What's your book subject?

Sophia2

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Yes I am very serious indeed Hourglassmemory the orthodox have a few shocks coming. Sadly, most biblical scholars look at spiritual texts with literal and material eyes and to truly understand spiritual texts one has to have the ability to see through a spiritual magnifying glass that is lit up by your own light within. This book has the potential to out sell Dan Brown with the right publisher and marketing strategy.

As Jesus said to the Apostles did you not know that I was not talking about bread? In other words he was not talking about a literal reality but a spiritual metaphysical reality. When he told people to trample on their garments he was talking about religious pride. Does that remind you of a religion that is creating major issues at the moment?

Sophia2
 
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Farsight

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My book explains How the Universe Works.
 
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yesandno

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ARGH! I just discovered that a Pulitzer Prize winning author just released a book in May that is exactly what I intended to do with my non-fiction project. The reviews are mixed, should I continue or abandon the idea?
 

Prevostprincess

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yesandno,

I think if the book didn't do well and yours is "exactly" the same (and assuming you're also not a Pulizer winner) it's going to be a hard sell.

If it DID do well and yours is "exactly" the same (and assuming you're also not a Pulizer winner) it's going to be a hard sell.

Is there a way you can make it different enough?

Of course, if you have a fabulous platform, none of the above applies.
 

jordijoy

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I'm working on a fantasy novel--my first. It examines what reality really is. See, I think (real) is whatever the masses of any given society deems it is. For instance if tomorrow you got up and there was a special bulletin on tv saying that there had been a scientific break through and scientist had discovered that every sixth leap-year at 12.00am exactly the planet earth spun in reverse for exactly 24hours and we lived the previous day over(better known as dej vu) that would become your new reality.
 
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Prevostprincess

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I think I get my avatar pictured with my next post, YAY! (I wonder if I'm the only one with a bus?)

My book is a "quirky, funny, travel memoir" (my editor's quote) about how my husband and I (both shrinks) chucked it all to travel around the country in a converted bus for a year. (It's in the same imprint as Bill Bryson's books, Under the Tuscan Sun, Sex Lives of Cannibals, to give an idea of the tone.)

I should be finished in 2 months. I'm hoping that in addition to funny, it's also inspirational/transformational as the trip truly did change our lives. (I was a Princess from the Island of Long who had to learn to be less materialistic, in spite of that never being one of my life's goals while my Type-A husband had to figure out what to do with himself.) We had a lot of disasters along the way (fire, flood, armed robbery and finding ourselves in a nudist RV park, to name a few) which couldn't help but get us to look at things a little differently.

Here's how it starts:

When Tim first announced he wanted to travel around the country in a converted bus for a year, I gave this profound and potentially life-altering notion all the thoughtful consideration it deserved.

“Why can’t you be like a normal husband in a mid-life crisis and have an affair or buy a Corvette?” I demanded, adding, “I will never, ever, EVER, not in a million years, live on a bus!”


Sorry for the long post. I'm having a blast writing it and remembering all the fun we had and just wanted to share. My last memoir was very serious (I had been stalked for years by a former patient) and compared to that, this is such a joy to write. It's also quite a different experience writing a memoir completely from memory vs. writing one knowing at the time that I would be, so taking copious notes (including jotting down dialogue and blogging) while on the road.

Best of luck to everyone. Such interesting topics, here!
 

stamperdad

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I have many ideas for nonfiction articles and also a book project on the go. Research to me is enjoyable although at times frustrating, makes it very satisfying though when you find the info you are looking for.

My genre is nonfiction, history with emphasis on American and Canadian history. To see some of my ideas check out my blog.
 

Kathleen F.

WHAT KIND OF NON-FICTION BOOK DO YOU HAVE IN THE WORKS? WHAT CATEGORY?
2. How-to
6. Academic/science (blog)
8. Other: Manufacturing, engineering, product development

WHAT'S THE MOST DIFFICULT ASPECT OF RESEARCH FOR YOUR BOOK?
I have one book in print. It has been very successful considering the average writer's income (meaning, I make a better than average living but not wealthy by any means). There's nothing to draw upon. Everything's been largely empirical. Drawing upon the sum of one's experience is useful but it'd be more useful to have existing works against which, one could buttress arguments or provide additional explanations.

I have another tentative project that's worse, historical empiricism that relies on disposable goods which are not saved by their owners. That sounds nebulous. I want to write a history of the sizing of manufactured apparel, not specialty or couture gowns. Riveting topic, I know. Just destined to fly off the shelves so don't steal my idea guys! Lmao
 
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RMKeefe

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WHAT KIND OF NON-FICTION BOOK DO YOU HAVE IN THE WORKS? WHAT CATEGORY?

I'm fascinated by historic True Crime, and have written two books that examine the careers of Chicago gang leaders Dean O'Banion and Bugs Moran. My third one is about Big Jack Zelig, who ruled the underworld of New York's Lower East Side until his murder in October 1912. It's due for a February 2008 release through Cumberland House Publishing.

WHAT'S THE MOST DIFFICULT ASPECT OF RESEARCH FOR YOUR BOOK?

Finding personal anecdotes that give the story an intimacy that can't be garnered from microfilmed newspapers and official documents like court records and prison files. The Jack Zelig manuscript was initially very difficult in this respect, because at the time I began to research his life (2003) he had been dead for ninety-one years, so there went all chances of interviewing people who knew him. I did manage to track down and interview a 98 year old man who, as a six year old boy, was an eyewitness to Zelig's murder, so I was able to capture my subject's final moments with some accuracy. I also located his descendants, who were very generous with their family stories and memorabilia, otherwise I'd have had another 'difficult aspect' to complain about- hostile relatives!
 
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melaniehoo

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I'm writing a memoir about my experiences living in Mexico while my husband & I await his visa. We moved here at the beginning of 2007 and I have to keep a journal for the immigration process, which has since turned into a book. The tentative title is Caught: An American's Tale of Illegal Immigration.

I'm a first time writer but I think the timing is good for this kind of story. I'm aiming for a humorous tone (like the year long bus adventure) and highlight a lot of culture-shock type stories, but I also explore the importance of family, love and all that jazz. My husband's mother died from cancer right after we moved here, and I'm dealing with my own cancer scare now, so there are some serious aspects as well.

Beyond details about the immigration debate, I have very little actual research to do. My biggest challenge is my story doesn't have an ending - we're not scheduled to meet with immigration for 8-12 months!
 

wordsmith

practical experience, FTW
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Thought that I would start something off here:

WHAT KIND OF NON-FICTION BOOK DO YOU HAVE IN THE WORKS? WHAT CATEGORY?
1. Self-help.
2. How-to
3. Historical
4. True Crime
5 Inspirational
6. Academic/science
7. Biography (celebrity)
8. Other

I have two WIPs right now. One I guess could be categorized as half How-to and half reference. It's a guide on everyday writing for the non-professional writer. The second, is historical and is on breastfeeding imagery from antiquity to the present and is framed in the social-historical contexts of the various periods represented.

WHAT'S THE MOST DIFFICULT ASPECT OF RESEARCH FOR YOUR BOOK?
Triceratops
The first book isn't to hard in terms of research. The second, one of the most-difficult aspects is gathering and pruning the images that I'm using and the other part is deciding what not to include...for instance in the part about modern issues, there are certain debates that I could include along with the wealth of imagery on them, but I had to stop myself. At some point, I had to ask myself, "how crucial is this info, as interesting as it may be, to the overall topic, or isn't merely tangental?"
 

talkwrite

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Series Acquisitions editor here.

Thought that I would start something off here:

WHAT KIND OF NON-FICTION BOOK DO YOU HAVE IN THE WORKS? WHAT CATEGORY?

6. Academic/science
I am the series acquisitions editor for a series of texts that instruct foreign language interpreters - spoken and sign. The publisher is a traditional, long standing house located in the U.K. - very respectful of authors and reputable.
http://www.multilingual-matters.com/multi/series/series_pirw.asp
Yes I am looking for more authors and I already have one AW member who is submitting a proposal. There are three other books in the series now. Medical, journalists or legal professionals especially.

The most difficult part of research is to ensure that your data encompasses standards and procedures for the profession throughout the U.S. or Europe. Especially for courtroom (legal) or medical settings. The publisher wants a text that is attractive to a broad market and I want a book that offers productive information to the reader.
 

dlkrjk

Need Cutting Edge Agent/Publisher

Hello all, this is my fist post as a newbie. I have been Query-ing agents. Most of them email back saying my work isn't the type of work they take on, when obviously they listed memoir (which mine is) on the list if genres. So my question is, does anyone know of an agent willing to take a chance on controversial, news making, true story? I need a cutting edge agent (IMO), one that is bold and wants to be challenged LOL. Thanks for any help you can be.

DK
 

melaniehoo

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Hello all, this is my fist post as a newbie. I have been Query-ing agents. Most of them email back saying my work isn't the type of work they take on, when obviously they listed memoir (which mine is) on the list if genres. So my question is, does anyone know of an agent willing to take a chance on controversial, news making, true story? I need a cutting edge agent (IMO), one that is bold and wants to be challenged LOL. Thanks for any help you can be.

DK

I'm too new myself to be able to offer advice, but I will say you might want to elaborate a bit so others here can help you. Controversial and news-making sounds like something agents would want, IMO, but if you're more specific someone can point you in the right direction. Good luck!
 

EJBorer

I BLEED SCARLET AND GRAY
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Having difficulty researching is exactly my problem with my first WIP NF book. I don't know if it would be considered a memoir or informational or both, but I'm working on gathering material from my mother's stay in a tuberculosis sanitarium in the 60's. I want to include information about the disease and treatment and such, as well as a historical perspective of what it was like to have tuberculosis at that time. She lived in a hospital for 18 months during high school, and I have always been facinated by the pictures and stories and wanted to share it. The problem is that having TB isn't as serious now and patients don't need to be quarantined for as long so the special hospitals don't exist anymore. Going on what I have been able to find online, researching this subject is going to take a lot of leg work!

Prevostprincess - I write about RV Travel over at Suite101 and your book sounds like a great read to me! I am very interested in reading about people's travel experiences in an RV. There are some very intriguing stories online, and your mention of a nudist RV Park sounds along those same lines! It definitely sounds like your enthusiasm for the subject will shine through in your book!
 

JonathanMaberry

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I just wrapped my 18th nonfic book, ZOMBIE CSU: The Forensics of the Living Dead. Yes, it's nonfic, but it's a specultion book. For the fun of it I asked a couple of hundred experts in forensics, medicine, law enforcement, the military, and the sciences to speculate on how they might react and respond if something like Night of the Living Dead actually happened. I was delighted that nearly every expert -ranging from local detectives to Noble-nominated scientists- were willing to play 'what if?' with the theme.

Though the premise is science fiction all of the info is based on hard science, established evidence collecting/processing techniques, and investigative procedures.

I also have interviews with stars of the zombie films and authors of some of the most significant novels of the genre.

Can't say I've ever done a stranger book project...or ever done one that was as much fun.

It'll be out in September '08 from Citadel Press.
 

relenat

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Book topic: I gave away everything I owned, quit my job, left my home and entered a monastery. Fourteen months later they kicked me out, leaving me with this question: How does a very ordinary, total klutz do what needs to be done in order to live a spiritually centered life.

The hardest parts of the research? 1) Going back to the monastery for the first time. 2) Dealing with not-entirely-processed emotions that come up as I write and following them down to their deep and gnarly childhood roots. Of course, the initial experience was quite painful at times, but also incredibly exhilarating and very, very worthwhile.
 
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jwuollife

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After spending several years working in a paranormal/new age field I'm looking to write a book (possibly books) for children of varying ages about the paranormal. It's such a talked about area of life nowerdays...whether you believe in it or not. It's just getting the proposal and the planning down pat, research is no problem, I've lived the subject but like everyone else it's the getting started, and getting the right contacts that's the hard part.
 

Ian.Fraser

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Hi all..
My 'officially' published book, way back, dealt with growing up in South Africa, and my army experiences. Currently, I'm working on assembling various essays which deal with 'what happened next' - using the mode of firsthand stories to give views of being part of the anti-apartheid movement, warfare, secret police, and the chaos, while juggling a growing career as political comedian, then playwright and loudmouth of note..
A fairly traditional 'rags to b*tches' kind of story :p
Haven't approached any agents yet, am waiting till I have what I see as a sufficient quantity (around 12 -13 5-7000 words separate stories) of carefully worked through non-fiction essay/stories, which I'm content with.
 
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ray-ray

Ray Ray is the title of the book i'm writing about.Its my life growing up father less in a crime-filled, drughaven ghetto where female explotation is the norm. Can i get in trouble(legally) knick-names are used but a lot of crime in which i am involved is all throught out the book. any advice would be helpful
 

birdman

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A True Survival Guide for Small Businesses

A Marketing and Sales strategy book for small businesses in the early years.

Understanding Returns on Investments, building blocks for succesfull Ad campaigns and essential training to capitalize on floor trafic.

The book has a lot more stuff that encircles these ideas but all in all it is a straight forward guide.
 

RHQ

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My book is inspirational/how to. It's called Open Your Heart with Quilting and is part of the Open Your Heart series by Dreamtime Publishing.*

My book comes out in August 2008 and you can pre-order it on Amazon.com already. This is my first book, so I'm excited!

The most difficult part of researching my book was getting higher-profile quilters to respond. Some were great and e-mailed or called me back immediately. Others promised they would, but then didn't and I'm sad that I couldn't include them in the book

Kelly Smith
http://www.redheadedquilter.com

*Their other current titles are about reading, skiing, winter fitness, basketball, tennis, writing, bicycling, pets, art, gardening, geocaching, and martial arts.
 

Counselor

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My book is about...

Non-Violent parenting skills...How to enhance your personal growth as a parent in order to effectively parent.
It is a "tips" NF book only 32,000 word so far but concise...I am sure I will need to add to it,,,is there a realistic minimum words for this type of book? I keep reading 70,000 is normal for a NF book..since it is a how to is it possible that 45,000 will pass...targeting the barely literate to average reader by the way...advise anyone...I am writing my first proposal at the moment and a selling point might be easy/clear and non elaborate psychology sort of reading material....Am I rationalizing? Thanks for any suggestions and insights
 
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