“The Secret of Perfect Non-fiction Book Content! --An Expert's How to Write a Book Step-by-Step Guide”
Here's how to create the very best content ever for your non-fiction book, and have readers delighted with what you're offering!
by Steve Manning
You want the non-fiction book you write to be full of information that will help the reader, but you also want to pack it with information the reader wants. Is there a simple way to make sure you put into your book the precise information the reader is looking for and make your book leaps and bounds ahead of the competition just in pure content? Here's how you do it…
The reader will tell you precisely what he or she is looking for and simply can't find, right now. When you realize how painfully obvious the solutions can be found, you'll wonder why every non-fiction author isn't using the same strategies to make it happen for them.
First, if you've got a website and a way of keeping in touch with your readers, ask them what questions are bugging them. It could be a survey, or a general appeal for questions you want to answer in your regular ezine to them. After a couple of weeks, you'll start to notice a trend, or the same question being asked by several people. That'\s a subject you've got to address in your non-fiction book.
There are all kinds of discussion boards on your subject. Get involved with them and take a look at what concerns those people. What questions do they have and what kind of information are they looking for. Social networks are great for this sort of thing.
Next stop, Amazon.com. Right now there are a while bunch of books out there on your subject. I'd be really surprised if there's a shortage. You're not looking so much for what those books have in them, you're looking for the reviews. Most, if not all, of the reviews will be positive, but each one, probably because the writer wants to appear fair, will also have a short coming for the book. It didn't have enough of this information, or that kind of detail, and didn't even mention this latest concern that everyone has.
Again, that's all vital information you can use to make your content superior.
Time for a little unabashed, self promotion: If you haven’t asked for my Free CD, “How to Write a Book On Anything in 14 Days Guaranteed!” then you’re just plain nuts! It’s free, no charge, but you can bet this $100 CD will be carrying that price tag very shortly. How do you get it? Just email me at Free CD, Please, or CD_please@writeabooknow.com and make sure you include your name, your mailing address and your telephone number in the email. Now, back to the article…
Next, we're on to the magazine racks for consumer magazines and the library for trade magazines. Most periodicals spend as much money and resources as possible finding out what their readership wants to know about. Those article subjects aren't just random thoughts that flit across the editor's mind. If you take a look at the last three or four issues, you'll have a very good idea of what the readers of that subject want to know about. Make sure you include it in your non-fiction book.
And those sources of information in the articles are people you should get to know as well. Naturally, you tell them that you'll be including their name and contact information in your book, if they could just spare two or three minutes to tell you what's hot and what people want to know about. The magazine editor has already done the ground work of identifying these folks as information authorities.
You should even consider calling the editor of the publication and asking him point blank what is of greatest concern to their readership. Once he knows who you are and realize that you're not the competition, he'll be delighted to have a brief but informative discussion with you.
Is there an association that focuses on your non-fiction subject? Contact them and talk to the person in charge of media relations. Associations are in the business of collecting and disseminating information about their sector. Make it easy for them.
Now on to the newspapers, newsmagazines and current affairs programming. As you read, view, or listen to each story, ask yourself, how could this information affect the subject I'm writing about. Let me make it easy for you. Everything is affected by everything else. An infestation of pine beetles means forests are being destroyed which means less pulp wood, which means higher prices for newsprint, which means increased newspaper advertising costs, which means, well, you get the idea.
Finally, if you're working on your second book, you should have several hundred or several thousand owners of your first book and their contact information. Call them, mail them, email them, do something, maybe a contest, and find out what else they'd really like to know about. Believe me, virtually none of your competitors are doing this sort of thing. You've just differentiated yourself from every other non-fiction author.
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