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... Publishing Emerging Writers
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Opt-In Publication for
Author-Me.com (19th year)
See our recent publications on world peace: StrategiesforPeace.com
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In this issue... Nonfiction (Part 1)
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Your Nonfiction Book
By Bruce L. Cook
For a writer, publishing nonfiction is usually more encouraging than trying to publish fiction. Publishers – while not at all interested in new writers – are at least more likely to consider something you have researched which is unique.
Whether you self-publish or propose a work for a publisher, here are some important pitfalls to avoid.
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For a writer, publishing nonfiction is usually more encouraging than trying to publish fiction. Publishers – while not at all interested in new writers – are at least more likely to consider something you have researched which is unique.
Whether you self-publish or propose a work for a publisher, here are some important pitfalls to avoid. (Above all, be certain that your content is socially responsible.) In this paper it is assumed that your proposal has been accepted by a recognized academic publisher.
Focus on one target audience and strictly stay on topic with those people. As erudite as you may feel as a researcher and writer, there is nothing more important than your reader. (Amazingly – even your publisher would agree.) If you are addressing two related audiences, use a typographical convention to identify each – for example, indent for the sub-audience.
Introduce your topic in at least one paragraph that Grandma would understand. As in the statistical reporting, the report has little value if it’s impossible for those who have an interest in the subject to read and understand what the report is about. Too often, the expert in a field wants to charge right in and display content that will impress colleagues, thereby ignoring and excluding the broader “general” audience which has a need or interest to satisfy.
Check your references to insure they include recent developments. Perhaps you have been researching a topic for ten years and you wrote your conclusions three years ago. Now that you are finally getting these into print, it’s your responsibility to access bibliographical tools so you don’t omit recent discoveries. (Or, at a minimum, if you do not plan to include recent data, say so.)
If you aren’t working with a publisher which conducts peer review of new manuscripts, consider sending your manuscript to three colleagues for a review before going into print. Yes, it’s a pain to make revisions and extend your work, but it’s far more painful to publish and later find out that you have made obvious errors. (In my own case, I had written an essay which I felt was a definitive article on leadership, concluding with a paragraph that filled my heart with pride. Alas, however, a reviewer read that paragraph in alarm and pointed out that the wording suggested the opposite of what I meant to say. It was an easy fix, but it would have been devastating if the article had gone into print with the faulty conclusion.)
In the same way that a clear introduction is included, be sure to write an understandable conclusion.
Thinking of readers again, please realize that few readers read everything they see. For example, some will read the abstract and feel comfortable to continue without reading the introduction. You are likely to be facing two audiences. Audience 1 reads the abstract but not the article and Audience 2 reads the article but not the abstract. Never assume that everyone will read both. This anomaly applies to subheadings too. Audience 1 will read subheadings but not the text, and Audience 2 will read the text but not the subheadings. Again, never assume that everyone will read both. (This especially applies to the first sentence under a subheading when the text assumes the subheading was read. (For example, subheading – “Frogs from Pond 4”. First sentence, “In this case, the frogs….”)
These are some pitfalls I have observed in years of writing and reviewing nonfiction. Please feel free to write me at cookcomm@gmail.com with further ideas so we can expand the conversation in a future newsletter article. (To publish a copy of this article, please write me at the same address and I will be happy to oblige.)
Handbook of Research on Examining Global Peacemaking in the Digital Age, Bruce L. Cook (ed.)
Description
Violent behavior has become deeply integrated into modern society and it is an unavoidable aspect of human nature. Examining peacemaking strategies through a critical and academic perspective can assist in resolving violence in societies around the world.
The Handbook of Research on Examining Global Peacemaking in the Digital Age is a pivotal reference source for the latest research findings on the utilization of peacemaking in media, leadership, and religion. Featuring extensive coverage on relevant areas such as human rights, spirituality, and the Summer of Peace, this publication is an ideal resource for policymakers, universities and colleges, graduate-level students, and organizations seeking current research on the application of conflict resolution and international negotiation.
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Publishing New Writers,
April, 2019 (Vol. 20, no. 4) - our 19th year
Publisher:
Dr. Bruce L. Cook
1407 Getzelman Drive
Elgin, IL 60123
Submissions/comments cookcomm@gmail.com. Links are welcome. To subscribe and/or review our archive of past newsletters, go to
http://www.author-me.com/newslist.htm
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