Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with nonfiction

Query, propose, publish.

Ouisch — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 19:45:17 -0800

I want the best resources to help me write a nonfiction book proposal. I will be writing a nonfiction book in the next year (my first.) I'm looking for the best books, websites and articles to help me write a proposal and query agents. Things I'm currently reading:

Miss Snark, the literary agent

Ten Basic Steps to Writing a Non Fiction Book Proposal/Finding a Literary Agent/Finding a Publisher

Soyouwanna Publish a Book?

As you know, there's a boatload of books out there on proposals and querying agents, but I have no way of narrowing down which ones are good, especially while shopping online.

So, Mefites with actual publishing experience -- please list for me your favourite books, websites, and articles about proposals, agents, and publishing in general.

Looking for books where a person or people are searching for a long lost person.

reenum — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 08:41:37 -0800

Looking for books where a person or people are searching for a long lost person. I loved Hunting Eichmann and would like to read more books about a person or a group of people banding together to find a long lost person.

I'd prefer nonfiction, but well written fiction will work too.

Thanks!

Please recommend books similar to Bill Simmons' Book of Basketball

reenum — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 11:44:05 -0800

I love Bill Simmons' "The Book of Basketball". What should I read next? I'm in the middle of Simmons NBA opus, and it fascinates as to how he's able to pack in so much info, yet have the book remain accessible. I especially love how he makes fun of and injects humor into the various characters and events in the NBA's history.

Are there other books that are basically all encompassing, sprawling accounts of a particular entity, field, event, etc., yet remain fun to read?

I know some folks might suggest Mary Roach, but I just couldn't get into her stuff.

I prefer nonfiction, but well written fiction would work too.

Thanks!

I can't be running low on books already?!

titantoppler — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 23:36:08 -0800

MeFites, help! Need more books to read. /book-recommendation-filter I'm currently about halfway through my to-read list, and want some book recommendations. Help me out here, MeFites!

Books that I've enjoyed thoroughly:
- The Historian, by Elizabeth Kostova
- The Hour I First Believed, by Wally Lamb
- Middlesex, by Jeffrey Eugenides
- The Cider House Rules, by John Irving
- Child 44, by Tom Rob Smith
- The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, by David Wroblewski
- The Conscience of a Liberal, by Paul Krugman
- Freakonomics, by Stephen Dubner and Steven Levitt
- Hot, Flat and Crowded, by Thomas Friedman

Books on my to-read list:
- Superfreakonomics, by Stephen Dubner and Steven Levitt
- What the Dog Saw, by Malcolm Gladwell
- Everything is Illuminated, by Jonathan Safran Foer
- We Need to Talk About Kevin, by Lionel Shriver

There are of course, other books that I've read and liked, but these by far are my favourites. Your input is much appreciated!

How to edit citations

quidividi — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 05:34:20 -0800

Footnote filter: I am writing a non-fiction, non-academic book and need help determining what to include in my citations. The book contains information and data from newspapers, magazines, wire services, governments, academic papers and first-hand interviews. There are very few direct quotes.

I’m using Zotero to manage my citations, which will appear as end notes. I’ve been diligent about citing information so that I can a) trace my sources, b) give credit where it’s due and c) allow readers to dig deeper.

Now I would like to pare the citations down, so that I meet objectives b) and c) without making the end notes unmanageable.

For example, I have a 2,500-word section with 78 citations. That includes citations for information that I would characterize as (for lack of a better phrase) common knowledge, such as when baby boomers will start retiring, or news reports that would have appeared in many media outlets. Eight of the citations are for data from a government handbook.

Can I safely omit these “common knowledge” citations? And can I use a blanket citation for the data from the government handbook?

(Thanks to NYCinephiles for the link to plagerism.com in this thread)

Lookin' for words in all the wrong places

Madamina — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 12:53:09 -0800

Between my iPhone's Stanza app and the loooooong quiet days ahead of me in the office during the holiday season, I'd like to read some stuff online. Any suggestions? I'm basically looking for good stories: things with a bit of a narrative that will keep me wondering what happens next. They should be easy to get into and not particularly deep (I will likely be interrupted a lot).

Nonfiction: longer articles with a bit of a twist, like New Yorker or Vanity Fair pieces about interesting people or events. Not commentary (unless it has some sort of unique backstory).

Fiction I've already enjoyed on Project Gutenberg: anything by the Brontes and L.M. Montgomery. I've also read pretty much everything that appeals to me (thus far) in the Harlequin online reads library, although I don't generally read paper romance novels.

I've seen this thread and this one too.

Thanks!

What books would an industrial engineer find it to be useful?

Carius — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 05:59:40 -0800

Books recommendation for an industrial engineer My friend is an industrial engineer who would like to read more "useful" non-fiction books.

I know she really like
The Toyota Way
The Machine That Changed the World

She also like a book about efficiently sorting boxes in a warehouse.

I already exhaustively searched thoroughly through ReadMe for similarly title, but have no luck.

Bonus: She will also be working in China next year.

So oh wise mefi please help her out!
Thank you for any suggestions!

Please suggest books, movies or shows like Bel Canto

reenum — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 09:44:26 -0800

I loved the plot of Bel Canto by Ann Patchett. Any recommendations for similar books, shows, or movies? I loved how Patchett's book showed hostages and hostage takers forming a sort of community within their besieged compound.

I also remember an essay with a similar theme by P.J. O'Rourke. It involved him being stuck in a hotel with a bunch of foreign correspondents during a bombing and talked about how they coped.

Any suggestions?

Short passages of particularly strong or weak nonfiction prose?

cymru_j — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 08:04:34 -0800

In search of short passages of especially strong or weak nonfiction prose! I’m hoping to build a composition class around short examples of effective and in effective writing. I'm thinking of passages of about 1-6 sentences.

We'll look at excerpted passages as a class and analyze what makes them more or less effective. Maybe we'll even try rewriting them in various ways to note the effect.

Passages from well-loved (or well-hated) prose stylists are very welcome, but bonus points for writing whose quality seems surprising or out of context, i.e. poor writing where one might expect strong (from a respected magazine, author, columnist) or good prose that pops up in off-beat venues (blogs, advertising copy, tabloids, etc.).

Any comments on why said prose is effective or ineffective are also welcome.

Thanks very much, guys!

Europa Sci-Fi

moonroof — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 14:28:29 -0800

Looking for fiction and non-fiction about Jupiter's moon Europa. I recently read an article in Discover magazine about possible explorations for life on Europa, Jupiter's moon. I'm looking for recommendations on good sci-fi that takes place on or deals with Europa in some way, possible life, humans exploring, etc. Any medium, novels, short stories, movies, whatever. Non-fiction recommendations would be nice as well.

Am I doing this write?

Anonymous — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 09:33:26 -0800

In writing a research book, how far along should I be before approaching publishers, agents, etc? Help needed to get my nonfiction pop culture centric book into bookstores I am working on a research book that is beyond the scope of what most part-time writers would do. The book covers a popular pop culture topic. I have interviewed over 30 people one-on-one for the research and plan to interview over 20 more. My end result will be something similar to the book "Crystal Lake Memories" found here

I have written the first few chapters of this book now and I'm wondering what the next steps are. Due to the amount of painstaking research and the trouble of scheduling some of these interviews, I expect the research portion will take at least another year, perhaps more, and the writing can in many cases happen in parallel.

I would like to ideally approach the publishing branch of the media corporation who's pop culture work I am covering to see if there is interest on their side in publishing it "officially". From my interviews I have relationships with many of the principles at said corporation (yet they don't know the scope of my project, the real reason behind all these interviews, and they help me set them up anyway), and if they were interested it would also open more doors on research; however, I'm also worried about them seeing the idea and using in-house staff to do it without me.

All my research and writing is unique and certainly falls under "fair use" so I am certain other publishers could publish this book, but from what I've read in other questions that would involve an agent, etc.

So for non-fiction works like this, what is the protocol? Should I continue to work on the book until done and hope afterward someone is interested in the work?

If you have more questions I've set up the e-mail nonficfordummies@gmail.com

Thanks.

nomming with my eyes

kidsleepy — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 11:26:51 -0800

For such a picky eater, I sure like to read a lot about food. What good food books can you recommend? I've recently been on a food book kick. Books I've read and enjoyed are The Man Who Ate Everything, Julie & Julia, My Life in France, and Cooking for Mr. Latte. First person, humorous accounts rich in descriptive detail. I also enjoy it when there's a few recipes throw in. Bonus points for authors learning to cook or trying new foods.

What else would I enjoy? Whet my reading appetite!

Suggestions needed for great narrative nonfiction reading!

bookmammal — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 06:19:22 -0800

Please recommend your favorite "behind the scenes" nonfiction books! I love reading nonfiction "behind the scenes/a year in the life" type books that emphasize the human side of particular jobs or environments. Books that I have especially enjoyed include Courtroom 302 (a year behind the scenes in a Chicago criminal courthouse), And Still We Rise (Los Angeles inner-city high school), and The Gatekeepers (Ivy League admissions office). Any other suggestions? Bonus points if the book is about education or other helping professions, but any recommendations will be appreciated!

How do I break into writing nonfiction books?

jonp72 — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 13:42:53 -0800

My dream is to write nonfiction books, but I have more book ideas than I know what to do with. Does anybody have any advice on how to find an agent or even just somebody knowledgeable about the publishing business who could give some good advice about which book ideas would work and which ideas would fall flat? How does one get past the query letter stage, when you have multiple outlines and chapters and book ideas, but you don't have a finished book?

Undercover is the night

heather-b — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 06:01:36 -0800

Do you know of any undercover nonfiction stories that don’t involve cops/detectives? I’m looking to read any magazine articles/books (not blogs) about how someone went undercover as someone else and wrote about their adventures: e.g., another profession. I really like what is revealed in stories like this. Much like here and here. Can you help?

Good reads for my honeymoon?

mikeweeney — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 20:45:26 -0800

Can you recommend some good beach reads for my honeymoon in a few weeks? I'm getting married in a few weeks and we're taking a 9 day trip to the carribean. We're staying at a secluded, low-key resort and plan on spending a lot of time lounging around on the beach and on our deck... which means lots of time for reading. Genres I'm into include horror, sci-fi, and fantasy.

- In the last few years I've gone through most of Vernor Vinge and Dan Simmons' works. I'm looking for a new author to try out... hard SF is a plus, and the ability to tell a story well is also important.

-I wouldn't mind reading fantasy, but I don't want to get sucked into a long series that never ends. I made it through 7 books of Goodkind's Sword of Truth Series and 1.5 books of Martin's Song of Ice and Fire, but I just don't have the patience (or time) for it anymore. I would, however, be willing to read a good one-book fantasy story

-I haven't been much into nonfiction, but on my last vacation I picked up Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil out of the ship library, and devoured it in 2 days. Anything like that?

-Finally, I'm interested in reading a really good historical biography... ideally in US history. Where should I start?

Thank you for your suggestions!

Sources about atrocities in the Southwest?

Bookhouse — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 13:15:29 -0800

What are the best nonfiction sources about the atrocities surrounding the Mexican-American War and related Native American wars? Having recently read In the Rogue Blood and being now halfway through Blood Meridian, I'm curious how close to fact the authors are when describing the absolute horrors committed in the Southwest during the 19th century. I'd love to find an engaging history book on the subject, but will take any suggestions for sources.

I heart non-fiction ebooks

aheckler — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 18:17:04 -0800

I'm looking for blogs about new non-fiction books on the Kindle. I love my Kindle 2, but with so many books available, I feel like I'm missing a bunch of new releases. Can you recommend to me some blogs that follow new releases in the Kindle Store, specifically non-fiction releases? Thanks in advance!

Upcoming nonfiction review sites?

beautifulcheese — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 14:32:05 -0800

Is there a place like fantasticfiction for nonfiction books? I like fantasticfiction as I can check out what is upcoming in books (so I can put them on my reserve list at the library and add to my to-read list on goodreads) and would love it if such a thing existed for non-fiction.

I always find it hit and miss at trying to find nonfiction that grabs me and having a site that lists upcoming ones and gives "similar recommendations" would be uber helpful.

If that's impossible, any recommendations on where I can find good reviews of nonfiction? I've checked out the nonfiction group on LibraryThing and it seems to be just ppl listing off the books read but w/ no reviews.

Books about Peru & Bolivia?

UbuRoivas — Mon, 18 May 2009 16:15:37 -0800

Books about Peru & Bolivia? Looking for recommendations for books (fiction or non-fiction) to read as background info for an upcoming trip to Peru & Bolivia.

Enlightening and lovely literature on libraries.

mrhaydel — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 06:46:30 -0800

Books about libraries, and books/essays about the future of them? While looking at this book, I came across *this* book, and it got me wondering.

I'd like to read a book (or two) on libraries and their role throughout history. I'm not sure if "Libraries of the Ancient World" is what I'm after, but it did pique my interest.

I love what have been referred to as mono-histories, so I'd like to find something in that vein: tracing the earliest form of libraries in history, their role in society, all the way up to their current incarnation.

There seem to be any number of them out there on Amazon, but I'd like to hear from someone (maybe a librarian even??!) who can recommend a good read here.

I don't necessarily want library porn, so no coffee table books with pictures of beautiful libraries (unless of course, it also doubles as a history of them to some degree) - I guess I'm just kind of after the "Salt" of the library world, ya know?

Now, the second part of my question: have there been any good publications about the future of libraries? The SO and I were discussing how it used to be, to us at least, the library was a place we'd go to get research done for term papers and such for school.

While libraries are still ultimately just trying to provide access to a wealth of information, it seems that students in junior high or high school may not necessarily use them the same way as how we might have used them pre-internet. Maybe they do, but, I'm still curious as to what the prevailing thoughts are as to what libraries may be like in another 10-15 years, and how they can continue to live as public institutions.

A little Googling turned up an NPR story, and a smattering of other mildly informative things, but again, I'd prefer something a little more in depth.

If both of my questions happened to be answered in the form of one book, then that'd be just swell.

Who are the best feature writers out there?

reenum — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 09:21:10 -0800

Who are the best magazine and newspaper feature writers, past and present? I've been on a magazine and newspaper kick lately. I've gotten tons of articles by Michael Lewis, William Langewiesche and Jack Hitt. For sports, I love Gary Smith. I also like to read the in-depth articles put out by ProPublica.

Could you suggest others who write deep, delving pieces about a subject? The subject itself doesn't matter; I care more that the writer have the ability to engage a reader and explain a situation or subject in an interesting way.

Thanks!

Autobiography by a former criminal turned author?!

mrhaydel — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 17:24:03 -0800

NameThatBookFilter: Autobiography by a former criminal/hard timer that later became an author? I'm getting sucked in to going through and adding books on Goodreads.com, and I'm having the darndest time remembering a particular book.

It was an autobiography written by a former criminal, who did hard time in a well known prison (not Alcatraz, but maybe Folsom, San Quentin, or Attica?), probably in the 50s or 60s.

The cover of the book, I'm fairly certain, was simply a face shot of said author, not his mugshot, but what seemed like a recent photo at the time (he looked to be in his 60s maybe). He was white, fairly short hair, possibly with a mustache.

In it, he basically traces his life from childhood and being in correctional facilities all the way up to him doing time in prison. While in prison though, I'm almost positive he authored at least one or two works of fiction, that might have even been somewhat popular.

I read this book somewhere back between around 2003-2004.

Anyone have any suggestions?

Near Death Non Fiction

dydecker — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 19:52:24 -0800

Please recommend me a book about disaster/survival along the lines of Shackleton's 'South', Jon Krakauer's 'Into Thin Air' or 'Between a Rock and a Hard Place'. The last one of these is about a guy who ends up cutting off his own arm to free himself from under a rock in the Utah desert, which is kind of a vibe I'm shooting for: a non-fiction book about a person/people who got themselves into a terrible near-death or dangerous situation, but managed to survive.

Do you have any recommendations of non-fiction books along these lines? I feel like reading something like this, especially if it is well-written.

Sociology of subculture recommendations.

Ufez Jones — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 18:02:01 -0800

Can you recommend some books to me similar to the sociology-of-a-subculture style of Hunter S. Thompson's Hell's Angels, Sudhir Venkatesh's Gang Leader for a Day and Bill Buford's Among the Thugs? While I realize that the three samples I've given share a common theme of exploring a particularly violent subculture, that's not a prerequisite. I'm more interested in the "outsider meets group, befriends and hangs out with group, tells about experiences shared with group for x period of time" aspect. Any group is fine by me, so long as the book is well-written. Thanks.