Customer Reviews

Writing Nonfiction: Turning Thoughts Into Books

5 star:		(54)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I am a fan of Dan Poyter's, and I have learned a lot from this author's monumental work, "The Self-Publishing Manual". I thought this title, "Writing Nonfiction : Turning Thoughts into Books", is another one of such great works.
I was so disappointed while reading this book when I realized that it was nothing but a rehash of the original book. I just could not understand how a professional author could have the audacity to publish the same book under two different titles and sell both to the same audience. I don't know if you get, I just don't.
To make matters worse, this title is not as detailed as the original work. So, if you are interested in learning from this man, I suggest that you get a copy of "The Self-Publishing Manual", rather than this one.
I gave this book 1 star, not because it does not contain useful information, but because it contains nothing new from the author's previous publication. It is really unfortunate. I felt cheated.

Sitting down in front of a blank computer screen to write a book is intimidating. Where do you start? What should you say? How should you format your manuscript?

Dan Poynter takes much of the pain out of writing, even if you are not experienced. His organization systems help you to pull together all the bits and pieces you will need to write your book. Not sure where to start? Dan suggests starting not with the first chapter, but with the one that will be shortest or easiest to write. (Good advice--it always works for me!)

You may find it odd that he addresses creating a mock-up of your cover before you start writing. That not only makes good sense from an organizational perspective (after all, the book cover promises what you will deliver in the book), it also helps you to think of what you are writing as a "real" book.

Once you complete the book you need to get it published. Dan helps you decide whether to self-publish or seek and agent and traditional publisher. Of course, Dan is "Mr. Self-Publishing," so if you decide to self-publish, be sure to get a copy of "The Self-Publishing Manual," his excellent resource for publishing and marketing your book.

This is a user-friendly and approachable guide to writing a nonfiction book that can be followed by anyone who wants to be published.

Cathy Stucker
Special Interests Publishing

Dan Poynter's self-publishing manual has for years been the state of the art guide to getting one's book into self-publication from dealing with printers to getting marketing done. The world of self-publishing has undergone a sweeping change due to the internet and changes in printing technology. This book helps explore the changes, and how to use the changes to help get new self-published works to market. The book discusses how to use new technology such as print on demand. The book has a chapter on the e book. The book's style is light and easy to read, with quotes to leaven up the mix, but the book is not a mere "wouldn't it be a good idea to write your own book". Instead, the book has tons of tips, supported by URLs and e mail addresses of real-live people who have been doing what the author advocates.

This book does not set out to be an encyclopedia of self-publishing, but instead is a good overview, which provides the reader with other resources, including the author's own materials available for purchase on individual topics, at the publisher's own website. Although we are going to see a lot more of this promotion of "for a fee" resources in modern books, I am not sure that this form of cross-marketing product is going to be the best sales device. To this reader, it is a dissonant note in the otherwise extremely helpful tone of the work. Indeed, more books would be sold if the majority of the information were free downloads rather than "for a fee" stuff. I don't want to overstress the point--you can read this work cover to cover and get enough tips, URLs and ideas to solidly launch into a self-publishing venture of your own. But the admittedly modest extent to which this book markets the author's "e info for a fee" service did not work for me. Still, this is a quibble. Money spent on this book is money well spent. The work is very readable, using play with fonts and inset to keep the reader hooked, without quite moving into that diagram and comic essay mode of, say, a Ten Speed Press book. I found myself so interested in this book that I read it cover to cover within two days--which is certainly different from the "resource to be read over time" way in which I view most books in this genre.

This book is about non-fiction, but it could apply to fiction writers as well. Its advice is real-world, and geared to how for an investment of anywhere from several hundred dollars (the e book chapter) to a few tens of thousands (for a splashy full-print run work), one can literally compete in good order with the major publishing houses.

The new printing technology, the internet and Amazon.com have killed the dragon of publishing houses, rejection letters from NYC agents, and books that cannot be distributed. Learn from this work how to put your book on the shelves.

Because I've published and sold books for 20 years I get calls from others who want to do the same. I give one line of advice: READ DAN. If you planned to do house maintenance, I'd recommend pliers. Dan's book contains tools like that, the most basic thru advanced to direct writers on the path to profit. Each page is a gem of a tool, vital if you want to avoid sticking a hairpin into an electrical socket. I wish I had read this book 20 years ago. Even today, I learn from Poynter because he takes the time to stay on top of the trade. His method of organizing thought and getting it into book form will amaze you. He shows you promotion, solves critical questions and guides you through the new technology you have to follow if you want to be known as an author. Plus all that, he "shows you the money." Before you fix anything in your home, get pliers and screwdriver. Before you even THINK book, read Dan!

I'm a big fan of Dan Poynter's book The Self-Publishing Manual, so I expected that this book would be of comparable quality. Unfortunately, that just isn't the case. There is some information relating to the "new book model" publication process that should be helpful, but what little information exists is difficult to extract from this book which has been very poorly designed and laid out. The pages are constantly broken by quotes that loosely relate to the text, and this makes it difficult for the actual content to read smoothly. The text itself seems disjointed as if Poynter has just copied and pasted passages of previous articles together, and little attention has been paid to making this a coherent and informative book. The graphics used in the book are of poor quality- an obvious example of someone who doesn't know how to prepare graphics for print and an indication that this book was just slapped together. I hope this isn't what Dan Poynter means by "The New Book Model", as this was an incredibly disappointing book both aesthetically and as a text.

While I think electronic publishing is a medium that's here to stay and incredibly valuable, I do disagreee with Dan Poynter's assertion in this book that "the only ink-on-paper ('dead tree') books in the future will be coffee table books- books as an art form. These books will be used to decorate homes and offices. Other information will be disseminated electronically without sacrificing trees." Certainly this will never happen as long as "new book model" publishers publish books of this quality. Consumers will demand books of greater informational value that present the information in an easy-to-absorb and attractive manner, which, I'm disappointed to discover, Dan Poynter is willing to sacrifice. In any case, the fact is there are actually more trees growing in the United States now as a result of our vast use of paper and lumber than there were 200 years ago. The "save the trees" argument for e-publishing is just wrong. There are a lot of good reasons to e-publish, but trees aren't among them. It's worth noting that far fewer trees would have died in the printing of this book had the author left out the exessive quotes and textboxes that pad this book's page-count.

All in all, I'm disappointed with Writing Nonfiction. The information in this book that is of any value really belongs in Poynter's infinitely better and more comprehensive book, The Self-Publishing Manual. One chapter would cover it. I also recommend Avery Cardoza's The Complete Guide To Successful Publishing.

I've just finished reading/heavily highlighting this book. If you are planning to write/publish/market a book on your own, please read this book....with a highlighter in hand. You'll be glad you did.

Here are some of the things I love about this book, and why I have ordered every other of Dan's books that fall within the same category:

1. Some authors write in a way that unnecessarily lengthens a book--wordy phraseology, repetition of the same info within the same book, etc. Dan's not one of them. His writing style is very tight; he writes succinctly and each page is filled with important and relevant information and instruction.

2. He outlines exactly how to write your book, which is different and better than the way I've done it before. He explains the why and how step by step and it makes total sense.

3. He's a man who loves books, and although they CAN be a means to an end, he sees them as having great value, in themselves. I like that. In a world in which marketing websites, selling programs, and generating speaking careers is often the endgame for authors, Dan's motivation is to create a great book. I like taking advice from a guy who honors the process and the end-result.

There are more things I love about this book, but you get the drift.

I started reading Dan's books after visiting his website, and after about 3 minutes of reading the material on his website, I got a lightning flash idea that will save me about a month on the production of a book scheduled to be released late Fall. When a 3 minute investment saves me a month of hardwork, and probably results in a better book, I'm hooked.

I highly recommend this book and Dan as an important resource. You won't be disappointed.

This is an extremely useful book for writers. Many people have difficulty putting on paper what they know and think. Dan Poynter gives them a very good guide to follow. With this book's help writers can translate their thoughts and knowledge into words with organization and clarity. I recommend this book to all nonfiction authors with whom I come into contact.

It took me a few years to write and produce my book and during the last year we've seen a lot of changes in the industry. In Dan's 2nd chapter he introduces the "New Book Model" which I believe is the most up-to-date, cutting-edge thinking on the subject of self-publishing. A new writer could spend a small fortune buying all the books of "How to Get Published" but here's a book that I think belongs in every writer's library. Of all of Dan's books, this is the one I recommend most to other writers. It also serves as a good model in itself. There's only about 3 or 4 people who really are experts in the self-publishing area and Dan is one of them.

Writing Nonfiction: Turning Thoughts into Books offers exciting new inexpensive ways to create a book.

Author Dan Poynter has published over 120 books and helped thousands of writers to produce, publish and promote their work. He gives step by step instructions for choosing a subject, doing the research, organizing the material, getting started writing, rapidly completing a first draft, finishing the book and deciding whether to seek a publisher or self publish. He even describes exactly what you must do using either method.

In an age where book writing and publishing is rapidly and radically changing, Dan Poynter is a recognized expert willing to share his experience, knowledge and techniques.

Dan ends his book saying, "I don't want you to end here thinking this was a fun read. I want you to resolve to get started on your own book right now."

I would recommend Writing Nonfiction: Turning Thoughts into Books to anyone who ever dreamed of writing a book as well as to successful authors who will be delighted to find an easier faster way to publish and promote their work.

The appendix alone is full of valuable information well worth the price of the book.

I found this book easy to read, and it was clear that Mr. Poynter follows his own advice on how to design front and back covers, construct chapters, etc. However, after reading this and another of this authors books, it started to feel like an advertisement for the self publishing industry. Since Mr. Poynter is in that business, and much information is made available from his business to further help authors, I began to feel like I was on the receiving side of a sales pitch towards the end of the book. I did pick up a few ideas, which were of great value. However, I think this book has one, but not the only, and for some authors, not necessarily the best, perspective.