Customer Reviews

How To Write Winning Non-Fiction: The Complete Writing and Publishing Handbook for Non-Fiction Authors

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Most of us fancy having a go at writing a book at some point in our lives, and most of us fail. With Suzan St. Maur's "How to write winning non-fiction" there are no excuses any more. Suzan takes us through every aspect of writing in a way that enables us to overcome all the hurdles and avoid the pitfalls. She motivates us as we go and even breaks down the most daunting aspects (such as getting the book published) into managable and achievable steps. Moreover, the book is a damn good read. Suzan engages the reader's attention from page one and using a range of entertaining and humourous anecdotes she illustrates every point in a way that makes it both memorable and amusing. Strongly recommended.

There are several good books available on writing and publishing non-fiction.

The main strength of this book, in my opinion, is that it is up to date with a modern perspective. The author is very savvy about how technology is changing the publishing business and she has some good advice to offer on how to take that in to account. Most other books on this subject don't even mention the changes in technology or the resultant changes in the publishing industry. I thought the author's ideas about the future of book writing were fascinating.

The book is written in a very pleasant "voice" that is enjoyable to read. It is an easy read and the author is a good writer with lots of experience to share.

The author is a bit biased toward her friends who run a certain publishing service, and that gets mentioned several times. I felt she had a bit of a slant towards using that particular service and was not as objective about other ways of publishing.

There were some minor typos as well, which kept me from giving the book 5 stars.

But, all in all, this is a good book and worth reading if you plan to get published in this "brave new world".

This is an excellent aid for the inexperienced would be author. It holds your hand through every stage of production from writing to publishing. Clearly and concisely written without condescension and with a great deal of humour. Suzan uses her wealth of experience to produce a primer for authors that will be of value to all, be they rookies or working their umpteenth book. Though the book it written with non-fiction in mind, it will be equally of use to would be novelists and poets.

While this book does have some good info, I feel like it's WAY overpriced for the U.S. At $25, the bulk of the book is only 127 pages and the final large chunk is filled with appendices. Considering how the text size is quite large, the book itself is tiny (the photo is misleading), and the bulk of what you're getting for your money is pretty limited. I can't help but feeling ripped off and a little pissed. $25 for a hardcover version might be excusable if it was bulked up a bit, but this is just absurd. I'm extremely dissappointed.

Whilst you are supping a pint or fancier beverage has the thought vaguely crossed your mind that it would be cool to have written a book? Something to show your mum? Something to help people? Make some money? Promote yourself? But then your mind wanders and you think:

"Well, it would be cool. But that is a lot of words! What would I write? How would I go about it? And who the hell would publish it?"

If you have ever vaguely entertained those thoughts then this book was designed for you. The focus is not on bamboozling you with the creative arts and how you must let your 'inner genius' shine through (like some writing manuals) and in truth, is all the better for it. Instead it is a practical guide written with a light touch, good humour and not a little common sense about how to write non-fiction from a writer who has 20 non-fiction titles to her credit.

Once you connect the dots about writing non-fiction (I have so far written and published one non-fiction book (more to come), so I have had a glimpse at the hallowed land of publishing). You really start to 'get' on an an instinctive level that if you have something genuinely valuable to share and a passion to share it that this is perfectly do-able. In reality the hardest part is getting started, and that is where books like this can help.

It takes a step by step approach from coming up with an idea for your book, figuring out the title (Sidenote - The title is generally less then 10 words, so even if you are taking 'baby steps' with writing then you can get that wrapped up and feel like you have accomplished something meaningful!) Through the planning stages, and then onto the bit you have been avoiding all these years, namely setting fingers to keyboard (or paper if you are feeling 'retro') and actually writing the thing.

Now that's as far as many books in this area go. But I liked that Suzan delved extensively into discussing the different publishing options. With the main thrust of this part of the book being aimed at factors to consider with attracting a traditional publisher (as opposed to say print on demand or vanity publishing though they are talked about). There is also a really interesting appendix where Suzan shows examples of various proposals, feedback forms and a contract that she had used with her own books. So you can copy the format over to any book proposals you need to submit to publishers you approach.

Like any "How To Write" book this is not going to explode in a shower of fairy dust and write your book for you. So you will need to prepare yourself to do more then just read. But if you are in a mind to seize your destiny and start writing your book, then this could be a good catalyst to drag it kicking and screaming out of you.

After all, if not today, then when? If you want to write a non-fiction book and haven't a clue where to begin, then Suzan's book is a great place to start your journey.

For those who are new to writing non-fiction this book provides a wonderful foundation. I did not read the book straight through. Instead, as I worked through developing, writing and publishing I read that section. I would certainly recommend it to anyone who is trying to figure out the changing landscape of non-fiction.