Successful Nonfiction: Tips and Inspiration for Getting Published [Paperback]

Dan Poynter (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1999

Every page of this insightful and fun book has a writing tip, an explanation, an illustrative story, and an inspirational quotation. A great gift book for aspiring writers, it offers hints on developing topics, conducting research, building the book, finding an agent, and getting published.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Successful Nonfiction is a collection of pointers and affirmations for those nonfiction writers who view their books as "products" and their readers as "customers." Self-publishing guru Dan Poynter weaves together real-life publishing anecdotes, quotations from writers, and information from his own research and vast experience to comment on everything from combating procrastination to knowing when to call in a ghostwriter. He can tell you where to place your photograph (not on the cover, please), how much to invest in illustration, and when it makes sense to collaborate ("do not collaborate," he warns, "with someone you would not go camping with"). He explains why autograph parties are bad and bad reviews are good. Poynter's pagelong tidbits are short but pithy. If you want to write nonfiction but are unfamiliar with the publishing business, this is a good place to start. You'll learn to recognize when it's time to turn to a book doctor, why proofreading is not to be skimped on, and that, sometimes, self-publishing is the preferred path ("since it takes most publishers 18 months to turn a manuscript into a book, chances are high you will be first if you publish yourself"). And, just in case you were debating whether to write a novel or a how-to, remember: "Fiction writers tend to be creative, interesting people who are fun at parties. But nonfiction writers drive better cars." --Jane Steinberg

Review

Barnaby Conrad, Founder and Director, Santa Barbara Writers Conference "This book is so reduced, so concise, so easy to grasp--so if you're really serious about writing grab it." Ray Newton, National Coordinator, Reader's Digest Writing Workshops "The advice contained in this book comes from those who have succeeded in their writing careers. The sensible counsel in this well-written anthology has immediate and long-term benefits for the serious writer." Nat Bodian, The Book Marketing Handbook "(This book is) loaded with practical and inspirational tips for writing success." Jack Canfield, Co-author and editor of the best-selling Chicken Soup for the Soul- series "The information in this book is worth thousands of dollars. Don't even think about writing or publishing a nonfiction book without it!" Gordon Burgett, Publishing to Niche Markets "Dan Poynter is a wealth of publishing information. That makes what he's selected to share all that more valuable." Mary Embree, Literary Consultant and Founder of the Small Publishers, Artists and Writer's Network "Dan Poynter's Successful Nonfiction is a must read. He gives many valuable tips that can move you light years ahead in your work. I plan to keep his book on my desk alongside my Chicago Manual of Style and Roget's Thesaurus." Robert W. Bly, Getting Your Book Published "The main reason people don't finish their books is lack of motivation. If this book doesn't inspire you to finish your manuscript and get it into print, nothing will." John Tullius, Founder and Director, Maui Writers Conference "There are not many perfect books but this is one of them. It provides two of the three 'in words a writer needs to succeed--information and inspiration. The third is inner drive, but the writer must provide that himself. And Dan delivers it all with the greatest weapon a writer has at his disposal--fun. Dan k --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Para Publishing; 1st edition (December 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1568600615
• ISBN-13: 978-1568600611
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,952,424 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dan Poynter is an author of more than 100 books, has been a publisher since 1969 and is a Certified Speaking Professional (CSP).

He is an evangelist for books, an ombudsman for authors, an advocate for publishers and the godfather to thousands of successfully-published books.

His seminars have been featured on CNN, his books have been pictured in The Wall Street Journal and his story has been told in US News & World Report.
The media come to Dan because he is the leading authority on book publishing.

Dan travels more than 4,000 miles each week to share, inspire and empower writers, publishers and professional speakers through keynotes and seminars.

Dan was prompted to write The Self-Publishing Manual because so many publishers wanted to know his secret to selling so many books. Dan is one of the publishing industry's most energetic, experienced and respected leaders. He lives in Santa Barbara.

See http://ParaPub.com

As an author and a publisher, Dan Poynter sometimes reviews books that will be useful to others. He does not review books he can't recommend with a full five stars. He reviews books about his loves: book writing, book publishing, book promotion, parachute equipment, skydiving and (occasionally) business.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Must" reading for all aspiring non-fiction writers., March 4, 2000

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Successful Nonfiction: Tips and Inspiration for Getting Published (Paperback)

In Successful Nonfiction: Tips & Inspiration For Getting Published, author and publisher Dan Poynter shares his many years of personal experience and professional expertise to explain how to successfully write a work of nonfiction regardless of subject matter, topic, category, or content. Poynter shares 38 tips on how to write; 11 tips on why you should write; 4 tips on why your writing project should be a book; 21 tips on what to write; 7 tips on doing research; 9 tips for building your book; 3 tips on copyright; 10 tips for finding the right agent or publisher; 6 tips on book promotion, and a great many more "tips, tricks & techniques" of inestimable value for the aspiring writer seeking to break into print. Successful Nonfiction is impressive, "user friendly", and very highly recommended core reference title for any personal, professional, academic or public library writer reference collection.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Write a successful book, May 9, 2000

By 

Karl Witsman - See all my reviews

This review is from: Successful Nonfiction: Tips and Inspiration for Getting Published (Paperback)

Reviewed by Karl R. Witsman

This book is for writers and is about the business of getting something written. The format is sound bites, just like those short snippets of information we hear these days on television. That might seem like a bit of an "easy out" for a writer, but it is actually more difficult to write so concisely and still make the statement meaningful. As the book says of editing, "Sometimes less is more;" it never shown in practice better that it is in this book.

The book does not tell you how to conjugate verbs or avoid dangling participles (what the heck are those anyway?). The author assumes that you can do that, or will hire an editor to do it for you later. What the author does is to give practical advice, distilled down to only the most important tips, about how to get your book written.

These are useful ideas; ideas to get you going. The easy-to-digest tips give you the idea before the next interruption gets you. That is one of the best things about reading this book, you can read it during your busy day without having to start each chapter over every time you pick it up.

One bit of information which I learned was that beginning writers spend 7 hours a week writing. Subscribers to Writers Digest write about 12 hours on average during that period. Advanced writers spend 30 hours of the week doing their craft.

The book tells how to avoid common mistakes, such as talking too much about a project early and losing your steam and passion for the project. It also points out who is most likely to be of help on your book and who to keep in the dark. There are probably people very close to you who would talk you out of successful projects for their own neurotic or financial gain. Don't even give them the chance! Mr. Poynter will help you steer these shoals safely.

Mr. Poynter also can help the writer who hasn't nailed down the exact topic of his or her book. There is a section on preserving the author's rights, including electronic rights which some might forget. Writers conferences are discussed, along with when to attend one and what to bring back from it. One tip is NOT to have an autograph party. What should you do instead? Read the book to find out, I don't want to give away all the secrets.

Another useful feature is the e-mail address or web page addresses of various authors who are used as examples in the text.

Physically, the book is very pretty, with a nice matte cover, gold letters, and French flaps. I didn't even know why someone would want French flaps until I wanted to mark my place. They came in handy when there wasn't a bookmark handy and I didn't want to dog-ear a page.

ParaPublishing has set up a website to go along with the text which gives resources for writers and publishers. This includes information on writing, book design, layout, wholesalers, bookstores, and seminars. There are also tips on which mailing lists to use for book promotion, suppliers which the company recommends, research links, and the Publishing Poynters newsletter.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dan Poynter's Greatest Hits!, December 7, 2001

By 

Steve Nakamoto "The Friendly Voice of the... (Huntington Beach, California USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Successful Nonfiction: Tips and Inspiration for Getting Published (Paperback)

Dan Poynter has written several books on self-publishing and this one is like a "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff for Writers." If you don't like reading a lot of text and just want simple, clean advice than this is your book. When I buy a book I'm looking for handy practical advice and some things that I like in this are: Make your book worth the money page 23, Keep your book to yourself at first page 33, Leave a legacy page 58, Write what interests you page 75, Attend writers conferences page 100 and much more.

While I own and recommend Mr. Poytner's other fine books, I think that this one is the one that writers will read over and over again. I like the format and the content. Simple. Simple. Simple

If you're a serious nonfiction writer you don't want to miss out on this one. It's Dan Poytner's Greatest Hits CD.