Glen and Karen Bledsoe --> articles --> What should I write? --> Books: nonfiction
Articles Index: Site Index: No longer second-class citizens
of the children's book shelves, nonfiction books are
among the hottest-selling books for children. It's also
one of the less competitive niches in the market -- at
least for those who write well, know their topic, are
sticklers for accuracy, and who work well under
deadlines. Not only can writers market their own original
nonfiction book ideas, they can also get assignments from
publishers, especially those specializing in books for
schools and libraries. What is
nonfiction? The umbrella term " nonfiction"
embraces an enormous range of genres: biography, science
books, art, various how-to and craft books, history,
behind-the-scenes, holiday books, museum books and kits,
sports, and much more. Sometimes the line between fiction
and nonfiction becomes blurred, as in the dramatized
biographies, or the fantasy-like Magic School Bus
science books, which shows that there is plenty of room
for creativity in the nonfiction scene. The nature of
nonfiction Browse through the children's
section in a large bookstore and you'll see that there is
a large market for lively, well-written, lavishly
illustrated nonfiction. Children are drawn to clear,
bright photos and illustrations. The use of contrast and
whitespace in the Eyewitness books is widely
appealing. But despite the apparent emphasis
on pictures, text is still extremely important. Above
all, children's nonfiction must be readable by the
target audience. Not only must the text be written at the
appropriate reading level, it must also be constructed so
that the facts are readily accessible and easily
understood. Readers should never have to guess at your
meaning and shouldn't have to hunt too hard for the
information that they need. Glossaries, sidebars, and
other similar features help increase the accessibility of
the text. The text must also be extremely
accurate. No publisher wants to get letters and phone
calls explaining why your use of the Bernoulli model to
explain lift in an airplane is entirely wrong (if the
Bernoulli effect were all that held an airplane up, it
would be impossible for stunt planes to fly upside-down
-- see How
Airplanes Fly: A Physical Description of
Lift). nonfiction
markets Trade: nonfiction may be
sold through the trade book market. These are books that
are sold "to the trade" -- that is, to traditional and
online bookstores, and to wholesalers who supply books to
your favorite stores. Most trade publishers accept
queries and nonfiction book proposals, though it is best
to consult the Writer's Market for specific guidelines.
Trade books must be lively and fun, and often are
interactive books. Mass-market:
Traditionally, mass-market books are those supplied to
grocery stores, variety stores, and similar outlets.
Sometimes these books are less expensive, and many are
in-house productions or are assembled by a book packager.
Writers aiming for the mass-market may approach book
packagers with a proposal, or may seek assignments from
packagers. Much of this work is work-for-hire, where the
author signs away all rights to the work once it is
completed. School and Library: These
books written specifically for libraries and schools, and
are often encased in sturdy library binding. Many
publishers specialize in this market. The books may range
from simple concept books for emergent readers, to
in-depth treatment of complex issues for high-school
students, to hi-low books written to please older
students who read at a low level. Many books are written
to be resource books for students who are writing
reports. Librarians need new books every year as old ones
wear out or the information in them grows obsolete, and
naturally they want new books, not merely new copies of
an older book. School and library publishers, therefore,
have to supply a steady stream of new titles, which means
they are often in need of writers with expertise in
in-demand topics. They also publish an even wider range
of topics than the trade market, since they are working
to satisfy the needs of teachers and librarians. Most of
the assignments are work-for-hire arrangements, but a
good writer can often get a steady stream of assigned
books a create a respectable resume in a short time. A
writer with some writing credits or at least some good
solid writing samples and a writer's resume can approach
publishers who accept resumes and ask to be in the files
for future assignments. Research The nonfiction writer must be an
expert in research. Just looking up a few facts on the
web won't do. Facts must be checked and double-checked,
so multiple reliable sources are a must. Newspapers and
magazines are a start, but rather than rely on an article
as a source of information, find out what resources the
author used. Books are often well-researched, but use
books written for adults -- though if you are unfamiliar
with a topic, children's books can be a good place to
start learning! Again, find out what sources the authors
used, and keep searching to find the origins of each
piece of information. Wherever possible, the writer
should go directly to the source for information. If
writing about Charles Darwin, for example, the writer
should read his works rather than read commentaries about
them. If writing about drag racing, look up professional
racers on the web and contact as many as you can who will
answer. If writing about the latest genetic research,
find a geneticist at a research institution or university
who can work with you. Experts can help answer your
questions, and may even fact-check your
manuscript. One of the greatest research
tools a nonfiction writer can access is a university
library or research library. Most state universities, and
many private universities and research libraries will
allow people from the outside community to use their
resources, which include book stacks, research journals,
online article databases, microfilm and microfiche files,
maps, government documents, dissertations, special
collections, interlibrary loan services, and more.
Librarians may have research specialties, so ask at the
front desk to find which librarian can help you the most.
Being a good researcher means
getting organized. Whether you keep paper files or
electronic copies of your work, keep everything for each
project in its own folder. When your assignment or
project is finished, you can file the information
according to topic to use later for other
projects. Organizing the
material The best way to make your topic
accessible to the reader is to organize it well. Your
research will yield mountains of information, but you
don't want to pack every last fact into your book. Once
you understand the topic well, pick out the most
important points, the "take home message" that you want
your reader to remember. Then organize your book around
those points. Find ways to make connections between your
important points. Clear connections help readers remember
the facts better. Organization is a bugbear for
some writers. Finding the key ponts out of all your
information is tricky, especially if you are new to the
topic. One technique is to write the facts that you want
to use on separate index cards (with some kind of code or
other way of finding the source material for the fact),
then sort the cards into related piles. As you separate
and organize your cards, a rough outline will
emerge. Sometimes a metaphor serves as a
good organizing device. Relating an ecological habitat to
a neighborhood, or the earth to a spaceship can help the
reader organize new information along a familiar
framework. As you organize, you may find
some facts that relate to your main points but may start
taking you in a different direction. You can either weed
these facts out, or save them for interesting
sidebars. Creative Aspect Always remember that a nonfiction
book isn't an encyclopedia article -- but then,
encyclopedias don't have to be drab, either. Your writing
style should always be lively, even when writing for
school and library publishers who have specific writing
style guidelines. If you're not sure where to begin, look
at other children's books on the same topic and study how
the author approached the material. Search for ways to
hook the reader. In a biography, for example, you
don't want to just recount the dry facts of someone's
life. Find interesting anecdotes that illustrate what
kind of person your subject was or is, including
anecdotes of the person's childhood years. Find out what
makes the person tick. Bring your subject and the
subject's world to life. History, like biography, should
be full of anecdotes. When you say history to most
people, they roll their eyes and say, "Boring!" That's
because too many of us learned history as a list of
dates, wars, kings, generals, and presidents. History
comes to life when you look at the people, ordinary
people, going about their ordinary business during
extraordinary times. Paint a clear, bright, and accurate
picture of what life was like during the time period
you're writing about. Read fictionalized accounts of
historical events to see how lively history can
be. The how-to book Craft books, hobby books, books
of magic tricks and science experiments, and other how-to
books require special handling. These books usually
include recipe-like instructions for making specific
projects, though the instructions may allow lots of
creative leeway. In either case, the instructions must be
extremely clear with enough detail so that any beginner
can follow the instructions and successfully complete the
project. It is an absolute must that the writer should
make the project exactly as the directions state. This
may seem obvious, yet it's not at all uncommon to find
huge craft books and science experiment books full of
activities that are most likely gleaned from other books
and clearly haven't been tested. Some examples we've seen
include: Crafts and other how-too books
need clear illustrations. In your query or proposal,
offer to send lots of artist's reference photos and
sketches so that the photographer or illustrator who is
assigned to your book produces illustrations that clearly
show the process. There's nothing more exasperating than
to get copies of your book from the publisher and see
that the artist depicted a step incorrectly. You can just
feel your readers' frustration as they try to do the
craft and have it come out wrong every time. For the sake
of your reader, make sure that the artists have clear
instructions, diagrams, and samples to work
from. Recommended books How
to Write a Children's Book and Get it
Published
Harold Underdown
F&W Publications, 2004
Written by a highly experienced children's book
editor.
Barbara Seuling
Wiley, 2004
An up-to-date reissue of a classic book often used by
writing instructors.
Glen and Karen Bledsoe --> articles --> What should I write? --> Books: nonfiction