AN EASY WAY TO WRITE A NONFICTION BOOK - START WITH A NONFICTION BOOK PROPOSAL by Joan Clout-Kruse

Are you ready to write a nonfiction book? It is easy to do when you start with a nonfiction book proposal. You need the book proposal anyway if you are going to submit your nonfiction book to a literary agent or publisher.

Also it is helpful to have one so you can submit your ideas to book reviewers, friends and colleagues who are going to give you their testimonials, and to the person who will write your Foreword, etc. You will find many advantages to preparing a book proposal even if you decide to self-publish. It will make writing your book much easier.

Here are the parts that you need to write a nonfiction book proposal:

1. What is your unique book concept?

Go to the bookstore or an online bookstore and review other books with a similar idea to your concept and come up with something a little different. I prefer going to my local bookstore where I can touch and feel the books and read the back cover and the Table of Contents. Once you have enough information tell five friends about your unique book idea and get their opinions. It is helpful to hear opinions from others so that you can make sure your book idea will work and will have a market.

2. Create a great title and sub-title.

Develop a short, emotional, and memorable title. The sub-title comes next and it can be more descriptive of the title. One of my books is entitled, "Top 10 Traits of Silicon Valley Dynamos." The sub-title is, "Inspiring Stories and Great Ideas for Achieving Success in Your Life." This gives a clear picture of what the book will cover.

3. Research your subject well to prove you are the expert to write this book.

You are going to have to show editors that you did some good research for your book. Also editors want to know about the current published books that are the same concept as your idea and how your book will be different. Great research will help you do a good job with the words you put on paper.

3. Name your chapter titles and provide a brief summary of each chapter.

Now comes the meat of your book. Naming your chapter titles will help you with your thoughts, and keep your story well organized. Write a brief sentence or two as to what each chapter will cover. You will start with the Introduction, Chapter 1, Chapter 2, etc. A typical nonfiction book has 10-12 chapters.

In my book, "Silicon Valley Dynamos" I originally outlined 50 short 2-3 page chapters. Then I decided to interview some successful people I knew to include in the book. So I shortened the number of chapters to 15 and made them longer chapters.

Start with your chapter outline and summary chapters. Get started with your writing. Be flexible. If you think it's not going to work the way you set up the chapters, change them to fit your new plan.

This is going to take you time. Find a secluded place to develop your chapter outline where there will be no interruptions. Turn off your cell phone and television. Play your favorite music to get you in a positive and motivated mood.

Once you have your chapter titles in place you can start writing. This will make writing your nonfiction book easier to do because now you have a roadmap. This is just the start of a book proposal. There is much more such as marketing, platform, query letters, etc. We'll cover those in future articles.

To get you started with your writing follow the above: 1) Identify your unique concept, 2) Create a title and sub-title for your nonfiction book, and 3) Name your chapter titles and summarize each chapter. Now you are ready to write.