amazon

GET A BOOK DEAL: HOW TO WRITE A WINNING BOOK PROPOSAL, SELL YOUR BOOK IDEA & GET AN ADVANCE BEFORE YOU WRITE THE BOOK
$369
Begins March 22, 2010 (8 weeks)

To attract a literary agent and market your book to publishers, you need a professional, well-crafted book proposal.

By the completion of this class you will have a full book proposal package to pitch to publishers and/or literary agents, a customized list of publishers and/or literary agents to pitch, and a compelling query letter.

• Understanding What Publishers and Literary Agents Want
• How A Literary Agent Can Help You Land A Book Deal
• Defining Your Book Idea
• Identifying Your Reader and Target Market
• Researching the Market and Competitive Titles
• Making the Most of Your Platform
• Creating the Chapter Outline
• Writing The Sample Chapter
• Preparing the Overview
• Designing the Promotional Plan
• Finding The Right Publisher and/or Agent
• Writing The Query Letter

GHOSTWRITING: HOW TO MAKE SERIOUS MONEY AS A HIDDEN AUTHOR
$425
Begins May 10, 2010 (8 weeks)

This class is designed for writers who want to break into the lucrative nonfiction-book ghostwriting field.

By the completion of this class you will have developed a preliminary presentation portfolio, outlined a business marketing strategy and launch campaign, created a customized list of publishers and literary agents to pitch, identified your specialty, and know how to successfully plan, outline, and ghostwrite a client’s book.

• What a Ghostwriter Does
• Getting into the Business
• Finding Your Niche and Identifying Your Client
• Finding Clients and Getting Clients To Find You
• Approaching Publishers and Literary Agents
• Setting Fees and Getting Paid
• Contracts, Rights, Royalties, and Insurance
• Interviewing a Potential Client
• Working with Clients
• Creating Project Timelines, Schedules, and Milestones
• Helping a Client Understand The Publishing Industry & Options
• Preparing To Write the Book (Outlining, Researching, Interviewing)
• The Book Writing Process
• Capturing the Client’s “Voice”
• Revising and Editing
• Legal Issues

By Penny Sansevieri. Reprinted from “The Book Marketing Expert newsletter,” a free ezine offering book promotion and publicity tips and techniques. http://www.amarketingexpert.com

We all know that it’s great to hop on social networks like Facebook, Squidoo and Twitter, right? But have you ever considered that a blog is a social network, too? You bet it is, but I’m talking specifically about the comment section within each blog. We all know that it’s great to pitch bloggers for your book or product, right? But there’s more to it. Really, it’s about online networking or cyber-schmoozing. Before you even target a blog for your pitch, you should get to know them first. Here’s how:

First, you’ll want to get to know the blogs in your market. To do this you’ll want to follow them and communicate with them via the comment section on their blogs. You can find these blogs through blog search engines like Google Blog Search and Technorati.com. Once you find the blogs that are top in your market (I suggest going after the top 5-10 to start with) then you’ll want to see what they post on and comment on their blog posts. What does this do? Well, it’ll help give you a voice on your top blogs and give the bloggers a chance to get to know you. Here are some tips for commenting intelligently on blogs:

• Be interesting and thought-provoking. Save the “wow, great blog” comments for when you are really looking to *not* impress someone.
• Watch, then comment. I recommend following the blog for a few weeks before jumping in. You want to get a sense of the tone of the blogger and how he or she responds to comments.
• Try commenting on at least five blogs a week, this way you’re not spending *all* of your free time doing this and still you’re able to get a voice out there in the blog-o-sphere.
• Offer additional insight to the blog post, perhaps you’ve had a different experience than what the blogger cited. If so, politely and intelligently tell them your viewpoint and invite other ideas.
• Be entertaining, engaging, and helpful. Always. Don’t push your book, yes you can mention it – but don’t push it, that’s a big no-no.
• Try to build a rapport with the blogger by being consistent, that’s why you don’t want to follow too many bloggers. You’ll be too fragmented this way.
• Be inspiring, readers love inspiration. Don’t just gush for the sake of gushing.

Commenting on blog posts is a sort of social networking, even better in fact because blog posts and their associated comments are searchable. Keep in mind that you’ll want to always list your URL when you log in (and most blogs require that you do log in and leave your online “footprint”).

Once you have spent sufficient time online you’ll start to get to know the bloggers that are a significant “voice” in your industry. This type of networking will help when you go back to pitch them your story, book or product. Remember that bloggers, like any other on or offline media, want the scoop. So give them what they want. Here are a few tips for pitching bloggers once you’ve networked with them:

• Know what they like: don’t pitch them a book review if they don’t review books. Just because you have become commenter-extraordinaire doesn’t mean that they’ll bend the rules for you. Well, they might, but better to let them suggest it.
• If the blogger does review books and/or products check out their submission guidelines before sending them a pitch.
• If you’re sending them a story idea be sure and tell them if you’ve pitched this idea to anyone else. If they have an exclusive, tell them and give them a (reasonable) deadline for responding if you’re going to shop this around.
• Present the unexpected: it’s OK to take chances, it really is as long as you stay on topic. Pitch the blogger, you never know what could happen.
• Make it easy: if you’re pitching them a story don’t just pitch them and expect them to do all the work. Make it easy on them by offering to co-interview (when appropriate) or offering them experts you think might work well for the piece.

The key is that as you’re getting known online, the Internet is one big networking party. Just because you can hide behind your monitor doesn’t mean that you’re invisible. Remember that everything is your resume and everything leaves a footprint. The best thingyou can do is get out and cyber-schmooze, the worst thing you can do is be unprepared. Do your homework and remember, online networking (when done effectively) can benefit you enormously both in your online footprint as well as the connections you’ll make. Don’t worry about spending hours on this, it’s really about quality not quantity. Get out there and social network on blogs, you’ll be glad you did.

Much of the process of completing a manuscript is in the preparation, not the actual writing. When you have a solid foundation for your nonfiction project the writing component is more efficient and effective.

BENEFITS OF CREATING AN OUTLINE
According to a study conducted by McLuhan and Davies, a consulting firm specializing in communications training, “Efficient writers spend 40% of their time planning, 25% of their time writing, and 35% of their time revising. Less efficient writers spend more time on their projects – tinkering and wandering – and are less satisfied with the results. Less efficient writers distribute their time 20% planning, 60% writing, and 20% revising.”

Developing an outline will:

• Provide a detailed blueprint to follow during the writing stage
• Enable you to write efficiently in manageable portions
• Help ensure a logical flow of information

THE DETAILED CHAPTER-BY-CHAPTER OUTLINE

The detailed book outline begins with formulating and organizing your ideas to create a broad table of contents (see The Easiest Way To Organize Your Book and Organizing Your Nonfiction Book for a review of those steps).

Once you have your list of chapters (with titles for each), expand upon each chapter’s main point by adding topics and sub-topics (and even dividing sub-topics into additional sub-categories), and include sidebars, examples, how-to instructions, checklists, or case studies where appropriate.

Chapter 1: Main Topic

1. Main Topic 1
A. Sub-Topic 1
B. Sub-Topic 2
i. Sub-Category A
ii. Sub-Category B
C. Sub-Topic 3
2. Main Topic 2
A. Sub-Topic 1
i. Sub-Category A
ii. Sub-Category B
a. Example
b. Sidebar
iii. Sub-Category C
B. Sub-Topic 2
C. Sub-Topic 3
D. Sub-Topic 4
i. Sub-Category A
E. Sub-Topic 5
i. Sub-Category A

Creating a detailed chapter-by-chapter outline for your book allows you to easily write from topic to topic and complete a first draft. Want to view a sample detailed chapter outline? Attached is one I created for my book The Complete Guide To Hiring A Literary Agent.