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Charlie’s Choice
Weekly Tips to Help You Write,
Publish & Promote Your Work
LOOKING AT HOW TO WRITE
A POWERFUL HOW-TO BOOK
You will recall when we looked at the key components of a nonfiction book in the first of this series of columns on the subject, coherence was one of the principal elements we addressed. As I explain in The Writer Within You, it is essential to “tie your book up into a readable, understandable document.”
Perhaps more than any other, the how-to book demands coherence. Much like the instructions you receive when you have to assemble a new toy or piece of knocked-down furniture, it should relate your message step-by-step, with each step building on the ones that preceded it.
You state the purpose of the book in the opening paragraphs to assure the potential reader that it is worth spending the time it will take to read. Just as in any other genre, these early words and sentences must intrigue the reader. In this case by promising that he/she will benefit greatly from the information the book contains.
Once convinced, the reader should be transported from the general to the specific. What I mean is that your narrative begins with what is in essence an overview of the subject. For example, if you are writing about some specific aspect of gardening, you may want to begin by outlining the various concerns a gardener should have in preparing any area for planting and then nurturing the plants to ensure good health.
You then move from the general, the overview, to the specific subject ”Growing Gardenias,” that your opening promised you would discuss. As another example, if your how-to is a self-help book on how to prevent wrinkling as you age, you might begin the narrative by explaining the principal causes of wrinkling before tackling the information you are revealing: how to minimize or even prevent it.
Each of the chapters that follow must be directly related to the primary subject. Too many inexperienced authors begin to wander as they add chapters that are only tangentially related. I have seen far too many cases where the relationship is an almost impossible stretch.
Planning the Book
Preparation is key to writing a successful how-to. You must understand—and never forget while you are writing the book—who your target reader is. You are not addressing a broad cross section of readers, as you might in a novel. Yours is a very specific, targeted audience.
As you plan the book, create an expanded table of contents. State the chapter name and include several sentences about the content of the chapter and its importance. Once you are satisfied that you have covered all of the pertinent aspects of your subject, use this as the skeleton for your book.
You now have a firm guideline for the research you must do to complete the book. It is highly likely that the TOC will change to some degree as your research moves ahead, for you will find additional material that you want to include. Possibly some changes. And that’s fine. Indeed, that is the very purpose of researching.
Enriching Your Content
Many techniques exist to make the basic skeleton come alive for your reader. Leading a person through the successive steps of a how-to can be extremely dull. It should be enlivened by inserting anecdotes to illustrate many of your points. This not only personalizes the content to create greater interest, it also serves as a “real life” example that helps to clarify your thesis.
In the course of your research, you will find pertinent statements from experts in the field. Quote them in your book. They add greatly to your credibility. If you are not quoting extensively from a single authority, you don’t have to worry about securing permission. But do be certain to credit the person fully and accurately. However, if you quote extensively, it is imperative that you contact the person and get permission, preferably in writing.
You may want to discuss something you found in your research with an expert. Don’t hesitate to contact him/her. Most will be honored that you felt them important enough to quote.
Using these quotations has a double benefit for you. In addition to enriching your content and adding to your credentials, they will impress a literary agent and a publisher just as they do your reader. In fact, when you write your book proposal to submit to a publisher (we will cover this next week) make sure you mention several of the experts you have included.
Writing the Book
You now should have the content pretty much in hand, and it is time to concentrate on the actual writing. As discussed in earlier columns, the pace and rhythm of your prose remains relatively constant throughout a how-to book, as opposed to other genres.
The book builds through the knowledge it imparts, not through the excitement created by more staccato pacing. At the risk of tiring you with repetition, I want to emphasize once again that it is the content, not the style, that makes or breaks a how-to book.
Don’t misinterpret want I have said. The point I make is simply that you cannot “fudge” knowledge with florid style. You cannot hide a weak message with fancy verbiage. If the content is not worthy, the reader will shelve the book or discard it.
Conversely, if the content is illuminating, but the writing style less than perfectly polished, a reader will excuse you because his/her primary concern is gaining new knowledge.
If the query letter you submit to a literary agent or a publisher for a nonfiction book impresses them, you will be asked to submit a full book proposal. Without it, your submission will not be accepted. Next week’s column will discuss these. See you then.
Keep writing!
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