What: What is it that happened, what is the story you are telling? Make certain that you write all of the details and take the events from all perspectives that were involved. One easy way to do this is to make a full outline of all of the events in sequential order. After that another important step is to list all of the items and also the different points of thought in the outline and the names of the differing parties.
When: When did it happen? As you are taking notes and planning this element of the text, look into the details of the times. This as an author will help you to create the most believable environment, what were the clothing fads? What was the popular music, who was running the country? What were the political issues of the time, world issues, and local issues? Are there any other factors here which are not covered that might be relevant to the time period of the story? Are there any particular elements which might have to do with the time that pertain to the who, or the character in question?
Why: The next question is why did this happen? How was it culturally significant? What kind of impact did this event have on the community, the country and the world? What is the key takeaway from all of the information to describe how things are changing now and how it is relevant now?
How: How did things transpire? What took place? How did the situation start? How did the situation end? And how could a situation like that be prevented from happening again, or how could a good thing like that happen again? Is it possible that the situation could in fact be recreated?
Remember when covering these areas to think like a journalist and as Paul Harvey always comments, get “the rest of the story.” Many times when manuscripts are written they are only written from one perspective and sometimes the opposite point of view, other characters involved, or even complete historical facts which might have been game changers have been completely deleted or ignored form the manuscripts.
In order to offer a round and full perspective the interests of all parties must be represented and must be present. Nonfiction is about truthfulness, accuracy, and fairness to all.
Armed with these tools you are well on your way to navigating the waters between fiction and non-fiction and thereby starting an amazing piece of art. Using the fundamental elements of success outlined here you will develop the manuscript to its highest level of potential.
Chapter IV: Creating a Title that Sells
Your book’s title will be ultimately its calling card. It is very important that it is memorable, fresh and catchy. With tons of books being uploaded to Kindle every day, it is extremely important to ensure that yours is memorable. Since titles are not copyrighted and cannot be it is possible that someone else will have the same topic. And yet what is really important is the way we express ourselves in the title. The more uniquely the title is stated the more it will resonate with the reader, publisher and marketing opportunities.
Make certain that you are considering the kind of book you are writing when planning the title. Many non-fiction books do a poor job of distinguishing themselves from fiction, or even from self-help and business. The book title needs to be catchy, motivating and instant.
For Nonfiction books it is very important to ensure that the reader knows what the take away will be from their time investment. When the reader is finished, what will he have accomplished as a human being? It needs to be clear, it needs to be concise and to the point. Consider the nonfiction book an objective statement that the reader is using to evaluate the value and content of the book. You could write the most amazing book in the world but without a great title no one will take it home and at the end of the day the gem could be hiding in between the pages.
Nonfiction books are also very much like extended thesis statements and for this reason they may need to have subtitles. The subtitle is a longer explanation of the mission statement and the intent of the book.
A Few Great Examples Include:
Who Moved My Cheese: An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life Rich Dad Poor Dad: What The Rich Teach Their Kids About Money That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not!
Narrative nonfiction and also memoirs utilize a different art form of crafting a title, the reader is given the promise of a compelling story in the pages. For this reason it is also very important here to provide an awesome, smoldering and catchy title. The title should be something that says something about the Memoir, was there a compelling moment, a catchy phrase, something that can encapsulate the total story in just a few words? This is the content that should make up the title.
Celebrity biographies and historical biographies should have all of the flash and circumstance that is a part of the lives as they were lived. For example, they should say something about the historical figure or celebrity and point to a personality trait or maybe to a part of their lives. A few great examples include:
My Horizontal Life by Chelsea Handler
George Washington: The Indispensable Man
Both of these titles give the reader a very clear idea of the content of the books and are also catchy, entertaining, and fun.
Fiction Books
The titles of fiction books should be a sneak peek into the content of the story, so for example a catchy phrase which hints at the story. Fifty Shades of Grey is an excellent title for E. L. James’ book because it hints at the greyness of human sexuality and at the potential for differing areas of opinion on the BDSM situation she writes about. Also titles which are inflammatory will catch the attention of readers who will feel that they have to know more at the very moment when they are seeing the title, their response will be to buy a book.
Key Title Takeaways:
1. Make it Catchy
2. Make sure it Reflects your Book
3. It is a Huge Marketing Tool
4. Write multiple Options to Make Sure you Choose the Right Option
5. Know if Eventually You Undergo a Republishing in a Traditional Publishing House Titles May Be Altered By Editors and Agents.
6. Think About the Core of Your Message in the Title.
Chapter V: Creating a Winning Cover
So you have written a book, where are you going to get a cover? What even makes a good cover to begin with? Unless you are a natural as an artist, most writers aren’t, which is why we use computers, it is difficult to know where to start and also how to get there. What elements do successful book covers have in them and how do you as a writer, not an artist, replicate that success?
1. How do you promise to inspire, motivate, change someone’s life and make it amazing? You sell them a vision by the art on the front of your cover, it might be that it is a beautiful woman sitting on a tranquil beach, or it might be a gorgeous moonlit night. The consumer is shopping with their dollars wanting to buy the vision that you are selling. As authors sometimes we forget that we are in fact selling, we are selling our craft, ourselves, and the fantasy that comes with our personal brand.