A NON-FICTION WRITING COACH IN YOUR POCKET
If you want to write a high-quality non-fiction book, get it published and make it pay then read this book and make your goal that much easier.
With over twenty published non-fiction books to her name, and a list of publishing contracts from a who’s-who of the publishing industry, business writer and author Suzan St Maur has learned the hard way how to devise books – and book ideas – that sell.
In ‘How To Write Winning Non-Fiction’ Suzan shares her key tips on every aspect of the craft of writing a non-fiction book. From coming up with ideas and overcoming writer’s block to meeting your writing obligations and deadlines, Suzan St Maur leaves nothing out.
She even shows you, with real examples, how to create an irresistible proposal that will help first-time authors and pros alike to land their next publishing contract.
Combining savvy tips with real-life pitches, proposals, reviewer feedback and a sample contract, Suzan delivers in straight, honest terms what you need to do to succeed.
“This is a welcome and useful introduction to a subject that many people find scary -
putting pen to paper. Suzan St Maur strikes all the right notes, offering the novice
author lots of encouragement and oodles of practical advice.”
- Lawrence Scanlan, Ontario, Canada, Author, ‘The Horse God Built’,
‘Little Horse Of Iron’ and many more
Why You Need This Book
Getting published is now easier than ever but the fundamental things that distinguish winning
non-fiction from the pulp have never been more important.
If you’re serious about writing a high-quality non-fiction book, getting it published and making
it commercially successful then this book treats you to a masterclass that covers all you need to
know about creating, crafting, writing and pitching your next bestseller.
It’s no longer enough to be a published author and, if you care about writing the best book you
can and delivering on your promises to agents, publishers and readers it pays to know how to
do it right.
“With hope and humor, Suze makes the daunting task of writing a book a reachable goal.
By breaking the process down into workable segments, she infuses the reader with a
“can do” attitude. She’s like a skillful and experienced coach giving a pep talk at halftime.
Without losing an ounce of her inimitable “writing personality,” she persuades us to
tackle our writing dreams with practical and valuable information. A must read for anyone
anting to write “winning” fiction or non-fiction.”
- Barbara Grengs, Minnesota, USA, Author, ‘The Toby Martin Series’
Inside you will learn…
- What every non-fiction book needs to be successful
- How to get a good idea and how to turn it into a winning idea
- Why so many books get started but not finished
- How to plan your book so writing it is fast, painless and easy
- Alternative publishing options and when you should pursue them
- How to pitch your book to mainstream publishers
- What happens from proposal to acceptance, to contract and beyond
- How to devise a winning title for your non-fiction book
- The mechanics for writing a book and meeting your obligations
- When to call on outside help and how to find it
How To Write Winning Non-Fiction will become your essential resource as you
devise and write your next book.
“This book is a “must read” for anyone even contemplating writing their own work of
non fiction. It takes all the perceived mystery out of the process from deciding what to
write about right through to finding a publisher, and makes it appear do-able. Written
in a conversational and straightforward style, it is easy to follow and very motivational.
The book has credibility as the author really has been there and done it, having been
published in a wide range of subjects. I was reading it largely out of academic interest,
but now feel inclined to roll my sleeves up and attempt my own piece of work.”
- Jane Hatton, Managing Director, The Diversity People
This book is essential reading for…
- aspiring non-fiction authors – who need to get to grips with the writing and publishing industry
- self published authors and writers – who take their career seriously and want to be the best they can be
- experts who want to write a book – whether to raise their professional profile or make more money
- bloggers with a book idea – who want to be sure there’s a market for what they know
- new authors with a contract – looking to deliver their manuscript on time and to specification
- anyone looking to be published and write a winning non-fiction title
What This Book Covers…
Inside the 210 pages that make up this writing guide you will be treated to a masterclass from
prolific author, Suzan St Maur as she guides you through every aspect of writing
winning non-fiction, including…
“…a book that is guaranteed to level the many hurdles that face the prospective writer.
From writing technique to finding a publisher Suze clears the way with clarity and
humour. She shares her writing experiences generously and she recounts the various
pitfalls amusingly and with a deft hand. You see the problems, and also the solutions.
Her passages on planning, style and craft are invaluable.”
- Jennifer Middlehurst
- Nonfiction Books & The Market For Them
- Why Writing A Nonfiction Book is a Good Idea
- The Things Good Books Need To Be Successful
- Writing How-To Books To Make Something Easier
- Writing Non-Fiction That Gives Readers Pleasure
- Writing Books To Inspire & Change Lives
- Writing Entertaining Non-Fiction
- How To Get A Good Idea
- The Habit of Opportunity Spotting
- Why You Should Avoid Solutions That Are Looking For Problems
- Tips for Anticipating A Book’s Future
- Finding Problems That Need To Be Solved
- Identifying What You Are Really Good At
- Protecting Your Idea
- Collating Your Ideas
“Suzan St Maur tells it like it is and in a language that we all understand. I wish I’d had a copy
of this when I wrote my first nonfiction ebook. It would have saved me hours of time, inresearch
and looking at publishing methods. This is an essential read for all budding authors and writers.
The information on how to market your books is worth the cover price alone.”
- Kevin Arrow, Author , ‘The Complete Courier Guide’
- Creating A Winning Book Title
- Courses, Co-Authors, Ghosts & Other Spooks
- Planning Your Book & Writing Project
- Why So Many Books Get Started But Not Finished
- How To Research Your Book
- Your Publishing Choices From The Howlers and Hybrids to Indies and Mainstreams
- Self-Publishing Demystified
- How To Find The Right Publishers
- All About Literary Agents
- How To Approach A Publisher
- The Proposal Submission Process
- The Main Elements of Proposals Explained
“Most of us fancy having a go at writing a book at some point in our lives, and most of us fail.
With Suzan St. Maur’s “How to write winning non-fiction” there are no excuses any more.
Suzan takes us through every aspect of writing in a way that enables us to overcome all the
hurdles and avoid the pitfalls. She motivates us as we go and even breaks down the most
daunting aspects (such as getting the book published) into managable and achievable steps.
Moreover, the book is a damn good read. Suzan engages the reader’s attention from page one
and using a range of entertaining and humourous anecdotes she illustrates every point in a way
that makes it both memorable and amusing. Strongly recommended.”
- Cathy Dobson
- Publishing Contracts Explained Step-by-Step
- Estimating How Long It Will Take To Write
- The Mechanics of Writing
- Dictation or Voice Recognition Systems
- Getting Into The Right Frame Of Mind
- How To Concentrate & Deal With Writer’s Block
- How To Keep The Writing Flow Going
- Tips on Writing Style & Craft
- Standards for Grammar, Spelling, Technical Content
- How To Handle Jargon & Other Junk
- Writing for Non-English Speaking Readers
- Getting Your Book Translated
“‘…think of your reader and imagine you’re talking to him or her over a cup of
coffee’ advises Suzan St Maur. Following her own suggestion in her latest book
Suzan writes knowledgeably in a relaxed and chatty style. This book is like having
a personal book coach and is ideal for non-fiction writers unsure of where to start.”
- Euphrosene Labon, Specialist author, writer and artist
- How To Use Humour in Your Writing
- Why You Should Beware Being Too Much of An Expert
- A Writing Craft Checklist
- Self Editing & Creating Your Final Manuscript
- Why You Should Avoid Rewriting Your Book To Death
- Word Count Guidelines
- Working With The External Editor
- Layout, Proofreading and Indexing – Where They Fit
- Help Finding Publishers & Literary Agents – Fiction and Non-Fiction
- Self-Publishing Resources and Links
- General Writing Resources and Links
- Where To Get Help To Write & Publish Your Book
- Writers’ Directories, Writers’ Guilds and Societies of Authors
“This book is a must for all those people who have the urge to write an informative book.
Written with humour and above all, extensive knowledge, it is the perfect guide for the
first time writer. All aspects are covered to not only channel you in the correct direction
but to also give you the confidence to know how to approach the publishing industry.
I wish that this book had been about on the start of my journey to being a published
author as it answers so many questions from the very start.”
- Ginny Oakley, Co-author, ‘What Not To Wear On A Horse’
Suzan St Maur says:
Even if you are a professional writer to start with (as I am) the thought of writing your first entire
book can be terrifying. I know I was terrified when I began work on my first book.
Since that time, I got over my fear and am now hovering (at the time of writing this) just over the
20 published nonfiction titles mark. Those have been completed over a period of just over 20
years – so almost one a year on average. In addition to producing the books I have also been
working on commissioned business as a corporate/marketing/ consumer/healthcare writer,
running a house, giving birth to and bringing up my son, caring for my elderly (now late) parents,
plus a few other things. And I’m still sane enough to tell the tale without tearing my hair out.
Conclusion: writing nonfiction books does not have to be a lengthy, arduous exercise. It can fit in
with the rest of your life. It can – and should – be fun.
Of course, writing does not come easily to everyone, but everyone can improve their writing skills by
getting plenty of practice. You may find that before you tackle your first book, you could warm up your
skills by writing articles on your topic, and/or writing a blog about it. In fact many nonfiction books
– especially of the “how to” variety – have started out as a collection of articles on a topic or, indeed,
have been derived from a popular blog.
What helps you more than anything else is if you enjoy writing your book. I can’t teach you to enjoy it,
but in the following pages I hope you’ll find plenty of information, tips, shortcuts and other tools that
will help you write your book much more easily than were you to attempt it on your own. That should
leave you free to have a great time doing it!
“I love this book. Easy to read. Easy to understand. Easy to put into practice. Once again
Suzan St Maur has written a book that provides support and motivation to people who want
to write non fiction and it couldn’t have come at a better time. From composing a title to
looking after your ideas, Suze has great tips to help you get your work of non fiction into the
hands of the public. Thanks a million Suze, this has made a big difference to the way I write.”
- Sarah Arrow, Editor, ‘Birds On The Blog’
About Suzan St Maur
Canadian born Suzan ‘Suze’ St Maur has worked as an advertising copywriter,
script and speechwriter since the 1970s, as well as researching and writing more than
20 published nonfiction books – with several more in the pipeline. Topics are an eclectic
mix ranging from business and marketing to weddings, green living, jokes, jewellery,
health and safety, and of course – writing. Suze also edits other people’s nonfiction books
as well as coaching them through the writing and publishing process. She lives near Milton
Keynes, UK, with her student/musician son and numerous rescued pets.
“Friendly…up to date…brilliant, if you’re looking for a one-stop, simple to
understand masterclass on writing winning nonfiction, getting published
and earning a few bob in the process, this is it.”
- Martin Duffy, Martin’s Miracle
