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How To Write Non-Fiction: Turn Your Knowledge Into Words (Books for Writers Book 9) by [Joanna Penn]

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Joanna Penn

How To Write Non-Fiction: Turn Your Knowledge Into Words (Books for Writers Book 9) Kindle Edition

by Joanna Penn (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

485 ratings

Book 9 of 14: Books for Writers

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Great on Kindle

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Do you want to write a non-fiction book but don't know where to start? Or perhaps you worry that you're not ‘the expert' or have enough authority in your niche to write a book on it?

Are you ready to help other people and change your own life with your words?

The first non-fiction book I wrote changed my life. Sure, it helped other people, but mostly it altered the course of my life – so much so that 10 years later, I make a living with my writing.

I've written seven other non-fiction books and co-written two more and built a multi-six-figure income around my non-fiction eco-system. In this book, I'll share everything I've learned along the way and save you time, effort and frustration on your author journey.

The book includes:

PART 1. Before You Write: Mindset

Why write a non-fiction book?
Can I write a book if I'm not the expert?
Originality. Or, there are so many other books on this topic
Who are you? Personal stories and the writer's voice
The day a non-fiction book changed my life
Fear and self-doubt

PART 2. Before You Write: Business

Types of non-fiction books
Business models for non-fiction books
Who is your book for? Identify your target market
Decide on the topic for your book
Decide on your book title
Your author name and pseudonyms
How long does your book have to be?
How long will it take to write the book?
Your perspective on time
Writing a book proposal

PART 3. Writing and Editing

Gather and organize existing material
Research, interviews, surveys, and social listening
Structure and organize the book
How to write the first draft
How to dictate your book
Turn your blog/podcasts/videos/talks into a book
Speed and quality
Focus and shiny object syndrome
Writer's block
Co-writing a non-fiction book
How to turn a boring book into an engaging read
Elements of fiction in non-fiction
Truth and perfectionism
Legal issues: Using real people, quotes, lyrics, images, and citing sources
Self-editing a book
How to find and work with professional editors

PART 4. Publishing and Product Creation

Your publishing options
The different formats for your book
Non-fiction book covers
Book formatting for non-fiction
Pricing your book
Your book sales description
Categories and keywords
Turn your non-fiction book into a multimedia course
Updating your books over time

PART 5. Marketing Non-Fiction

Two models of marketing and the importance of mindset
Book-centered marketing
Paid advertising for non-fiction books
Author-centered marketing. The power of a personal brand
Build your author website
Build an email list
Integrate email marketing with your book
Content marketing for non-fiction books
My non-fiction marketing journey
Conclusion and your next steps.

It's time to (finally) write your non-fiction book. Download a sample or buy now and start writing.

Print length

430 pages
Language

English
Publication date

May 31, 2018
File size

953 KB
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Joanna Penn is an award-nominated, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of thrillers under J.F.Penn and also writes non-fiction for authors. She's an award-winning creative entrepreneur, podcaster, and YouTuber. Her site, TheCreativePenn.com has been voted in the Top 100 sites for writers by Writer's Digest. Her other non-fiction books include:

How to Make a Living with your Writing
How to Market a Book
Business for Authors: How to be an Author Entrepreneur
Successful Self-Publishing
The Healthy Writer
The Successful Author Mindset
Co-writing a Book
Public Speaking for Authors, Creatives and Other Introverts
Career Change

--This text refers to the paperback edition.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07C5ZKS1K
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Curl Up Press (May 31, 2018)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 31, 2018
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 953 KB
Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 430 pages
Lending ‏ : ‎ Enabled

Best Sellers Rank: #133,989 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #38 in Business Writing Skills (Kindle Store)
- #70 in Authorship
- #123 in Writing Skill Reference (Kindle Store)

Customer Reviews:
485 ratings

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About the author

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Joanna Penn

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Joanna Penn is a bestselling author, international speaker and award-winning entrepreneur based in Bath, England.

Her site, www.TheCreativePenn.com helps authors with creativity, writing, publishing, book marketing and creative entrepreneurship. It has been voted one of the top 100 sites for authors by Writers Digest. Joanna has a popular podcast, The Creative Penn, and a YouTube Channel.

You can get a free Author 2.0 Blueprint ebook and video series at www.TheCreativePenn.com/blueprint

You can also connect with Joanna on Twitter @thecreativepenn

and on Facebook.com/TheCreativePenn

Joanna is a travel junkie, weaving her adventures into her Award-nominated, bestselling thrillers as J.F.Penn and podcasting at www.BooksAndTravel.page

She's a cat person and enjoys a nice G&T.

Joanna has a Masters in Theology from the University of Oxford, Mansfield College, and a post-graduate diploma in Psychology from the University of Auckland, New Zealand. She spent 13 years in the corporate world before breaking out to become a full-time author-entrepreneur in 2011.

Her bestselling self-help books for writers and authors include:

Successful Self-Publishing: How to self-publish an ebook and print book

How to Market a Book

How to Make a Living with your Writing - listed as one of INC magazine top business books 2015

The Successful Author Mindset: A Handbook for Surviving the Writer's Journey

Audio for Authors: Audiobooks, Podcasting and Voice Technologies

Productivity for Authors

Business for Authors: How to be an Author Entrepreneur

Public Speaking for Authors, Creatives and Other Introverts

Co-writing a Book: Collaboration and Co-Creation for Writers - co-written with J. Thorn

The Healthy Writer: Reduce your Pain, Improve your Health, and Build a Writing Career for the Long-term - co-written with Dr Euan Lawson

Career Change: Stop Hating your Job, Discover what you Really Want to Do with your Life, and Start Doing It!

Customer reviews

5 star		73%
4 star		15%
3 star		9%
2 star		1%
1 star		2%

How customer reviews and ratings work

Top reviews from the United States

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Amazon Customer

Focused

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on September 14, 2022

Verified Purchase

Thank you for everything you've shown me and keep up the good work!!! I really believe I can accomplish this goal you have taught me if I stay focused, thanks for all the help.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 28, 2022

Verified Purchase

Takes a lot of work to write a book.

Helpful

Christina Vourcos

I’m On The Right Track

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 3, 2022

Verified Purchase

This book helped me realize that I’m on the right track with writing, publishing, and marketing my nonfiction. Thank you for the reassurance.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 21, 2021

Verified Purchase

Overall, this book is a very good starting point for anyone who wants to write a non-fiction book. It provides a useful framework that is logical in it’s flow. Would probably prefer this information in video form than book form.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

J. D. Rolle

A Good resource -- check out the web site before you buy the book

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 22, 2019

Verified Purchase

I purchased both the audio and a digital copy of the book. The audio version so that I could get the first read done fast and the digital for a deeper read and exploration later when I had more time to devote to the topic.

What I liked about this book are the many strategies to start up a book project from the ground up by someone who used her passion for writing and storytelling to launch her own writing career. While the voice in the narrative is authentic, it often felt like the author continuously and consistently directed the reader to her web site to cross-sell or expose other offerings. While I believe the web site, "Creative Penn" could be a valuable resource, it is cited so many times that it became annoying. Once per chapter is more than enough for us to remember where the website is located.

62 people found this helpful

Helpful

Amazon Customer

Not what I wanted

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 27, 2021

Verified Purchase

I do not feel like this book gave any in depth knowledge. It is just tiny paragraphs that gloss over every topic. I did not find this book helpful or inspirational.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Linda

Clear actionable strategies with layers of value.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 31, 2018

Verified Purchase

This book is packed with clear actionable strategies and additional resources for diving deeper. It is a valuable resource that makes what could be an overwhelming goal of writing a non-fiction book into an actionable and attainable one.
I found many layers of value.
The first layer is of the clear steps in writing a non-fiction book. There is every element needed to go from idea to publication mapped out for you.
The second layer of value is in the use of powerful questions at the end of each chapter. These questions help the reader to clearly assess their readiness for the next steps and provides a summary and reinforcement for the chapters’ key points.
Finally the layer I found most valuable is the authors’ personal experiences and her willingness to be vulnerable and share her stories. This made the entire book more relatable and the goals I’ve gathered from the actions more realistic. Her stories help me to see myself on the journey of writing my next non-fiction book.

26 people found this helpful

Helpful

Jason

the process she prescribes and insightful questions she asks have already made my product better

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 31, 2018

Verified Purchase

Better than anything else I have found! I fell into Joanna Penn from her practical insight videos on YouTube after I could not find anything relevant to today's realities at the local library or online. This book takes all her best ideas from her platforms and organizes them in a clear and succinct way that has made it very practical with the non-fiction lens. I had already written most of my first book, but the process she prescribes and insightful questions she asks have already made my product better and gives me a clear picture of the process I need to take to get it published in the coming months. I know this just came out, but I read it very quickly, took notes on the things I needed to get done, and started to take action today, like getting my own web domain and refining my title to better reach my target market.

13 people found this helpful

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Jules

Chockful of brilliant information

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on May 31, 2018

Verified Purchase

This book is chockful of brilliant information. It’s not for skimming through – it’s a complete manual, for scribbling in, and going back to. One to get in paperback!
Joanna Penn is always bang up to date with tech, so if you’ve ever wondered about dictation, finding editorial services, marketing channels etc, it’s all in here. A great help in cutting through the overwhelming options, straight to what’s most useful and current.
There’s plenty about writing craft too – how to pep up factual material, focus, drafting and editing - and also stretch topics such as co-writing. And if you’re completely new to self-publishing, the opening chapters about mindset and audience will ease you into getting started productively.
Joanna also goes deep into the specifics of marketing non-fiction. I particularly love how this breaks down the different kinds of business and marketing models, so you get the kind of overview you’d normally wouldn’t have unless you were a publishing insider.
In short: a meaty, up-to-date manual for anyone with a non-fiction book burning to get written.

22 people found this helpful

Amazon Customer Gerry

Very Comprehensive

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on April 15, 2021

Verified Purchase

I wished I had found this book sooner as it would have answered a lot if questions and doubts I had during the writing and self publishing of my first book. I now plan on making some edits to my published work, for example by improving how I take the reader on a journey to an end that they seek. I found the discussion about who can call themselves an authority to be very helpful. I realised that I am uniquely placed to write what I did, but I also realised that it would help my writing to add some supporting information references that support the points I wish to make and I actually have lots of those examples already highlighted in much of my Kindle library.

3 people found this helpful

Love2Read

Inspirational and easy to read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on October 21, 2018

Verified Purchase

A great book - I'd highly recommend!
I have been looking for a book about writing non-fiction and this is it. The chapters cover coming up with an idea, how to identify a niche, personal motivations, publishing, and product creation, right through to marketing the finished product.
Recommended reads and quotes are feathered throughout, and the book is well-written and easy to read in a direct and honest style. It's what Joanna does best!
If you are looking for inspiration and motivation for your next non-fiction, then buy this book!

12 people found this helpful

mistykitty

Very informative read.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on June 15, 2019

Verified Purchase

What a fantastic book. Clear easy reading. Extremely informative. Great bullet points. Would give it 10 stars if I could. Definite purchase if you are thinking of writing non fiction. Highly recommended.

7 people found this helpful

Tim Brame

Very useful and informative

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on September 29, 2020

Verified Purchase

A very well written book.
Informative and interesting.
I originally borrowed a copy from the library, but found it to be so useful that I needed my own copy.

4 people found this helpful

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