Tag Archives: Non-fiction

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Meet Cathy Presland

Today’s featured debut author, Cathy Presland, wants to help you get your business up and running and has written a nonfiction book to show you how to do it.

Name: Cathy Presland

Name of book: Get Momentum Guide to Starting a Business: 30 Days to Turn Your Inspiration to Income

Book genre: Nonfiction/Business & Entrepreneurship

Date published: January 2012

Publisher: Self-published with BookBaby

What is your day job? I run my own business – author, speaker and mentor to inspired entrepreneurs.

What is your book about? How to start a business. I wanted to take what can be a very overwhelming process and break it down into straightforward steps that guide a new entrepreneur through the essentials. My aim was to help readers get their business up and running quickly. And start making income – this bit was important because I found that new business owners who don’t make an income very quickly get very disheartened. I’m sure it’s the same for authors who don’t sell. We lose confidence, and that can stop us from doing the things that matter to get our products out there.

Why did you want to write this book? I had been teaching this material and wanted to get it out to more people in an accessible form. And partly it was simply wanting to write a book. There’s still something magical about it, even if it’s only an e-pub right now.

What would you say is the most challenging part of writing a book? For me, it’s definitely the editing, just the idea that I have to read through those 40,000 words and make them better – although I find that the idea is always worse than the reality. If I chunk it down, it’s not too bad. One section or one chapter. But if I didn’t have to do it at all… that would be perfect!

What kind of research did you conduct in order to write this book? The book was a couple of years in gestation. I’d been mentoring women entrepreneurs, and this came out of my experiences with them. You know that when you find yourself going over the same ground and repeating the same message that there’s something that needs to be said.

Continue reading →

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Writing Tip #38

Don’t fret over your first line. In Entertainment Weekly, write-ups of new books often include a blurb/sidebar called “First Line,” in which the first line of the novel, memoir or nonfiction book is quoted. And just yesterday, I read about this cool “paperback game” in the New York Times  in which players have fun with literary opening lines by trying to guess which is the correct opening line to a novel within a heap of totally made-up ones.

Although I do enjoy a good opening line and definitely plan on playing the paperback game with friends this summer, I think that there may be too much emphasis put on the first lines of books. As a journalist, hard news stories are all about the first line or lede, the who, what, where, when and why of your piece — the point being that if readers don’t have the time to read your entire article, they can get the gist of it only by reading the first paragraph or so. But when it comes to novels, people are in for the long haul. I agree that the first few pages should be engaging enough to hook the reader who might be standing in Barnes & Noble trying to decide if she is going to buy your or Snooki’s new book, but I don’t think anyone is going to make any rash purchase decision based simply on what may be a less-than-gripping first line.

Last fall, during the first revision process for Baby Grand, I remember staring at my computer, reading and rereading the first line and wondering, “Is this exciting enough? Would Entertainment Weekly consider this blurb-worthy?” The answer? Who cares. Entertainment Weekly also includes a blurb titled “Memorable Line” just as often as it does “First Line.” And my feeling is that if you’ve got enough of those, wherever they may be located in your manuscript, you shouldn’t have anything to worry about.

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Guest Post: Pitfalls Facing 1st Time Authors

Today’s guest blogger is Gabrielle Lichterman, who is also this week’s featured debut author. Gabrielle shares with us some of the potential pitfalls and misconceptions facing first-time authors, based on her experiences publishing her nonfiction book, 28 Days: What Your Cycle Reveals about Your Love Life, Moods, and Potential.

Don’t expect your publisher’s publicity department to do much for you. Or to even read your book. Publicists at publishing houses are overwhelmed with books and yours is just a blip on their radar screen. Get out your sneakers and pound the pavement yourself. Now, that said, do not—I repeat—do not anger, annoy, upset or accidentally insult your publisher’s publicist in any way. Treat him or her like gold no matter what he or she does (or doesn’t) do for you and your book. And if you accidentally do any of the aforementioned, suck it up and send him or her the biggest bouquet of roses you can afford with a big, fat apology. And if the publicist actually does snag you an interview, send an even bigger bouquet of roses with a big, fat thank you. The consequences of failing to heed this advice can be dire for the future of your book.

Make sure you’re 100 percent happy with your ms before you send it in to your editor. It’s very likely that your editor will look it over, then pass it along without suggesting any changes, providing any comments or telling you how brilliant or awful it is. Now, you may be lucky enough to get an editor who has the time to actually read every word of your ms and provide feedback. But, many simply don’t. In my magazine writing life, my editors are meticulous, helping me craft the message, get the style right and labor over every word so it’s just right. When I sent my ms in to my book editor, I was stunned to not get any feedback at all. And, frankly, based on questions she asked later in the process about my book’s content, it was pretty obvious she had little knowledge of what was actually in my book. That said, it’s key to also treat your editor like gold because he or she is the one who fell in love with your book idea and fought to have your project bought by the publisher in the first place. I’m just suggesting that you do more of your own homework and lower your expectations if they’re a bit high like mine were. And if you want your book to come out as perfectly as you hope, it’s primarily up to you to get it right.

Don’t believe all the promises. When getting wooed by a publisher, even a small one for a small amount of money, they will promise you all sorts of things to get you to pick them as your publisher—special promotions for your book, multi-colored ink, a pull-out calendar, etc. Unless it’s in writing in a signed contract, don’t expect to see those promises come through.

Pick your agent carefully. Don’t do what I did—I flew right into the arms of the first agent who said she’d rep my book proposal. My excitement took over, and I didn’t even meet her before signing a contract. A wiser choice: Find at least three agents who are interested in repping your proposal, and then interview them carefully. Find out which books they sold in the past six months, for how much and, most importantly, to whom. If an agent seems to have a relationship with only one or two publishers, this could be a red flag that he or she has a special relationship with those publishers (this agent may write for them on the side, get payments for recruiting authors for special projects, etc.). Move on and find an agent who works with a wide number of publishers instead. Also key: While interviewing your agent, find out how friendly or engaging he or she is. Agents are the ones who are talking directly to book editors to pitch your book and if they’re off-putting for any reason, book editors are already aware of this and will push his or her call to voicemail without ever listening to it.

Don’t be overly willing to yield just to get your book published. If there are changes being made that you don’t like, challenge them. I wish I had. For instance, I was never a fan of the title 28 Days because I was afraid readers would think they had to have a 28-day cycle to read my book when women with any length cycle can use it. And, according to reader feedback, my fear was well-founded. If I had a nickel for every email I received that said something like, “I’d read your book because I like the concept, but I don’t have a 28-day cycle….” I’d be a wealthy woman. That one title mistake cost me a lot of potential readers. It also cost me valuable interview time, because I then had to tell audience members that you didn’t need a 28-day cycle to read my book.

Keep your rights. My agent gave away much of the rights to publish my book in other countries to my publisher. But, I didn’t challenge it because I didn’t know better. I did, however, end up keeping the rights to three countries—Korea, Japan and Italy. Guess what? I sold the rights to all three and more than doubled the money I got from my American publisher. So, again, keep your rights. Same goes with movie rights—always keep your movie rights because nowadays anything can be made into a movie. And that’s easily another $100K to $500K right there.

One last bit of advice about rights: About nine or 10 months after my book was published, it got taken out of print. That was mighty fast, especially considering I was doing a major TV media tour with Procter & Gamble around the time and had garnered a ton of publicity. It really came as a shock. But what was most shocking is the way I found out: I asked about my book at a local Barnes & Noble store and was told by the clerk that it had been taken out of print. Neither my agent nor anyone from my publisher’s office bothered to tell me I was busy promoting a book that no one could even purchase. After I calmed down, I decided to ask for the rights to 28 Days to be given back to me. To my surprise, the publisher freely gave them to me. Now I can get the book republished if I wish with another publisher or publish it myself. And I get the benefit of correcting the mistakes I made the first time and hopefully avoid making them again.

Gabrielle Lichterman is a nationally known women’s health journalist and founder of Hormonology, the Hormone Horoscope. Her book, 28 Days: What Your Cycle Reveals about Your Love Life, Moods, and Potential, is the first and only horoscope based solely on women’s hormones. She offers a free daily hormone horoscope at myhormonesmademedoit.com.

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Letting Go

Today’s guest blogger is Doreen McGettigan, a terrific lady and writer who has been a tremendous supporter of this blog. I, too, remember the day I dropped my youngest child at nursery school and had one hour, just one hour, to myself and fantasized about all the glorious things I would do — write, daydream — with all three of my kids in school. But the time flew, as it tends to do, and I barely made it out of the parking lot before I had to go back and pick him up. :)

I have been a ‘writer’ for years. I started covering school board meetings and counsel meetings in my small town for the small town’s small newspaper. I spent hours on each piece making sure I did not miss a word – or, the most embarrassing of all, I would just die if I misquoted anyone.

I realize those were the days when I was learning my craft, preparing for my dream of writing fiction. I wanted to write books, but I had to be patient. I had to do my time.

When my youngest child, Jillian, was close to kindergarten I thought, This is my time. I could finish my novel. I should have been thrilled. The truth is I was a mess. I did not want to give my baby to the world. I wanted to keep her with me.

The big day finally came. I put Jillian’s shoes on, and she took them off, repeatedly. “You can play with the other kids if we hurry,” I told her. She wanted me to carry her. I told her she needed to walk, and she cried.

Here we go, I thought, this child is going to grab my leg and scream. Jillian looked up at me and said, “Bye, bye, Mommy.” She gave me a quick wave as she hurried through the door. I was stunned. I stood there expecting the teacher to say, “Take your child home. She is not ready for school.” By the time I was home, I was sobbing. I was not ready to let go.

Of course, we all adjusted, and Jillian is now the awesome mommy of her own three little princesses. Life happened, and I never did finish that novel. I did, however, write a non-fiction book and was compelled to finish. It is the true story of the random road rage murder of my brother. The book exposes a justice system that worked on ego rather than law. The book is in production. I should be happy, right. Any day the Federal Express person will deliver my book. I will be able to hold it in my hands. Why am I crying all the time?

My brother would have been thrilled for me. I know that is a fact. There will be a big party. Am I afraid of the attention? What if I have no talent, like those kids on American Idol whose parents tell them they are great and they suck?

Is it normal for first time authors to feel this way? This book is full of my deepest, darkest feelings. It is full of blood, sweat and tears. It is my story. I am not ready to let go. But I must.

Did I mention I want to write fiction?

Doreen McGettigan lives in Delaware County, Pa. with her husband, two terriers and a homeless woman named Sophie. Her first book “Bristol boyz Stomp” (Tate Publishing) is due out summer 2011.

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Meet Author Chris Nickson

Hey, kids! It’s time for another installment of Debut Author Q&A. This week, longtime music journalist Chris Nickson gives us the inside scoop on his first work of fiction.

Name: Chris Nickson

Name of book: The Broken Token

Book genre: Historical Mystery

Date published: October 2010 in the US, May 2010 in the UK

Publisher: Creme de la Crime

What is your book about? Ian Rankin meets Charles Dickens. Seriously, in 1731 the Constable of Leeds has to catch a killer who’s murdering prostitutes and their clients. To his astonishment, one of the prostitutes is his former housemaid, whom he thought happily married and living in the countryside.

You are an accomplished music journalist and nonfiction book author. What made you decide to cross over to the world of fiction? I’ve always written fiction, have done since I was 11, and I have six thankfully unpublished novels. My father was a writer, with TV plays produced, and his own unpublished novels, so I grew up with the idea of writing, especially novels. I think most of us who write feel that the novel is the pinnacle, it’s “real” writing. I’ve published about 30 nonfiction books and no idea how many reviews and interviews, but this feels like really making it.

Most challenging part of the novel-writing process: The start. The first couple of pages have to be just right for me to be able to move forward.

What motivates you to write? Truthfully, I don’t need motivation. Writing is just so much a part of who I am that it really defines me. In the last 18 years, I doubt there have been three months overall when I haven’t written something. In part that’s because it’s my bread and butter as a freelance writer. More than that, it’s because I love writing. Being paid to write is my dream job. It’s not work. It’s pleasure, whether fiction or otherwise.

Did you experience writer’s block during the writing of your novel? No, I can’t say I did. For me writing is a habit. I had setbacks, bits I had to delete, but never a block. Mostly it’s just a case of writing down what’s happening in this movie playing in my head.

How long did it take you to write this book? With revisions and so on, probably about nine months.

What was your favorite aspect of the writing process for this book? Seeing it unfold, which isn’t always easy. At times it can be like walking through a tangled wood where you can barely see a yard ahead. Then it opens up a little and you see where to go. Sometimes, on those rare occasions, you turn a corner, and the path is across open country. When you hit that, it’s a glorious feeling. The other part was the character of Amos Worthy, a pimp, who appeared fully formed and could have taken over the book. I love him.

How difficult was it to find a publisher? Do you think your success as a nonfiction author helped in any way? My nonfiction success made no difference at all. It was very hard to find a publisher. I had a bad experience with an agent – I’ll leave her nameless – and that put me off for a while, so I let it sit fallow. Then I found a book published by Creme de la Crime, which is a small publisher specializing in crime and located close to where I was living. I thought, hmm, and sent it in. Lynne, the publisher, really liked the book and got behind it completely. I’m very grateful to her for that.

What is the biggest misconception about writing a book? That anyone can do it. It takes real perseverance to actually complete a book, and I have admiration for anyone who’ll stick to it. The adage about it being 90 percent perspiration and 10 percent inspiration is very true. But it’s also a craft and one you have to master. Whether I’ve actually mastered it is for readers to decide, I think.

I understand that you have already finished the sequel and are beginning work on a third book in the series. What made you decide to create a series rather than write an entirely different novel next? Yes, the second in the series is done. Because of various things, it’s up in the air who’ll put it out at the moment, or even if anyone will, but I’ve had some interest from a couple of publishing houses. With my main character, Richard Nottingham, and his family, as well as his deputy, I feel I have some good creations, people I wanted to know more about, so I wanted to go back and see what was happening to them. I’m about 10,000 words into the third book and they still seem to have things to say or do. Going in, I never envisioned a series, but it actually felt right and natural.

Oprah has famously said that there is no such thing as luck, without preparation and a moment of opportunity. Would you agree or disagree with regard to your own success as a writer? I’d agree. You make your luck, and usually there are years of hard work behind it. There’s 40 years of writing behind The Broken Token. The trick is to make it look effortless!

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It’s a ‘Good Girls’!

Well, today is the day that Good Girls Don’t Get Fat, the non-fiction book written by Dr. Robyn Silverman (and me!) about the pressures young girls face with regard to body image, is available in book stores and from book sellers everywhere. Yay!

Last night, several attendees of my Get Published seminar approached me to ask about Good Girls (I brought a copy with me). One woman asked if it was a good resource for parents of boys, since the book says it is written for “parents, guardians, families, teachers, counselors and anyone else who works with or cares about your young women.” I told her yes, that even though the book is girl-specific, the advice that Dr. Robyn offers parents can be applied to boys as well. It’s good stuff for anyone, really. In other words, you know what I’ll be giving for Christmas this year.