I want to write a book but where do I start besides the obvious writing?
December 13, 2010 10:00 AM Subscribe
I am not a writer. I have a great idea for a book. Where do I start?
I'm a scientist. I'm not a writer by any stretch. I mean, I write, I've taken many writing classes in the past and I write for pure recreation. However, I think I have a rather interesting and novel idea for a book. I'd like to try and pursue this idea, however, where do I start? Are there any websites/resources on where to start? How do I go about pitching my idea to get a book deal? Where do I do this? How do I do this?
I'm a scientist. I'm not a writer by any stretch. I mean, I write, I've taken many writing classes in the past and I write for pure recreation. However, I think I have a rather interesting and novel idea for a book. I'd like to try and pursue this idea, however, where do I start? Are there any websites/resources on where to start? How do I go about pitching my idea to get a book deal? Where do I do this? How do I do this?
The Shortest Distance Between You and a Published Book by Susan Page is excellent, though a bit dated when it comes to e-publishing options.
The forums at AbsoluteWrite.com are excellent resources.
Non-fiction books (in the US, at least) are sold from outlines, proposals, and sample chapters. You do not have to finish the whole book before you approach agents. This is all spelled out very clearly in the Susan Page book!
posted by Sidhedevil at 10:07 AM on December 13, 2010 [4 favorites]
The forums at AbsoluteWrite.com are excellent resources.
Non-fiction books (in the US, at least) are sold from outlines, proposals, and sample chapters. You do not have to finish the whole book before you approach agents. This is all spelled out very clearly in the Susan Page book!
posted by Sidhedevil at 10:07 AM on December 13, 2010 [4 favorites]
Oh, good point, FAMOUS MONSTER. I had assumed it was a non-fiction book.
If this is a novel, you have to finish the entire book before approaching agents.
posted by Sidhedevil at 10:08 AM on December 13, 2010
If this is a novel, you have to finish the entire book before approaching agents.
posted by Sidhedevil at 10:08 AM on December 13, 2010
Question: is your book idea related to your area of expertise or not? If it is, you will have a much better chance of getting it published through traditional channels if that's what you're interested in. If not, then self-publishing is the way to go.
posted by ocherdraco at 10:08 AM on December 13, 2010
posted by ocherdraco at 10:08 AM on December 13, 2010
Response by poster: It would be a non-fiction book.
posted by floweredfish at 10:10 AM on December 13, 2010
posted by floweredfish at 10:10 AM on December 13, 2010
I've made this point several times to enthusiastic software developers with a great idea, but I think the point holds for enthusiastic authors as well.
Your idea is not that great. Somebody already had that idea, probably many somebodies. They never wrote the book. Ideas aren't worth much. Execution, doing something with the idea, might be worth a lot. Given that over 90% of authors never sell enough to see a royalty check beyond their advance, I would simply write the book and self publish it. Stephen King, or Mefi's own John Scalzi can call an agent, pitch an idea, and get a contract. You and I can't do that.
Write the book. Publish the book. See what happens.
posted by COD at 10:11 AM on December 13, 2010
Your idea is not that great. Somebody already had that idea, probably many somebodies. They never wrote the book. Ideas aren't worth much. Execution, doing something with the idea, might be worth a lot. Given that over 90% of authors never sell enough to see a royalty check beyond their advance, I would simply write the book and self publish it. Stephen King, or Mefi's own John Scalzi can call an agent, pitch an idea, and get a contract. You and I can't do that.
Write the book. Publish the book. See what happens.
posted by COD at 10:11 AM on December 13, 2010
Self-publishing really isn't the way to go for fiction, ocherdraco, at least in the US. Self-publishing is a good choice for non-fiction targeting a small but clearly defined market (local history, how-to about a specific hobby or special interest, etc.).
floweredfish, if you are planning to write a novel, Robert J. Ray's The Weekend Novelist is a super-helpful resource.
posted by Sidhedevil at 10:13 AM on December 13, 2010
floweredfish, if you are planning to write a novel, Robert J. Ray's The Weekend Novelist is a super-helpful resource.
posted by Sidhedevil at 10:13 AM on December 13, 2010
Response by poster: Thanks everyone - however, you're kind of addressing my main point. If I were to self-publish, how do I go about this? The book would be non-fiction and not within my area of expertise, but a decent idea nonetheless. I'm not looking to become a millionaire or quit my day job.
posted by floweredfish at 10:17 AM on December 13, 2010
posted by floweredfish at 10:17 AM on December 13, 2010
Given that over 90% of authors never sell enough to see a royalty check beyond their advance, I would simply write the book and self publish it.
If floweredfish has an idea for a non-fiction book that's of general interest, floweredfish should write a proposal, an outline, and sample chapters and approach literary agents. Self-publishing isn't a good first choice for something of general interest--why spike your own guns in advance?
Saying that the majority people don't get royalties beyond their advances doesn't mean that people in general make more from self-publishing than from advances from commercial publishers. But again, a good place to talk about this is at AbsoluteWrite.com; there are people there who have self-published several books and found that it worked for them, people who have done both self-publishing and commercial publishing and found that different projects worked better in different arenas, and people who have found commercial publishers for all their non-fiction projects and been very happy with the results.
posted by Sidhedevil at 10:18 AM on December 13, 2010 [2 favorites]
If floweredfish has an idea for a non-fiction book that's of general interest, floweredfish should write a proposal, an outline, and sample chapters and approach literary agents. Self-publishing isn't a good first choice for something of general interest--why spike your own guns in advance?
Saying that the majority people don't get royalties beyond their advances doesn't mean that people in general make more from self-publishing than from advances from commercial publishers. But again, a good place to talk about this is at AbsoluteWrite.com; there are people there who have self-published several books and found that it worked for them, people who have done both self-publishing and commercial publishing and found that different projects worked better in different arenas, and people who have found commercial publishers for all their non-fiction projects and been very happy with the results.
posted by Sidhedevil at 10:18 AM on December 13, 2010 [2 favorites]
floweredfish, don't start with the idea that you're going to self-publish, unless your book is of very narrow interest. Aim high. Read the Page book. Hang out on AbsoluteWrite.com. Write an outline and sample chapters and a book proposal, and see what feedback you get from agents.
Just because you're not planning to do this for a living doesn't mean that you shouldn't approach it like the pros do.
posted by Sidhedevil at 10:19 AM on December 13, 2010
Just because you're not planning to do this for a living doesn't mean that you shouldn't approach it like the pros do.
posted by Sidhedevil at 10:19 AM on December 13, 2010
If floweredfish has an idea for a non-fiction book that's of general interest, floweredfish should write a proposal, an outline, and sample chapters and approach literary agents. Self-publishing isn't a good first choice for something of general interest--why spike your own guns in advance?
This. This man is a literary agent who writes in detail about what it takes to get agented and published.
posted by lhall at 10:21 AM on December 13, 2010 [2 favorites]
This. This man is a literary agent who writes in detail about what it takes to get agented and published.
posted by lhall at 10:21 AM on December 13, 2010 [2 favorites]
I would take the book as far as I could go and NOT publish it... yet. It's better to do something for the love of it, see how you like it/see how you're progressing. Then, if necessary, you'll have an editable product instead of trying to worm your way towards someone's standards at the same time you're trying to figure out the best way to create content.
I would then find people with expertise and "names" in the field, even locally, to either help me refine it or push it to the proper publishing channels. As much as you're researching your subject matter, you should also research the niche markets for this and who might be interested. You wouldn't just call up Random House for your first book in some technical field; you should look at similar books or authors in that field, figure out where your book might fit among those, and see which publishers, agents and other firms keep coming up again and again.
If you think this actually has a chance of being published by a larger firm, you should probably read up on "first publishing" rights, which may or may not apply to you and your situation. The main thing is that many publishers don't want to publish something unless they have first rights, and that includes self-publishing. For all I know, that doesn't apply here, but it's worth reading up on.
ocherdraco and others with more professional background than I could speak more about this. Bottom line: do it on your own to the best of your ability, and see where you want to go from there.
posted by Madamina at 10:30 AM on December 13, 2010 [1 favorite]
I would then find people with expertise and "names" in the field, even locally, to either help me refine it or push it to the proper publishing channels. As much as you're researching your subject matter, you should also research the niche markets for this and who might be interested. You wouldn't just call up Random House for your first book in some technical field; you should look at similar books or authors in that field, figure out where your book might fit among those, and see which publishers, agents and other firms keep coming up again and again.
If you think this actually has a chance of being published by a larger firm, you should probably read up on "first publishing" rights, which may or may not apply to you and your situation. The main thing is that many publishers don't want to publish something unless they have first rights, and that includes self-publishing. For all I know, that doesn't apply here, but it's worth reading up on.
ocherdraco and others with more professional background than I could speak more about this. Bottom line: do it on your own to the best of your ability, and see where you want to go from there.
posted by Madamina at 10:30 AM on December 13, 2010 [1 favorite]
I was in your situation a few years ago, and I felt very much the same way you do, with an idea for a book, but this nagging feeling that I was not a writer. Someone far smarter than me pointed out that I was, in fact, a writer. For example, you wrote this post, didn't you? In a nutshell, being a "writer" requires absolutely no credentials beyond the ability to write a simple comprehensible sentence. Being a published author is something different. Being a successful, popular published author is something different from that. But being a writer - it's very obvious to me that you already are.
posted by deadmessenger at 10:34 AM on December 13, 2010
posted by deadmessenger at 10:34 AM on December 13, 2010
Nathan Bransford is a former literary agent, now a writer and editor of online content. But yeah, his blog is a great resource, and his How to Write a Non-Fiction Book Proposal entry is a fine overview.
posted by Sidhedevil at 10:34 AM on December 13, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by Sidhedevil at 10:34 AM on December 13, 2010 [1 favorite]
Agreed with above resources. I'd add Susan Rabiner's book Thinking Like Your Editor to first-time writers who want to know the process. She's worked both sides of publishing and is now a big-time agent, and has really good tips, especially for serious non-fiction writers (and for academics reaching out to general audiences). Poets and Writers also has some great interviews with agents and editors that can illuminate what editors and agents are looking for. They can be a bit too much inside baseball, but try checking out these four: Eric Chinski, Janet Silver, Pat Strachan, Lynn Nesbit.
posted by jng at 11:23 AM on December 13, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by jng at 11:23 AM on December 13, 2010 [1 favorite]
The easiest way to self publish is on an internet blog. It will allow you to get feedback from an audience and even grow that audience. If you plan it right you can eventually interest a publisher to print it for sales to a ready-made audience.
posted by JJ86 at 11:50 AM on December 13, 2010
posted by JJ86 at 11:50 AM on December 13, 2010
A lot of non fiction books start out as long articles. For example, a lot of Malcom Gladwell's stuff was published as articles before it became The Tipping Point and Blink. Getting articles published on your topic seems good for 2 reasons - it helps you create a portfolio, and gives you milestones along the way on the project. Check out Writer's Market for ideas on where to submit articles.
posted by selfmedicating at 12:10 PM on December 13, 2010
posted by selfmedicating at 12:10 PM on December 13, 2010
IU2BB(I used to be a bookseller) If your idea is something like Hacking Your Home Router for Dummies, the idea itself is not the valuable commodity. The value is in the person who researches, writes and organizes the content and the publisher having editing, printing, publishing, marketing, and shipping capabilities and expertise. It's possible you could write the next 101 Uses for a Dead Cat (surprise best seller), but surprise best sellers like that are rare.
Your question and comments are competently written. If it's a great book idea, develop an outline, and write a sample chapter. Spend a lot of time at the library researching how to do a book proposal and where to send it. A good reference librarian is your friend. Even unknown people get books published this way.
Self-publishing requires that you be very good at editing, designing, getting something printed, marketing, sales, promotion, shipping, bookkeeping and credit collections. and other stuff I forgot. Unless you are very passionate about it, it may be a lot of effort expended with little return.
posted by theora55 at 1:40 PM on December 13, 2010 [1 favorite]
Your question and comments are competently written. If it's a great book idea, develop an outline, and write a sample chapter. Spend a lot of time at the library researching how to do a book proposal and where to send it. A good reference librarian is your friend. Even unknown people get books published this way.
Self-publishing requires that you be very good at editing, designing, getting something printed, marketing, sales, promotion, shipping, bookkeeping and credit collections. and other stuff I forgot. Unless you are very passionate about it, it may be a lot of effort expended with little return.
posted by theora55 at 1:40 PM on December 13, 2010 [1 favorite]
You can buy or barter the services that theora55 mentions. Don't even think of skipping the copy editor, designer, proofreader, etc. They are essential, as are PR and marketing skills/services.
I found the Well Fed Self Publisher to be very helpful.
Also, ensure your idea has not been done before (or that you have a fresh take, at the very least). A search of Amazon is a good place to start.
Finally, self-publishing is not easy. But if you are willing to put in the effort, you can produce a book that is as good as or better than those produced by large publishers.
posted by quidividi at 6:33 AM on December 14, 2010
I found the Well Fed Self Publisher to be very helpful.
Also, ensure your idea has not been done before (or that you have a fresh take, at the very least). A search of Amazon is a good place to start.
Finally, self-publishing is not easy. But if you are willing to put in the effort, you can produce a book that is as good as or better than those produced by large publishers.
posted by quidividi at 6:33 AM on December 14, 2010
On review, "Your question and comments are competently written" sounds kind of snotty, and I didn't mean it to be. Competent writing is uncommon, but I meant to say "Your writing is good, and you can write a book." Or am I just digging myself in deeper? Really, you can do this if you want.
posted by theora55 at 10:20 PM on December 16, 2010
posted by theora55 at 10:20 PM on December 16, 2010
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posted by FAMOUS MONSTER at 10:06 AM on December 13, 2010