Writer's Guide to Nonfiction (Writer's Compass (Perigee)) [Paperback]

Elizabeth Lyon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 4, 2003 | ISBN-10: 0399528679 | ISBN-13: 978-0399528675 | Edition: 1st Perigee ed

A WRITER’S COMPASS

Direction for your writing career

Don’t get lost on the publishing path. Just forge ahead with the Writer’s Compass. Drawing on decades of professional experience as an author, editor, writing instructor, mentor, and marketing consultant, Elizabeth Lyon helps you navigate the art and craft of writing—with clear, easy-to-follow directions:

 

NORTH

Getting Your Bearings

Understand your purpose and your audience; learn to refine your ideas, select effective titles, and find the best method of organization for any piece

 

SOUTH

Troubleshooting

Use checklists and guidelines to spot weaknesses and problems in leads, organization, conclusions, and style—and find out how to correct them

 

EAST

Learning to Market

Map a successful cover letter, query letter, or proposal, and discover a four-step process to facilitate publication and sales

 

WEST

Refining Your Vision

Brainstorm to gain perspective on your writing—and how it fits with your values, goals, and dreams

 

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

"You know something others don't know and need," insists Lyon (Nonfiction Book Proposals Anybody Can Write), and in her confident, optimistic writing primer, the first in the Writer's Compass series, she shows would-be authors how to find their area of expertise and turn it into an article, essay or even a book. Walking her readers through the writing process, from "What to I want to Say?" to "Writing About Ideas" and from "Troubleshooting and Problem Solving" to "Learning How to Market," Lyon crafts a detailed and practical course for the nonfiction novice. Those with a partially formed idea can turn to her section on different types of nonfiction pieces and the subjects to which they're suited, or her chapter on slants to determine the tone of a future piece. (A proponent of the look-before-you-leap school of creative endeavor, Lyon advocates a lot of planning before beginning a writing project.) Writers with a slightly clearer idea can ponder different leads, such as the one-line hook or the direct address, and methods of organization such as comparison and contrast. Almost all the chapters include multiple "maps," which might list "outstanding" memoirs and "choices for ending well," or guide readers through researching travel pieces and writing a query letter. Her troubleshooting section offers checklists for success, and, like all the other chapters, includes a sidebar on recommended reading. This detailed and practical guide may not guarantee writing hopefuls a book deal, but it distinguishes itself from other writing how-tos by its concrete and economical advice.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Elizabeth Lyon, a regular speaker at writing conferences and retreats nationwide, has been a contributor to Writer’s Digest and is a mentor, editor, and teacher for many writers. The author of Nonfiction Book Proposals Anybody Can Write and The Sell Your Novel Toolkit, she lives in Eugene, Oregon.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Perigee Trade; 1st Perigee ed edition (March 4, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399528679
• ISBN-13: 978-0399528675
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,160,534 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must for Nonfiction Writers, June 13, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Writer's Guide to Nonfiction (Writer's Compass (Perigee)) (Paperback)

Besides providing an overview of all aspects of nonfiction writing, A Writer's Guide to Nonfiction covers specific techniques for particular types of writing--such as memoir, self-help, travel--then breaks these categories into subcategories, and suggests the most likely organizing scheme for each. In another section, the book discusses the most important aspects of marketing, such as writing query letters, and provides examples. There are practical tips on every page of this straighforward guide. Every struggling writer needs a copy.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Place to Begin, May 26, 2006

By 

Gregory A. Kompes "Author of 50 Fabulous Gay-... (Las Vegas, NV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Writer's Guide to Nonfiction (Writer's Compass (Perigee)) (Paperback)

A Writer's Guide to Nonfiction: A clear, practical reference for all writers of...by Elizabeth Lyon is the most comprehensive guide to nonfiction writing I've ever consumed. Inside these covers you discover definitions for every type of nonfiction writing and practical advice on how to write every type of nonfiction.

A Writer's Guide to Nonfiction follows a North, South, East, and West directional guide. We start at North with "Getting Your Bearings." This section discusses organization of ideas and understanding your audience. South offers advice on how to correct problems in leads, organization, conclusions and style. To the East is marketing and walks the reader/writer through cover and query letters and proposals. Finally, in the West Ms. Lyon's shares her ideas on brainstorming and gaining perspective in your writing.

While all of these ideas have been discussed and dissected by countless authors, Ms. Lyon, in her straight forward, approachable writing style, makes sense of the world of nonfiction writing in the easiest and most understandable methods possible. Her clean, concise prose are themselves a model for nonfiction writers.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A excellent book for non-fiction writers, August 21, 2003

By 

Sarah (Calgary, Alberta) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Writer's Guide to Nonfiction (Writer's Compass (Perigee)) (Paperback)

This is a great book for non-fiction writers, either novice or advanced. Lyons covers topics throughly, and with a confident voice. Too many writing books make big money promises with nothing but fluff to back it up - this book is what non-fiction writers really need to inspire and help them with their craft.