An Inspiring Quote
I wrote in my last post that writers generally approach an editor/publisher with a nonfiction idea through a proposal. An advantage to the proposal process is that you don’t have to write the entire book. The disadvantage is that you have to expend enough time and money to do the research for the first few chapters out of pocket. If you can’t convince an editor that you know what you’re doing and can do it well, you aren’t going to get that contract. Unfortunately, it’s absolutely to your advantage to suck it up and do what it takes financially and time-wise to make the first three chapters sparkle.
You will want to avoid costly trips and/or buying a lot of books or other resources that you may eventually need if you get the contract, but you still need to show an editorial team that you know what you’re talking about and can handle the topic. That’s why thinking through the material you need to cover is so important–you’ll go on fewer unproductive tangents right from the start. When you have a structure and know what you’re going to discuss, you have an efficient road map for your research.
There’s no one way to conduct research or present information for all nonfiction, of course, but in a general way, here are some things to consider:
- For original research or first-hand information, is there somewhere fairly close that you can visit to give a flavor of the type of research you’ll be doing?
- Is there someone relevant that you can interview for your first chapters?
- Are there studies or reports from reputable sources you can reference?
- Are there clubs/associations/professional groups devoted to your topic that you can tap?
- Is there anything strong enough in your own background to use as expertise?
- Can you at least suggest the sources you’ll use when you actually write the book?
Your job at this point is to give an editor confidence that you’re familiar with the subject matter and know where to go to dig deeper. Combine that with two or three strong chapters, and you may have a book deal.