Re: Published Author $$ - Naive

Subject: Re: Published Author $$ - Naive
From: Bruce Byfield <bbyfield -at- axionet -dot- com>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Mon, 15 Dec 2003 19:44:35 -0800


Wade Courtney wrote:

How do you get those non-fiction books deals like HTML 4.0 bible?


If you mean, how do you get the big best-selling ones, then the answer is that you don't - not unless you've done them before, or have a good track record

If you mean, how do you get a book deal of any sort, then the answer is that you pitch ideas, and keep pitching them until you find someone who's receptive. If an idea gets bounced, try to get some feedback about why it was bounced, and refine your pitch before you try again. It helps if you have an original subject, and if you have written on the subject before, possibly in reviews or articles. You should also do your research, so that you address your pitch to a person, not a company.

Of course, you can still do all that and fail. About all you can say about non-fiction deals is that they are somewhat easier to get than fiction deals. They're still relatively scarce, highly-competed for, and generally only moderately well-paying at best. Speaking for myself, as someone just closing his first non-fiction deal, and summarizing the experiences of other professional non-fiction writers whom I know, it helps if you have a strong interest in the subject. I know that there are some hacks out there, but, they must have a pretty miserable time of it.

--
Bruce Byfield bbyfield -at- axionet -dot- com 604.421.7177
http://members.axion.net/~bbyfield

"From the hag and the hungry goblin
That into rags would rend you,
And the spirits that stand by the naked man
In the book of moons defend you."
-Traditioal, 17th Century



^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

ROBOHELP FOR FRAMEMAKER TRIAL NOW AVAILABLE!

RoboHelp for FrameMaker is a NEW online publishing tool for FrameMaker that
lets you easily single-source content to online Help, intranet, and Web. The interface is designed for FrameMaker users, so there is little or no
learning curve and no macro language required! Call 800-718-4407 for competitive pricing or download a trial at: http://www.ehelp.com/techwr-l4

---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as:
archive -at- raycomm -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com
Send administrative questions to ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com -dot- Visit
http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.



References:
RE: Published Author $$ - Naive: From: Wade Courtney

Previous by Author: Re: Published Author $$ - Naive
Next by Author: Re: phone interviews
Previous by Thread: Re: Published Author $$ - Naive
Next by Thread: RE: Published Author $$ - Naive


What this post helpful? Share it with friends and colleagues:


Sponsored Ads