Five Very Good Reasons to Write a Non-Fiction Book

When you think of writing a book, I bet your thoughts automatically turn to writing novels. But, you’d be missing out if you didn’t give non-fiction books a fair chance too. Why is that? Well, there are five very good reasons:

1. It is Easier to Get a Non-Fiction Book Published

On average, for every novel published there are four to five times as many non-fiction books published, so, your chances of getting a non-fiction book accepted for publication are much higher. It seems people prefer to buy non-fiction books that they can refer to time and again rather than works of fiction that may only be read once. Think about how many cookery books you have on your shelf or that gardening book that you refer back to each year.

 
2. You Already Have the Information You Need

It’s easiest to write about what you know. This way you already have most of the knowledge you need to put your non-fiction book together. Plus, you’ll most likely know where to find further information, or know someone who does, as you are already involved in the subject area.

 
3. There’s No Wasted Time.

When writing a novel it is essential to have the finished product ready before contacting publishers. The opposite applies to writing non-fiction books. You should really approach the publisher with your non-fiction idea in the form of a proposal before you’ve even written a word. If the publisher likes it they may suggest you take the book in a direction you never considered. So, if you’d already written the book, time consuming rewrites would be needed.

 
4. They Take Less Time to Write

Novels can be anything from 80-250,000 words, which can take a huge amount of time to write, re-write and edit, before they are ready for publication. In contrast, non-fiction books can start at as little as 5,000 words so they are shorter and, generally, less time consuming to write. 

 
5. They Open Doors

Non-fiction books are great door openers. They can generate all kinds of opportunities for you as a writer.

You could secure:

• further work – magazines may approach you to write articles on the subject and, once you’ve got one book under your belt, your chances of having further work accepted are significantly higher. 

• Public Lending Right – if your books make it onto library shelves you earn a small payment each time your book is borrowed.

• the chance to promote yourself and your book – you may be asked to do radio interviews and other publicity appearances as an expert on the subject you’ve written about. These are great opportunities to promote your book and network.

• tutoring positions – once you’ve had a few books published you could earn from your experience by becoming a writing tutor.

It’s clear to see that there are significant advantages to writing a non-fiction book. So, what’s yours going to be about?

About the Author:

Shelley Bowers has worked for the Writers Bureau (www.writersbureau.com) for over 5 years and is Editor of E-Zee Writer – the free monthly newsletter packed with hints, tips and advice on getting your work published.  The Writers Bureau offers courses for aspiring writers, helping them gain the practical knowledge they need to break into the world of freelance writing.