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Nonfiction Book Publishing Companies Near Me

Book Publishing Companies Near Me

If you want to self-publish nonfiction and are searching for book publishing companies to help you get your book out into the market, you can be faced with an overwhelming sea of options.

The self-publishing industry is vast and there are many different types of services to be considered, such as the DIY approach, a multiplicity of free online self-publishing platforms and a number of assisted publishing or author services companies.

Now, the nonfiction genre requires that your hire professionals to edit your book and design the interior layout and your book cover. Therefore, both the DIY and free online self-publishing platforms will prove the most expensive in the end since you’ll have to hire these professionals in a piecemeal fashion, increasing your out of pocket expenses.

Assisted publishing, on the other hand is more cost-effective because these companies have professional editors and book designers on staff already, which creates economies of scale as they can work concurrently with multiple authors.

In this article, I’ll explain how assisted publishing works as I go into detail about what they do, how they can be of benefit to nonfiction authors and how to find the best candidate for your book project.

The Assisted Publishing Model

As stated above, in the assisted publishing model you pay to publish your book just like the DIY model, but instead of hiring each professional individually, you hire a firm that has all the in-house professional resources required to produce and market your book.

In addition to editors and book designers, they also employ experienced project managers who are there exclusively to oversee the entire book project on your behalf, and book marketing specialists to help you plan all the activities that are necessary to generate sales.

Now, while assisted publishing services have lower production and marketing costs than the DIY model and free online self-publishing, they’re part of an unregulated industry and you have to vet companies thoroughly in order to filter out dishonest operators.

How to Find and Vet the Right Assisted Book Publishing Companies

Back in the early days of the Internet, before popular review sites became prominent, it was very difficult to conduct proper vetting. The best you could do was to hope that someone had taken the time to write about a bad experience on some book publishing forum.

Today, large independent review platforms are the norm, which, along with social media posts and commentary, make it possible for bad news to travels fast.

So, once you’ve identified a company that offers the type of services that appeal to you, search on Google for the name of the company followed by the word complaints and read through the first few pages of results.

Check for both quantity and quality. After you’re done with your research, you’ll have a pretty strong gut feeling about who are the good operators in the industry and who are the bad ones.

What to Look out for in an Assisted Book Publishing Company

Sales Reps

Sales reps are a great proxy for the overall culture of the company. If they’re too salesy, there’s a good chance that their customer service reps will either be pushy (forcing you into unwanted or necessary up-sells) or non-responsive (since they already have your money).

If the sales reps talk more than they listen, chances are so will the customer service reps. If they tell you that they’ll get back to you in a couple of days and they take two or three weeks instead, you can only imagine how they’ll value your time once you become a customer.

On the other hand, if:

They listen to you and offer sensible solutions that clearly meet your needs
They don’t force you to buy services using limited-time offers and other high pressure tactics
They follow up with you when they say they will
You feel their training is clearly customer-centric

then there’s a good chance you’ve found a top service.

Customer Service

Once the assisted publishing service has cleared the above hurdle, then you need to assess how their customer support is. You need to figure out if they’re responsive when you contact them, if they listen to your needs before they make any recommendations and how the rapport with their authors is.

Now, this is a bit of a chicken and the egg situation, because if you wait until you become a customer to find this out, it’s already too late. So you need to be able to uncover a “window into their soul” before you hire them.

One way to do this is by reading online reviews – search Google for a company’s name followed by the word reviews.

If your candidate service passes this filter, then the next step is to inquire about specific services.

Editing Services

The caliber of editing expected in nonfiction titles written by experts like you is very high. Unfortunately, the caliber of editing provided by many assisted-publishing services leaves much to be desired.

Many services contract this task out to either junior editors with limited experience or “generalist” editors who don’t have specific experience in the nonfiction genre.

If you’re unable to find out the names of editors on staff from a company website, ask your sales rep to put you in touch with a senior nonfiction editor that would be working on your book if you were to sign up now.

They should be very accommodating with your request, because somebody asking for this type of information is usually someone who’s serious about book publishing.

After a short interview (read this article for a list of qualifying questions you can ask their editors) ask them to provide you with a list of nonfiction books that they’ve edited in the past and purchase one or two titles from Amazon to assess the quality of their work.

Book Design Services

In addition to professional editing, your nonfiction book will be expected to have a professional layout and cover design.

Ask your rep for a list of their nonfiction book titles that you can browse on Amazon, then use the Look Inside feature to examine the layout. Then use the same feature to look at the layouts of top bestselling books in your niche.

For your book to succeed, it must be designed on par with those bestsellers because that’s what you’re going to be compared to by gatekeepers and decision makers when your title goes on sale.

Book Marketing and Promotion Services

This is an area where it’s not so easy to identify the quality of the assisted publishing service unless you talk to their current or past clients about their experiences.

However, what’s easy to identify are the companies you want to stay away from. The first tell-tale sign is the type of services that they offer. For example, there’s zero value in you spending money to place ads for your nonfiction book (unless you’re already a famous author).

So, any service that offers print, radio or TV paid advertising – usually at elevated prices – should be immediately disqualified. Otherwise, you’ll become the subject of high-pressure sales tactics to buy advertising because those features are money makers for them (and money losers for you).

Something else to avoid is all-inclusive – and usually pricey – bundles of marketing services. In the world of nonfiction book promotion there are no silver bullets because no two books are the same (even if they are in the same niche.)

So be sure to have an in-depth discussion with a member of the company’s marketing team, preferably the one you’d be working with if you were to sign up now, and ask them what they would do specifically for you and your book.

Book Publishing Agreement Clauses

Last but not least, let’s talk about your publishing agreement.

This is a very important document because it defines the services that are going to be performed for you, any type of licensing arrangements involving your content, your royalties if the service offers in-house book distribution and your book printing costs.

To find a copy of a publishing agreement online, simply do a Google search with the name of the company followed by the words publishing agreement. Here’s are the problem areas that you need to look out for:

Duration Clause: if the agreement forces you into a fixed term (e.g. 3 years, 5 years or even 1 year) then take a pass. What you’re looking for is an agreement that remains in effect until terminated by either party without any restrictions whatsoever. Look for agreements that only require you to provide a 30-day advance written notice prior to termination.
Copyright Clause: if the agreement states that you have to license or transfer your copyright to them for any length of time, then take a pass. You’re looking for a clause that clearly states that you’ll retain 100% of your book’s copyright and 100% of all rights at all times. Also, reject any agreement with a clause that transfers your right to sue other parties for infringement of your copyright to the service provider.
Distribution Clause: What you’re looking for in this type of clause is non-exclusive distribution rights for your book should service providers offer their own internal channels of distribution. If you see any mention of exclusivity, then take a pass.

Next Steps

Now you have a solid foundation for the search and vetting of assisted publishing companies for your nonfiction book. Make sure to take your time in your research and resist all temptation to be rushed into signing up before you’re done conducting your vetting.

Bad operators tend to be pushy and try to entice you with an offer “you can’t resist,” such as locking in a 50% off savings on your total bill with an immediate down payment, or any similar high-pressure tactic.

If the offer seems too good to be true, it probably is. The best assisted publishing services apply zero sales pressure because they let the process take its course naturally.

When you’re ready they’ll be ready, and as such they’ll keep the lines of communication open as long as you need to until the sales process comes to a logical conclusion, allowing you the necessary time to check for references and complete your due diligence.

The best assisted publishing services aren’t interested in making a quick buck. They’re interested in building a long term relationship with the author because if they help you succeed with your first book, there’s a good chance they’ll land your second and your third.

Good luck on your search!

If you enjoyed this article and would like to learn more about how to excel in the writing craft be sure to check out my free nonfiction writing guide, drawn from years of experience editing books for bestselling authors (including a New York Times bestseller) and ghostwriting for CEOs and politicians. Simply click here to get instant access.

Ben

Leave me a comment below if you have any questions or a specific need that I can help you address – I operate an author services firm that specializes in helping entrepreneurs, professionals and business owners who want to publish books as a calling card for prospects, to establish their status as an expert or to just to generate additional leads for their businesses.

Here are some related posts I highly recommend:

How to Write a Compelling Book in 12 Steps: A Must-Read Guide for Nonfiction Authors

How to Grow Your Business Writing a Nonfiction Book

Write Your Own Book and Become an Expert: 11 Reasons Why You Should

Bennett R. Coles is an award-winning author of six books published through Harper Collins (New York) and Titan Publishing Group (London). He is also the publisher at Promontory Press, editor for multiple bestselling authors (including a NY Times bestseller), ghostwriter for CEOs and politicians and the founder of Cascadia Author Services, a boutique full-service firm that specializes in premium author services specifically designed for busy professionals. Our end-to-end services include writer coaching, ghostwriting, editing, proofing, cover design, book layout, eBook production, marketing, printing and distribution.

How to Write the Introductory Paragraph of a Nonfiction Book (with an Example)

by Bennett R. Coles Leave a Comment

Introduction to Paragraph Example

The introductory paragraph of your nonfiction book plays the important role of inviting your readers to embark a new journey of discovery. This is a journey that’ll reveal a new, exciting solution to a problem that they’re currently being afflicted by.

Now, if you’ve done your preparatory work correctly, you’ll have identified the above problem-solution approach through your target audience research, and you’ll have come up with a compelling title that addresses the aspirations of your audience.

Also, you’ll have created your book introduction, or sales letter, to entice your prospective readers to buy your book. So, now it’s the time to ease those readers into the body of your book by creating a doorway into your journey – that’s the job of your introductory paragraph.

Now, technically speaking a paragraph is structured in three parts:

1) The opening sentence, where you define your main topic
2) The middle section, where you narrow your topic by providing background
3) The conclusion, where you state your thesis

But when you’re writing a nonfiction book, your focus needs to switch more to delivery than form, because your readers have already been primed by your alluring book title, the marketing copy on the back of the book (or the description in online bookstores) and your book’s introduction.

So, your main job with your introductory paragraph is to hook your audience so they look forward to reading the rest of the book. In this article, I’ll show you the do’s and don’ts of nonfiction introductory paragraph writing so that you have a good foundation to help you craft the right message for your target audience.

Introductory Paragraph’s Do’s

The job of your introductory paragraph is to pique the interest of your readers. Make it sound intriguing: use anecdotes, a controversial statement, use humor (with intelligence and in context), tell a compelling story, ask an interesting question.
Create your introductory paragraph only after you’ve completed writing and revising your entire manuscript. At the beginning, use some basic placeholder text and make sure you don’t spend too much time on it.
Make your introductory paragraph inspiring – while you want to achieve the task of introducing your main topic, you want to do it in a way that it grabs the reader’s attention.

Introductory Paragraph’s Don’ts

Never bore your reader with uninspiring language, such as “This book will talk about…,” “The purpose of this book is to…,” “In this book I will show you how to…,” etc.
Don’t state an opinion or use otherwise soft, doubtful or weak language, such as “I think this topic will be useful for people who….” “I hope that you learn…,” “I wish I could tell you that you will…,” etc.)
Don’t reveal your solution! You do need to end your introductory paragraph with your thesis statement so readers know how your book will benefit them, but never explain how your solution works.

To put all of the above in context, here’s an example of the introductory paragraph of a nonfiction book that explores the impact of limiting beliefs on people’s ability to achieve their personal goals (the book’s thesis):

“I have always been fascinated by how young children learn new skills. When we were very young we were able to approach new tasks without psychological fear or negative self-talk. We tackled complex new experiences without hesitation because our eager young minds were naturally open to them. For example, when we tried to walk for the first time and fell repeatedly, we never stopped trying. We didn’t think ‘Why bother again, I’ll never get this right’ because we were naturally open to the possibility of walking. But while this natural openness gave us the confidence to try new challenges, it also left us vulnerable to the influence of whose around us. This near total vulnerability left us open throughout many of our formative years to a torrent of negative thoughts and influences from our immediate caregivers that lives within us to this day. The good news is, with the right tools, it’s very easy to eliminate these limiting beliefs from your psyche and create a clean slate.”

Let’s deconstruct this introductory paragraph: The author begins with a personal observation that relates to the book’s thesis followed by an anecdote that we can all relate to: learning to walk.

Then, the author creates a bridge between this observation and the state of mind of the target audience (besieged by limiting beliefs and looking for a way out).

Finally, the author gives the audience the good news by stating the main thesis of the book: there’s a simple way out of this conundrum, provided that you have the right tools at your disposal (which will be disclosed throughout the book).

Next Steps

As a parting thought, before you sit down to write down your introductory paragraph (remember to do this last) I strongly suggest that you first learn from the masters by reading the introductory paragraphs of several bestselling books in your niche.

You can do this at no cost by checking the Look Inside feature in the Amazon bookstore, which in most cases will show you the first page of the first chapter of a book.

Once you get a sense of the narrative, then sit down and try different versions of your introductory paragraph until you find the one that clicks. Finally, run this text by members of your target audience in your network to see if it resonates with them.

Good luck!

If you enjoyed this article and are in the process of writing a nonfiction book, be sure to check out my free nonfiction success guide, drawn from years of experience editing books for bestselling authors (including a New York Times bestseller) and ghostwriting for CEOs and politicians. Simply click here to get instant access.

Ben

Here are some related posts I highly recommend:

How to Write a Compelling Book in 12 Steps: A Must-Read Guide for Nonfiction Authors

How to Grow Your Business Writing a Nonfiction Book

Write Your Own Book and Become an Expert: 11 Reasons Why You Should

How to Make a Book Cover Stand Out: 5 Best Practices for Nonfiction Authors

by Bennett R. Coles Leave a Comment

Make a Book Cover

To make your nonfiction book cover stand out from the crowd, you’ll need to learn and apply the best practices in the genre. In this article, I’ll teach you five perennial best practices that are used by the pros year in and year out to create compelling covers for their books.

The Five Best Practices for Nonfiction Book Cover Design:

#1) Make your Title Short and Catchy

Over the last twenty years or so, there’s been a trend in the nonfiction genre from longer titles and shorter subtitles to shorter titles with longer subtitles.

A classic example from the old days is The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Even though this title is a bit of a mouthful, it does say all you need to know about the contents of the book.

However, with the migration of book discovery from the offline to the online worlds, ruled by small smartphone-sized screens, you’d now find it challenging to clearly make out all these words from a tiny thumbprint image.

As a result, books put out by publishers and self-published authors alike have been trending toward short titles in the 1-5-word range with longer subtitles used to expand on the book’s main premise.

Here are some examples:

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking
Yes!: 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive
The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It

Also, in this age of digital minimalism coupled with excessive marketing noise, it’s important to ensure that you take advantage of your cover imagery to complement your message, which brings us to our next best practice.

#2) Use Book Cover Images that Reflect the Aspirations of Your Target Audience

In order to compensate for the limited physical real estate of book covers viewed online, and the limited mental real estate of customers who are bombarded with marketing messages day in and day out, you’ll need to rely more than ever on your cover imagery to paint a clear picture of your book.

This wasn’t an issue when The 7 Habits was released back in the late 80s – in fact, the original book cover had no imagery whatsoever, just a background color behind the title with some strategic underlining.

But today, you have to lean more than ever on book-cover visuals to complement your title. In fact, for maximum effect, you want to choose illustrations or photographs that clearly reflect the aspirations of your target audience.

In other words, you want to reflect back to them the way they’d like to see themselves after they put the strategies of your book into action.

For example, the book The 90 Second Fitness Solution: The most efficient workout ever for a healthier, stronger, younger you naturally shows photographs of very fit people during a workout, and the book The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere and Join the new rich shows an image depicting a person lounging on a hammock with the sun setting behind.

#3) Use a Color Scheme in Line with the Expectations of Your Niche

When it comes to the color palette for your book cover, there are unlimited choices and combinations available to you, making the task of choosing the right color appear to be overwhelming.

Since colors are very subjective, you certainly don’t want to make a mistake and risk being labeled amateurish or inappropriate by the buying public.

Fortunately, different niches tend to gravitate to specific color patterns that align with the expectations of their audience.

For example, you wouldn’t want to use red for the cover of a book on investment advice, since red is typically associated with financial loss. Likewise, you wouldn’t want to color a cookbook in a way that’s not reflective of the type of cuisine that your book conveys.
Keep in mind that colors have the ability to trigger an emotional response in your readers and you want to make sure that this response is always positive and in line with your niche.
Seek advice from your professional cover designer. They’ll know from experience what colors work well in your niche and what colors you should stay away from.

#4) Use Custom Photography and Illustrations

Nonfiction books must always look professional because they’re a proxy for your expertise and reputation. This includes any photographic images on your book cover.

Also, your photographs must be unique to your book. If you choose a photo from a stock photo site you’ll run the risk of overexposure – from other books as well as websites and other online content sources.

Make the investment to hire a professional photographer for your book cover, and ensure that your written contract stipulates that the copyright of the cover photograph will fully transfer to you on payment.

The same goes for cover illustrations. Never buy images from stock sites. Hire a graphic designer to create unique art for your book and ensure that the copyright of the artwork fully transfers contractually to you on payment as well.

#5) When it Comes to Book Covers, Less is More

Finally, since all book cover elements need to contribute to your overall messaging, you need to ensure that you don’t have any spurious cover elements that can clutter this message in any way.

In other words, when it comes to nonfiction book cover design, less is more. Your book cover needs to clearly convey the thesis of your book without any visual distractions.

For this reason you should never be wedded to any cover images or elements because they have a symbolic or personal meaning to you. Remember, your book cover shouldn’t be a reflection of who you are but a reflection of the aspirations of your target audience.

This is another key area where a professional cover designer will be able to advise you. A good nonfiction cover designer will know from experience how to reflect the aspirations of the readers in your specific niche.

Follow their advice and you’ll be able to connect your book cover with your target audience in a way that’s clear and compelling.

Next Steps

In order to formulate initial ideas for your cover, search Amazon for bestselling books in your niche and inspect their covers for visual and textual messaging. Observe and analyze what you find compelling about them, how they make you feel and how they align with the book’s thesis and the aspirations of their intended audiences.

Then make notes about those design elements that you think would work on your book and present them to your cover designer as seed materials for inspiration. The goal here is not to mimic what you see in other books, but to use those books as an idea generator for yours.

Ben

Here are some related posts I highly recommend:

How to Write a Compelling Book in 12 Steps: A Must-Read Guide for Nonfiction Authors

How to Grow Your Business Writing a Nonfiction Book

Write Your Own Book and Become an Expert: 11 Reasons Why You Should

Parts of a Nonfiction Book in Order: A Comprehensive List for Authors

by Bennett R. Coles Leave a Comment

Parts of a Book in Order

Here are all the different parts of a nonfiction book in the right order, so you can make sure your book is up to industry standards.

Different sections address the needs of different stakeholders, from readers (table of contents, foreword, preface, introduction, body and conclusion), to librarians and retailers (title and copyright pages) to researchers and academics (appendices, end notes, indexes, etc.).

Let’s begin…

Order of Appearance (OA) vs. Order of Execution (OE)

To make the task of composing your book a little easier, I’m going to list the different parts in their order of appearance (OA) followed by their order of execution (OE) so that you don’t spend time creating a part before you’re ready to do so.

For example, even though your book’s copyright page is 5^th in order of appearance it’s actually 18^th in the order of execution, so you shouldn’t really work on it until almost the very end.

Book Cover (OA: 1 of 20, OE: 12 of 20)

It goes without saying that all books are judged by their covers.Your book cover is bar none the most important single part of your book – even the best written nonfiction book will falter if its cover is amateurish or substandard in any way.

For this reason, it’s imperative that you hire a professional book cover designer with experience in the nonfiction genre to ensure that you’re on a level playing field with your competitors, both self-published and traditionally published.

Your book cover is made up of three main components: the front cover, the book spine and the back cover. If you’re printing your book as a hardcover edition, you’ll also be creating content for the front and back cover flaps.

The front cover consists of the following elements: the cover image or cover treatment, a headlining testimonial appearing on top of the cover, your book title and subtitle and your author name.

Your book title will be typeset with the largest font on the cover and it must be large enough that it can be legible on a small thumbnail image.

The spine typically contains your book title and your author name. The real estate on book spines is very limited and usually too small to even fit a subtitle.

The back cover consists of the following elements: your second best testimonial, shown at the top, followed by either additional testimonials or by your book blurb, your short author bio, your author headshot, and your book’s ISBN barcode.

Front Matter

These are the pages that appear before your book content begins in earnest. Front matter pages are numbered in roman numerals because they’re not technically part of the body of your book.

Front Matter Pages from the First Page to the Table of Contents:

1) Half-Title Page (OA: 2 of 20, OE: 13 of 20)

This is the very first page on your book. It contains just your title on the top half of the page (no subtitle) without any other additional information.

2) Other Books by the Author Page (OA: 3 of 20, OE: 14 of 20)

The backside of the half-title page can either be left blank or be used to list other books you’ve published before. You could headline it with something like: “Also by the same author:” or “Other books by the same author:”

3) Title Page (OA: 4 of 20, OE: 15 of 20)

This page is a clone of the half-title page, except that it also contains the sub-title, the author name, and the names of key contributors, such as your editor or your illustrator if you have an illustrated book. At the bottom of this page, you’ll place your publisher’s logo (or your own logo if self-publishing).

4) Copyright Page (OA: 5 of 20, OE: 18 of 20)

This page appears on the back of the title page and contains your book’s copyright notice, the publisher notice, the edition notice, your copyright restrictions, credits, your biographical record, legal disclaimers and third-party permissions.

Let’s go over these elements one by one:

4-1) Copyright Notice

The copyright notice is made up of the “Copyright” word itself followed by the © symbol, the year of publication (YYYY format) and the author’s name “by John Doe.”

4-2) Publisher Notice

The publisher notice contains the name of the publisher, their mailing address or P.O. Box (optional) and their website address (optional). If you’re self-publishing your book, you’ll need to create a brand name to use for your book – this imprint will be associated with your ISBN.

e.g. Published in the United States by ABCDE Press, 12345 Street Ave. East, P.O. Box 277, City, State, Zip code.

4-3) Edition Notice

The edition notice simply informs the reader and the book trade at large whether this is the first edition of your book or a revised edition (e.g. Second Edition, Third Edition, etc.). Also, if your book is in print, you can also mention the print run here.

e.g. First ABCDE Press Edition, 2019

First Printing

4-4) Copyright Restrictions

This section identifies all copyright restrictions as they pertain to your book content:

e.g. “All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form, or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information browsing, storage, or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.”

4-5) Credits

In this section you can give credit to those professionals who’ve helped you in the production of your book. They may include:

Your cover designer
Your editor
Your book designer
Your photographer
Your illustrator, and so on

e.g. Cover Design: Jane Doe

Author Photograph: Jim Doe

Etc.

4-6) Bibliographic Record

In this section, you’ll add the bibliographic record assigned to your book by the Library of Congress. Please note that you’ll need to purchase an ISBN for your title before you can submit your request.

Visit this page to submit your bibliographic record request:

https://www.loc.gov/publish/prepubbooklink

Visit this page to purchase your ISBN:

http://www.isbn.org

Here’s an example:

Library of Congress Cataloguing-in-Publication Data:

Doe, John.

Title of the Book: Sub Title

p. cm.

ISBN 000-0-000-00000-00

1- Problem-Solving. 2- Self-management. 3- Success. I. Title.

BF555.A55 2019 111’.1 –ab11 12-34567

4-7) Disclaimers

Now it’s the time to add any legal disclaimers that are necessary for your protection. The nature of your disclaimers will depend on your genre.

For example, fiction books need to stipulate that all characters are fictitious and do not represent any actual person, living or dead.

If your book is nonfiction, then you need to clarify that you’re not responsible for any errors or omissions, and that your information doesn’t replace the advice of experts (i.e. your content does not replace the need to consult with a physician, a lawyer, a certified accountant, etc.)

Here are some examples:

Fiction Books:

“Unless otherwise indicated, all the characters in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.”

Nonfiction Books:

“Although this publication is designed to provide accurate information in regard to the subject matter covered, the publisher and the author assume no responsibility for errors, inaccuracies, omissions, or any other inconsistencies herein. This publication is meant as a source of valuable information for the reader, however it is not meant as a replacement for direct expert assistance. If such level of assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought.”

4-8) Third-Party Permissions

If you’re reprinting content under copyright from third parties, then you must first obtain written permission from their publisher. You’ll need to contact their publisher’s rights-department in order to make this request.

Keep in mind that reprinting grants are a source of revenue for publishers, so expect to be asked for payment.

Here’s an example of a permission grant:

5) Dedication (OA: 6 of 20, OE: 16 of 20)

This page can be used to acknowledge a person or an entity that you want to dedicate your book to.

6) Quotation or Epigraph (OA: 7 of 20, OE: 17 of 20)

This page can be used to show a quotation or an inspirational statement that adds context to your book, or simply a favorite quote that you’d like to include in your book.

Table of Contents (OA: 8 of 20, OE: 20 of 20)

This page (or pages) shows a listing of your contents and is usually auto-generated by the software used by your book designer, so it needs to be created last after the entire content of your book is set in stone.

Pages from the Table of Contents through to the First Chapter:

The following pages transition your book from your front matter to your content:

1) Foreword (OA: 9 of 20, OE: 10 of 20)

The Foreword is a comment about your book, about you or both, written by a recognized influencer with a large following in your niche. We’re talking about a “celebrity” whose credibility is well-established and recognized in your field and by the media at large.

Now, to be quite honest these are very hard to get unless you have a direct connection with these individuals.

Unless you know the celebrity personally in some capacity (perhaps through family and friends, or perhaps you’ve done work for them in the past and they hold you in high regard), it’s highly unlikely that they’ll sing your praises, because they value their personal brand and will likely never put their reputation on the line for an unknown author. Unless, of course, your book is so outstanding in their eyes that you manage to “knock their socks off.”

If you can secure one, however, a positive foreword by someone famous has the potential to launch your book into the stratosphere. There are many accounts of unknown nonfiction book authors that went on to achieve great success through the giant doors that were swung open by a powerful foreword from such a person.

Having said that, unless you already have a solid connection to a celebrity in your niche, don’t spend too much time trying to obtain a foreword and spend it instead to improve the quality of your content.

2) Preface (OA: 10 of 20, OE: 9 of 20)

The Preface, on the other hand, is written by you and it’s just about you. Here you can share your personal story, the journey that has led you to write your book, what your book does (but not “how” it does it), why you’re qualified to write it and, if your book has been published before, outlining any changes from the previous edition.

In short, the preface is the vehicle that you use to have an initial personal conversation with your readers in order to start building rapport.

A word of caution: since you’ll be telling your reader about yourself, it’s imperative that you’re not perceived as “bragging” or being a shameless self-promoter.

This section is the place to tell your readers who you are in order to build trust, not to impress them or be boastful about your accomplishments or credentials.

Only include those pieces of information that are relevant to your personal journey in relation to your book and how the book came to be.

3) Acknowledgments (OA: 11 of 20, OE: 11 of 20)

Use this page or pages to acknowledge anyone who helped you in the creation of your book, including associates, your editor, your book designer, any other professional that you’ve hired to produce and promote your book, your family and anyone else of relevance to your book project.

4) Introduction (OA: 12 of 20, OE: 8 of 20)

The introduction in nonfiction books is really nothing but a sales letter and it needs to have a specific structure that guides your reader through a proper sales process to your desired result. In your case, it could be one of the following five outcomes:

You want anyone who’s browsed your book in a store or clicked the Look Inside feature on Amazon to be moved to open their wallets and make a purchase.
If you handed your book to a prospect as a calling card, then you want them to read your book and ultimately hire your services over those of your competitors.
If you handed the book to an event manager, you want to be booked for a paid speaking engagement (most event managers won’t read past your introduction since they receive a large number of books and don’t really have the time to read them).
If you sent your book to a media outlet, you want to be booked for an interview – show producers don’t have time to read the books they receive either, so the sales letter contained in your introduction is all you have to hook them.
If you handed your book to a potential strategic partner, you want your calling card to develop into a strategic relationship.

Click the following link to learn how to craft a winning introduction for your nonfiction book.

Body

The body of the book is where your entire manuscript resides and it’s composed of three main parts:

Part Page (OA: 13 of 20, OE: 2 of 20)

Depending of the total number of chapters, nonfiction books are typically (but not always) divided thematically into parts. Each part will group a number of chapters and will be headed with its own title page, listing the part number and a part name, if applicable (e.g. “Part 1: How Our Bodies Absorb Energy”)

Chapters (OA: 14 of 20, OE: 1 of 20)

The bulk of the body of your book is made up of chapters. To make them stand out, the first page of each chapter needs to get a different treatment than the other pages in it. Often times the text in this page begins a third down the page and sometimes even half-way down.

The font used for the chapter title is typically much larger than the body font, and sometimes it includes a graphic element that adds context to the chapter or repeats a graphic element from the book cover.

Conclusion (OA: 15 of 20, OE: 3 of 20)

Often times, nonfiction books have a conclusion or afterword where the author summarizes the main teachings of the book. This section can be a single page or have multiple pages.

What’s critical however is that you never introduce new concepts or ideas that haven’t been covered elsewhere in your book when you’re writing a conclusion.

The goal of the conclusion is to bring your book’s premise to a close while reminding readers of its main takeaways. Many authors end this final body section by wishing their readers well and leaving them with a final thought.

Back Matter

The back matter in a nonfiction book will have some or all of the following pages:

Appendices (OA: 16 of 20, OE: 4 of 20)

This is an area where you can add supporting information that you feel is necessary but doesn’t flow well or fit in the body of your book.

End Notes (OA: 17 of 20, OE: 5 of 20)

If you have numerically noted references throughout your book to further expand on key ideas and concepts, this is the section where you’ll capture them in order of appearance.

Glossary of Terms (OA: 18 of 20, OE: 6 of 20)

Some specialized books need to use very specific nomenclature that some readers may not be familiar with. The glossary will list this information sorted alphabetically and explain it using terms that your audience will understand.

Bibliography (OA: 19 of 20, OE: 7 of 20)

This section contains a list of external publications that you’ve referenced throughout your book.

Index (OA: 20 of 20, OE: 19 of 20)

If your book has one or more indexes, say an index for topics, one for images, one for exercises, etc., they’ll be typically located at the end of your back matter. Most indexes are several pages long.

Next Steps

Now you know the role every part of a nonfiction book plays. Keep in mind that you may not need all of the parts listed here in your book, just those that make sense in your specific case.

To be sure, analyze the contents of several top nonfiction sellers in your niche and choose accordingly.

All the best on your book project!

Ben

Here are some related posts I highly recommend:

How to Write a Compelling Book in 12 Steps: A Must-Read Guide for Nonfiction Authors

How to Grow Your Business Writing a Nonfiction Book

Write Your Own Book and Become an Expert: 11 Reasons Why You Should

Bennett R. Coles is an award-winning author of 6 books published through Harper Collins (NY) and Titan Publishing Group (UK). He is also the publisher at Promontory Press and the founder/CEO of Cascadia Author Services, a boutique full-service firm that specializes in premium author services specifically designed for busy professionals. Our end-to-end services include writer coaching, ghostwriting, editing, proofing, cover design, book layout, eBook production, printing, distribution and marketing.

How to Get a Copyright for a Nonfiction Book

by Bennett R. Coles Leave a Comment

How to Get a Copyright on a Book

Learning the ins and outs of how to get a copyright for your book is a skill that you’ll never regret acquiring.

As a nonfiction author, you want to make sure that your ideas, techniques and the unique solutions that you’ve painstakingly developed for your target audience have the best protection against unauthorized copy.

Although copyright is automatically assigned to the owner of a creative work by the mere act of creation, if you live in the U.S. you can’t sue for infringement in a court of law unless you possess a copyright certificate from the U.S. Copyright Office that proves your authorship.

Luckily, the cost of copyright registration is very reasonable and the process is easy enough that you can do it yourself, and if you want to make 100% sure that your application is error free, you can always enlist the help of a copyright attorney to file the application on your behalf.

What Protections Does Copyright Afford to Nonfiction Books?

Since as a nonfiction author you’ll be writing a book that will document your expertise and your discoveries, you’ll likely be writing about your unique ideas, methods, procedures, concepts and so on.

While the above aren’t protected by copyright in and of themselves (this kind of intellectual property may require a patent), your explanation, illustration and description of them are subject to copyright.

As a simple example, if you’re copyrighting a cookbook, your lists of ingredients are not subject to copyright protection, however the text containing your preparation and cooking instructions will be.

The same applies to any research based on information that you’ve collected. The information itself is not copyrightable, but your sorting methodology, your analysis and your conclusions are.

However, if your book contains unique names or phrases that you’ve coined to brand your solution (e.g. “The 35-Minute Workout,” “The Anxiety-Free Smoke Cessation Technique,” etc.), those will not be protected under copyright. In this case, the legal vehicle you need to protect them is a trademark.

What are the Criteria for Copyrighting a Nonfiction Book?

In order to copyright your nonfiction book:

“You must be the author of an original work”: this means that your book must be unique and never published before.
“Your work must be contained in a tangible medium of expression”: this means that all copies of your book must be of a permanent and reproducible nature (physical or electronic). For example, if you decide to recite impromptu poetry that you’ve never written down or documented before to someone over a phone line, and your conversation is not being recorded, then your medium of expression is considered intangible and therefore your poetry lines will not be copyrightable.

What Specific Rights Do I Gain by Copyrighting My Book?

Exclusive right for making copies of your book. You may, however, decide to grant third parties permission to reproduce your work, in part of in whole, for a limited time and/or a limited quantity in exchange for financial compensation.
Exclusive right to distribute your book. You may grant third parties permission to distribute your work on your behalf through a mutually beneficial financial arrangement.
Exclusive right to create derivative works from your book, such as workbooks, abridged audio versions, etc. Since derivative works also include translations, you may grant others permission to translate and distribute your book in foreign markets through a mutually beneficial financial arrangement.

Adding a Copyright Page to Your Book

Add a Copyright Page

Before you apply for copyright protection, you need to add a copyright page on the back of the title page in the front matter of your book. This page must include:

A copyright notification (e.g. Copyright © <year> by <copyright owner, e.g. your name, your company name, etc.>).
Your publisher’s name and address. If you are self-publishing, then you can create a publisher imprint, or use your business as the publisher. If you don’t want to include a physical street address, you can use a P.O. Box instead.
Your book’s edition followed by the date of publication – Month and year will suffice (e.g. First Edition, December 2019).
The book’s print run if applicable (e.g. first printing, second printing, etc.).
A statement of rights (e.g. “All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, or through any information browsing, storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.”)
Your book’s Library of Congress Cataloguing-in-Publication data. To request this information as a self-published author, visit: https://locexternal.service-now.com/auth.
Permissions from other copyrighted works, if applicable (e.g. if you’re quoting an excerpt from another author in your book, you must first obtain permission in writing from their publisher and post it on this page).
Legal disclaimers, if applicable. You’ll need to consult with an attorney to obtain the appropriate text for your nonfiction book, especially if it’s a legal requirement by a government agency (e.g. if you offer investment advice, the SEC may require that you show one or more disclaimers).

Do I Need to Register My Copyright with the U.S. Copyright Office?

Technically speaking, you own the copyright to your book the moment it’s written (provided you’ve kept time-stamped records of your creation).

In many countries, these records are sufficient to prove in a court of law that you’re the creator of the work.

However, if you live in the U.S. the courts require that you’re also in possession of a copyright certificate in order to sue a person or entity for copyright infringement.

When you register your book with the U.S. Copyright Office, you can assert your copyright from the official date of registration, so even if it takes several months for you to receive your copyright certificate in the mail, you’ll be protected from the time that your application was received and considered to be in order.

How do I Register My Copyright?

The most cost-effective way to register your copyright is to do it online by visiting: www.copyright.gov.

Once there, click on Literary Works and after the page loads click on Register a Literary Work.

Then select New User and create an account. Once your account is set up, click on Copyright Registration, then click on Register A New Claim and finally click on Start Registration and complete the required fields.

Finally, pay the copyright fee and either upload or mail in your work, depending on the on-screen instructions.

The copyright cost for a nonfiction book depends of the type of application that you need to file. The three most typical copyright applications are:

1) Single Application

The single application is the most direct way to register your book copyright, provided that you do it electronically at www.copyright.gov. The cost for the Single Application is $35.

In order to qualify for this low registration fee, you must:

Be the only author listed on the copyright registration form. (If you’re co-authoring your book you’ll have to file a Standard Application instead)
Register a single work. (For example, a large book split into three volumes is not considered a single work.)
Be the sole claimant. (If you’re sharing your copyright ownership with another person or entity, you’ll have to file a Standard Application.)
Write the book yourself. (If you’re hiring a professional writer or a ghostwriter to create the book on your behalf you’ll still be considered the copyright owner, but you’ll have to file a Standard Application).

2) Standard Application

If your book doesn’t qualify for the Single Application, then you must use the Standard Application. The cost is $55 (available online only).

3) Special Cases

Paper Applications: If you don’t want to file online, you can mail a completed Form TX (a.k.a the Literary Form) to:

Library of Congress

U.S. Copyright Office-TX

101 Independence Avenue SE

Washington, DC 20559-6000

This form can be downloaded and printed from www.copyright.gov. The fee for a paper filing is $85 and must be paid via check or money order payable to “U.S. Copyright Office.”

Expedited Application: If you need to expedite the copyright registration process (say you need a certificate on hand for an infringement court proceeding), you’ll be mailed the certificate in just one week for an expedited fee of $800.

Lawyer Application: If you would rather have a lawyer complete and submit your copyright application form to ensure no filing mistakes, expect to pay between $200 and $500 in legal fees plus the cost of filing and any other legal disbursements.

Mailing Copies of Your Book to the U.S. Copyright Office

Once you’ve completed your copyright registration, you’ll need to mail two physical copies of your book to the U.S. Library of Congress in order to fulfill their legal deposit requirement:

Library of Congress

Attn: 407 Deposits

101 Independence Avenue SE

Washington, DC 20559-6600

Next Steps

After you’re done with your submission, or if you live in countries where you can bypass this step, it’s imperative that you take some time to carefully document, sort and catalog all creative evidence of your authorship.

This involves time stamping and cataloguing any type of paper notes, diagrams, charts, image sketches, mind maps, outlines, etc. plus creating a well-organized file structure on your computer where you place all electronic documents associated with your book.

Finally, back up your computer files on a USB stick and store it along with the paper documentation in a safe place.

Good luck!

Ben

Here are some related posts I highly recommend:

How to Write a Compelling Book in 12 Steps: A Must-Read Guide for Nonfiction Authors

How to Grow Your Business Writing a Nonfiction Book

21 Inspiring Quotes for a First-Time Nonfiction Writer

by Bennett R. Coles Leave a Comment

Quotes for a Writer

Writing can be a lonely process when you’re a first-time author, before you’ve developed a network of mentors and peers who can guide you and support you along the sometimes choppy waters of nonfiction writing.

The following 21 quotes from established writers and luminaries of both the nonfiction and fiction worlds will offer you sound advice, give a boost to your motivation and present you with a gem of wisdom or two.

21 Inspiring Quotes for a First-Time Nonfiction Writer:

“Kill your darlings, kill your darlings, even when it breaks your egocentric little scribbler’s heart, kill your darlings.”

Stephen King

“If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it.”

Elmore Leonard

“The most valuable of all talents is that of never using two words when one will do.”

Thomas Jefferson

“Words are a lens to focus one’s mind.”

Ayn Rand

“Half my life is an act of revision.”

John Irving

“As a writer, you should not judge, you should understand.”

Ernest Hemingway

“I write to discover what I know.”

Flannery O’Connor

“I kept always two books in my pocket, one to read, one to write in.”

Robert Louis Stevenson

“Writing nonfiction means I tell people’s stories for them, not because they’re special but because we all are.”

Jo Deurbrouck

“I still believe nonfiction is the most important literature to come out of the second half of the 20th century.”

Tom Wolfe

“Great brands and great businesses have to be great storytellers, too. We have to tell stories – emotive, compelling stories – and even more so because we’re nonfiction.”

Angela Ahrendts

“There is no longer any such thing as fiction or nonfiction; there’s only narrative.”

E. L. Doctorow

“I went for years not finishing anything. Because, of course, when you finish something you can be judged.”

Erica Jong

“Writing nonfiction is more like sculpture, a matter of shaping the research into the finished thing.”

Joan Didion

“Ironically, in today’s marketplace successful nonfiction has to be unbelievable, while successful fiction must be believable.”

Jerry B. Jenkins

“One of underestimated tasks in nonfiction writing is to impose narrative shape on an unwieldy mass of material.”

William Zinsser

The challenge of nonfiction is to marry art and truth.”

Phyllis Rose

“When you deal with nonfiction you deal with human characters.”

Marya Hornbacher

“Every successful piece of nonfiction should leave the reader with one provocative thought that he or she didn’t have before. Not two thoughts, or five – just one. So decide what single point you want to leave in the reader’s mind.”

William Zinsser

“With nonfiction, I go in trying to be really honest about what my preconceptions are.”

George Saunders

“Write a nonfiction book, and be prepared for the legion of readers who are going to doubt your fact. But write a novel, and get ready for the world to assume every word is true.”

Barbara Kingsolver

Best of luck with your writing project!

Ben

Here are some related posts I highly recommend:

How to Write a Compelling Book in 12 Steps: A Must-Read Guide for Nonfiction Authors

How to Grow Your Business Writing a Nonfiction Book

Write Your Own Book and Become an Expert: 11 Reasons Why You Should

A Comprehensive List of Punctuation Marks

by Bennett R. Coles Leave a Comment

List of Punctuation Marks PDF

Here’s a full list of punctuation marks to add structure and clarity to your writing. Below, you’ll find detailed information about their usage with plenty of examples to use as a reference.

Role of Punctuation Marks in Language

Punctuation marks are symbols that add clarity and order to written language. But they’re often misunderstood and misused by writers. The comprehensive list of punctuation marks that follows will help you avoid common mistakes that can lead to reader confusion.

List of Punctuation Marks

Punctuation Marks that are Used at the end of Sentences:

1) The Period: This punctuation mark is used to indicate the end of a sentence containing a statement of thought, opinion or fact, a story or any written account of events. It’s also used at the end of abbreviations (e.g. “Johnson Ave.”)

2) The Exclamation Mark: This punctuation mark is used to express strong feelings, a strong emotion, for emphasis or to indicate screaming or shouting (e.g. “Apologize right now!”)

3) The Question Mark: This punctuation mark is used to end interrogative sentences. In works of fiction it can also be used to express doubt (e.g. “I’m supposed to say that?”)

Punctuation Marks that are Used in the Middle of Sentences:

4) The Comma: This punctuation mark is used:

To separate three or more elements in a sentence that are related in some way (e.g. “The grocery list included apples, bananas, strawberries, grapes, and oranges.”)
After introductory words before stating a main clause (e.g. “In other words, the best way to find it…”)
To create a pause (e.g. “She implied that, without any doubt, he was going to be the suspect.”)
To separate two interchangeable adjectives (e.g. “He moved that large, bulky load down the street.”)
To separate two independent clauses that are joined by the connectors “and, but, for, or, nor, so, and yet” (e.g. “She went away, yet her heart never did.”
After a dependent clause that’s used to start a sentence (e.g. “After a thorough review, she published the report.”)
To separate the name of a city from the name of its state (e.g. “I was born in San Diego, California.”)
To separate a statement from a question (e.g. “They all came home in the end, right?”)
To introduce or to end a direct quotation (e.g. “Call her again,” he insisted)
When necessary to eliminate confusion (e.g. “The travelers, who missed their connection, were given meal vouchers”–i.e. all travelers were given meal vouchers–has a completely different meaning than “The travelers who missed their connection were given meal vouchers”–i.e. only some travelers were given meal vouchers.)

5) The Colon: This punctuation mark primarily follows an independent clause with more information that expands on the original clause.

Colons have many applications in written language. For example, they can be used:

To separate a title from a subtitle (e.g. “The Space Race: From Sputnik to Spacex”)
To explain a subject (e.g. “This is how to mix the batter for better results: first, you…”)
To describe a situation (e.g. “There are two alternatives to this approach: assemble the parts first and then paint them or paint all parts at the factory.”)
Before a definition (e.g. “Here’s what XXX means: <explanation goes here>”)
To create a list of items (e.g. “This recipe requires: 3 eggs, ¼ lb of butter, 2 cups of flower,…”)
For literary references in some religious texts (e.g. “Genesis 1:2”)
To highlight statements made by characters in literary works (e.g. “To all of you: I never said that!”)
To separate hours, minutes and/or seconds (e.g. “9:30 AM,” “10:45:12”)
After a salutation (e.g. “Dear John:”)
To express mathematical ratios (e.g. “1:3”)

6) The Semi-Colon: This punctuation mark is primarily used to combine two independent clauses that are related into a single sentence (e.g. “The doctor saw the patient immediately; the slightest delay would’ve proven fatal.”)

They can also be used to separate items on a list that contain commas themselves (e.g. “On this tour we’ll visit Belgrade, Serbia; Minsk, Belarus; and Bucharest, Romania.”)

Semi-colons create a kind of pause that is longer than the pause of a comma but shorter than the pause of a period at the end of a sentence.

Quotation Marks:

9) Double Quotation Marks: This punctuation mark is used:

To make words or phrases within sentences stand out (e.g. The best approach is to “ease” into the spot slowly)
To highlight a quotation (e.g. I wonder where the expression “Money doesn’t grow on trees” comes from.)
To show dialogue in literary works (e.g. “Do I enter the room now?” whispered Simon)
To show titles of books, movies, essays, songs, headlines, etc. (e.g. “The Art of Living”)

8) Single Quotation Marks: This punctuation mark is used in a small number of special circumstances, specifically:

When there’s a quotation within a quotation (e.g. The sign read: “To swim in the ‘Restricted Area’ you must always wear an approved flotation device”)
To denote technical terms in specialized fields (e.g. “The ‘villi’ are responsible for the absorption of nutrients in the small intestine.”)

Brackets:

9) Parentheses: This punctuation mark is used to add secondary context to the information in a sentence—e.g. “The main thruster (which was designed to be expendable) was not recovered.”

10) Square Brackets: This punctuation mark is a specialized form of parentheses that is used:

To show parentheses within parentheses—e.g. “(this study was published by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers [IEEE])”
To quote text that has been altered from the original—e.g. “She accused the hospital [staff] of wrongdoing.”
To show incorrect text in a quote through the use of the latin term sic—e.g. “She accused they [sic] of wrongdoing.”
To show the phonetic pronunciation of a word—e.g. “Kazakh or Qazaqşa [qɑˈzɑqʃɑ] is a branch of the Turkic language that’s spoken in Kazakhstan.”

11) Curly Brackets: This punctuation mark is used to show a list of equal choices (e.g.” Choose a color: {red, green, yellow, blue}”)

12) Angle Brackets: This punctuation mark has very little use in written language and it’s mainly used to write code in computer languages. Sometimes it’s used to show a placeholder text (e.g. “Enter your account ID: <your email address goes here>”)

Dashes:

13) Hyphen: This punctuation mark is used to join words together.

For example, you should:

Hyphenate multiple words that are grouped together as a single modifier to a noun (e.g. “This is a best-in-show category.”)
Hyphenate multiple words indicating a period of time that are used together as a modifier to a noun (e.g. “That thirty-year-old man is looking for work.”)
Hyphenate numerical fractions when spelled out (e.g. “Two-thirds, three-quarters, etc.”)
Hyphenate family relationships (e.g. “She’s John’s great-grandmother,” “Peter is Susan’s brother-in-law”)
Hyphenate compound words to eliminate confusion (e.g. “You should re-sign this check.” instead of “You should resign this check.”)

14) Em Dash: This punctuation mark is used to create a break in a sentence in order to add more context. They can be used as a pair, just like commas, or as a single occurrence. Here are some examples:

Use of single em dash: “This is a good example of the use of em dashes—the longest in the dash family.”
Use of pair of em dashes: “This is a good example of the use of em dashes—a useful punctuation mark—to illustrate a sentence break.”

15) En Dash: This punctuation mark is used mainly to show ranges of figures (e.g. “$200–$500”) and when the first part of a compound adjective is an open compound (e.g. “He’s a New York–based photographer.”)

Slashes:

16) Slash: This punctuation mark is used:

To denote numerical fractions and dates (e.g. “2/3” and “10/11/19”)
To denote an option (e.g. “and/or, “his/her,” etc.)
To denote prose, such as lines in poetry or song lyrics (e.g. “Imagine there’s no countries/It isn’t hard to do/Nothing to kill or die for/And no religion, too.”)
To denote abbreviations (e.g. “c/o for: in care of,” “n/a for: not applicable”)

17) Backslash: This punctuation mark is used strictly to code computer languages and has no use in written language.

Other Punctuation Marks:

18) The Apostrophe: This punctuation mark is used:

To denote possessive forms (e.g. “John’s baseball bat”)
To denote contracted forms (e.g. “don’t”)
To denote abbreviated years (e.g. “She was born in ‘82”)
To denote certain plurals (e.g. “He was born in the 60’s”)

19) The Ellipsis: This punctuation mark is used:

To add a pause in speech (e.g. “I think so… do you?”)
Or to show an omission (e.g. “… as I was saying the worst is finally behind us.”)

20) The Asterisk: This punctuation mark is used:

To refer readers to a footnote (e.g. “This information was obtained from the 10K report*”)
To denote an inappropriate word (e.g. “The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck”)
To denote a disclaimer (e.g. “Restrictions apply*”)

In conclusion

Punctuation marks are symbols used to add clarity and order to written language.

Now that you have a clear understanding of the different types of punctuation marks and how to use them properly, you’ll be able to craft sentences and paragraphs that’ll enhance the reading comprehension of your audience.

Ben

Here are some related posts I highly recommend:

How to Write a Compelling Book in 12 Steps: A Must-Read Guide for Nonfiction Authors

How to Grow Your Business Writing a Nonfiction Book

Write Your Own Book and Become an Expert: 11 Reasons Why You Should

The 10 Must-Have Writing Skills For Nonfiction Authors

How to Become a Great Book Writer in Business Nonfiction

How to Create a Great Book Back Cover Design for Nonfiction [with Examples]

by Bennett R. Coles Leave a Comment

Book Back Cover Design

Your book’s back cover design is critical to effective marketing because it presents your readers with their first opportunity to learn more about your book.

How you design your back cover will determine whether readers will inspect your book further, getting them closer to the sale, or will move on to other books. It’s imperative that you understand how to correctly craft the different back cover elements.

In this article, you’ll learn how to create a back cover that works, the five key elements of nonfiction back covers, plus we’ll discuss examples from bestselling books.

How to Create a Winning Back Cover

If the font cover of your nonfiction book is the billboard, your back cover is the movie trailer. A winning back cover has to achieve the following three goals:

It has to provide convincing social proof of how good a read your book is
It has to provide compelling marketing copy to entice potential readers to buy your book
It has to introduce you as a subject matter expert and clearly establish your credentials

After your front cover and your title, your back cover the is most important piece of marketing real estate in your book. Given the physical limitations of a book’s trim size, every word and every image must count.

When crafting the content that’ll be printed on your back cover, you have to be both measured and deliberate to make sure that every element moves readers towards a book purchase.

That means no spurious phrases in it (like this one!), no over the top or cliched language (“A mind-bending book”), no testimonials from the general public (only accomplished authors, reputable review sources and recognized experts) and no amateur photography for your headshot (you must “look” like an expert).

Let’s now focus on the five elements on the back cover and how to get them just right:

1) Testimonials

The first order of business is the solicitation of glowing testimonials from people who your target audience considers to be experts in your niche. The stronger the name recognition, the better.

What you never want to do is to use a client or a friend testimonial if they are perfect strangers to your audience.

Now the question is, how do you get recognized experts to agree to give you a testimonial? Well, you’ll have to be resourceful. You have to uncover as many paths to them with the least degree of separation as possible, and then work those channels to get to them.

Here are some suggestions:

- Perhaps you know someone who knows them – check LinkedIn to see if you share a common business acquaintance, making them a 2nd-level connection.
- Attend paid seminars/workshops that they offer and simply ask them directly (always towards the end of the engagement, once you’ve developed a relationship of trust)
- Book a one-to-one session if they happen to operate a consultancy in your area and then ask them politely (if they published books earlier in their careers, they’ll empathize with you!)

Keep in mind that they won’t endorse you book simply because you asked – as a starting point, your book has to be professionally designed and edited and its content has to be excellent in their eyes.

By giving you an endorsement and having their name appear on the cover of your book, they’re putting their reputation on the line and they’ll be reluctant to do so if they feel that your content is substandard.

On the flip side, there are benefits to them in providing endorsements. If your book does well in the market they’ll benefit from free promotion for their own books, which will be mentioned along with their names.

When it comes to placing testimonials or reviews, you want to save your absolute best one to be front and center in your front cover. The second best endorsement should be reserved for the top of our back cover.

Any subsequent endorsements can be displayed either above or below your book blurb.

2) Blurb

This is the premier marketing copy of your book, so the goal of the blurb isn’t to summarize your book but to engage and entice readers to consider buying it.

The blurb text must speak directly to their emotions, which is ultimately what’s behind most purchasing decisions. Therefore, your blurb will need to:

Clearly identify the main problem afflicting your readers, which your book will address
Show them what your book will do to relieve this pain (your solution) without revealing any of its secrets (the “how”)
And it must address their aspirations by painting a picture of what their lives will be like after implementing the lessons contained in your book

To go more in-depth about how to create an effective blurb, read the following article: Great Blurb Examples for Nonfiction Books.

3) Author Bio

You author bio needs to clearly establish your expertise in your book’s subject matter. It must mention what your credentials are, show how long you’ve been practicing your trade and give an account of your experience.

When it comes to style, it’s customary to write author bios in the third person. It’s also customary, although not strictly necessary, to close the bio with a personal touch.

This closing could be as simple as mentioning the general area where you live (e.g. west coast, the name of a state, a city, etc.), mentioning how many children you have, if you have a pet, perhaps their name, and so on. You can also make it as personal as you feel is required to connect with your audience – for example, mentioning a mundane experience from your life that your readers can easily identify with.

For more details on how to write a great author bio for your nonfiction book, read the following article: Nonfiction Short Author Bio: 6 Steps to the Perfect Bio (with Examples).

4) Author Head Shot

Your author headshot could either be a black and white or a color photograph (black and white is a common choice for nonfiction books) and make sure it’s taken by a professional photographer.

Although some authors use casual shots for their author bios, I don’t recommend this approach for nonfiction authors because it creates a disconnect with your image as an expert.

When you meet a lawyer or an accountant, you have a certain expectation on how they present themselves – jeans and a t-shirt won’t inspire a lot of confidence. This is no different with experts who publish nonfiction books.

5) Barcode

The final component in your back cover is the ISBN barcode. Your book designer will know the correct size and placement, but basically, you want to make sure that it’s of the highest possible quality to ensure that laser scanners in retail locations can read it.

Some barcodes have the suggested retail price encoded, but this is not mandatory, especially if your book will be offered in multiple currencies.

Depending on where you live, the barcode may be supplied by the same agency that generates the ISBNs. In the U.S. this agency is Bowker (https://www.myidentifiers.com/identify-protect-your-book/barcode)

Here’s an example of a typical book ISBN barcode:

barcode

Nonfiction Back Cover Examples

Below, you’ll find seven examples of back covers from bestselling books in top nonfiction categories on Amazon, followed by a brief analysis:

1) Biographies & Memories

Title: Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis

Analysis:

In this back cover, the publisher chose a single review from a highly reputable source as a headlining testimonial on top of the back cover, plus a single secondary testimonial above the author bio, reserving most of the real estate for the blurb.

This isn’t uncommon for memoirs since the blurb usually calls for a longer narrative approach than, say, problem-solving nonfiction.

2) Self-Help

Title: The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are

Analysis:

In this case, the publisher chose to use a shortened version of the blurb on the back cover of the paperback edition to open more space for testimonial quotes from other bestselling authors. The full text of the blurb appears online in the book description on Amazon.

3) Politics & Social Sciences

Title: Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators

Analysis:

This is an example of the back cover of a hardcover edition. Since there’s additional marketing real estate in the left and right cover flaps to show the blurb and author bio, the back of hardcover books is usually reserved for reviews and testimonials.

4) Cookbooks, Food & Win

Title: The Easy 5-Ingredient Ketogenic Diet Cookbook: Low-Carb, High-Fat Recipes for Busy People on the Keto Diet

Analysis: Since this is a cookbook, the publisher chose to exclude the author bio and headshot and instead use the reclaimed real estate to list examples of tantalizing recipes.

5) Parenting & Relationships

Title: Parenting from the Inside Out: How a Deeper Self-Understanding Can Help You Raise Children Who Thrive

Analysis:

Here, the publisher chose to maximize the space for testimonial quotes and make up for this real estate by eliminating the author headshot and by combining the blurb and author bio into one.

6) Education & Teaching

Title: Self-theories: Their Role in Motivation, Personality, and Development

Analysis:

In this example, the publisher decided to bypass the author headshot altogether and instead show more testimonials to increase the social proof.

7) Crafts, Hobbies & Home

Title: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing

Analysis:

Given the celebrity status of the author and her popular Netflix series, the publisher decided to focus on just the book blurb with a large author photo and bypass her bio altogether.

Next Steps

Once you’ve crafted all the key elements for your back cover, it’s time to pass the baton to a professional book cover designer to bring all the pieces together.

As a nonfiction author, you shouldn’t attempt to design your own cover or to farm it out to friends and family because, upon first inspection, your reputation as an expert will be measured by the quality of your book cover and this is an area where you can’t afford to cut corners.

All the best!

If you enjoyed this article and are in the process of writing or publishing a nonfiction book, be sure to check out my free nonfiction success guide, drawn from years of experience editing books for bestselling authors (including a New York Times bestseller) and ghostwriting for CEOs and politicians. Simply click here to get instant access.

Ben

Here are some related posts I highly recommend:

How to Write a Compelling Book in 12 Steps: A Must-Read Guide for Nonfiction Authors

How to Grow Your Business Writing a Nonfiction Book

Great Blurb Examples for Nonfiction Books

by Bennett R. Coles Leave a Comment

Blurb Examples for Books

If you’re looking for great nonfiction book blurb examples, you’ve come to the right place.

In this article, you’ll find out why blurbs are critical to the success of your book sales and you’ll learn how to craft the perfect blurb. At the end we’ll deconstruct blurb examples for books in seven bestselling nonfiction categories on Amazon.

What is a Book Blurb?

A book blurb is the marketing text found on the back cover of a physical copy and in the book description found in online bookstores. Blurbs are there to tell readers why they should pick up a copy of the book, not to offer a summary or synopsis of the book.

In other words, blurbs don’t reveal any of the secrets contained in the book. They simply tantalize readers with clever marketing copy to entice a purchase.

For example, here’s the typical process of discovery most readers will follow when they come across your book on Amazon:

They’ll first see your title and cover (as a result of an Amazon search)
Then they’ll read your blurb as it appears on the Amazon book description (shown when they click your title link or your cover)
Next, they’ll use the Look Inside feature to browse your table of contents
Finally, they’ll read your introduction (also through the Look Inside feature)

This is the marketing sequence that closes most book sales, unless a reader is specifically looking for your title due to a recommendation.

For this sequence to work, all the pieces need to fit together (tip: follow the above links to learn how steps 1, 3 and 4 need to be executed to be successful).

Your book blurb is one of the most important marketing pieces in your book, second only to your title.

Book Blurbs Cater to Two Audiences

In the not too distant past, book blurbs needed to be written specifically for your target audience. In today’s cyber world, they need to be written for two somehow-related yet very distinct audiences:

First Audience: Your readers
Second Audience: Amazon’s search algorithm

Even the most eloquent blurb that is perfectly designed for readers will simply not come up in bookstore searches unless it’s optimized for Amazon’s search algorithm.

For example, when you click a book title or cover image on Amazon to view the listing, only the first paragraph in the blurb and a bit of the second will show, followed by a “Read More” link.

This information needs to fulfill two goals:

1) they must be alluring for your readers so they feel compelled to click on “Read More”

2) they must contain highly targeted keywords that your readers are most likely to use when searching Amazon for books in your niche.

When your blurb fulfills the requirements for both audiences, your books will appear more often on user searches, and those users will feel compelled to read your blurb before they read your competitor’s.

Nonfiction Book Blurb Formula

Book Blurb Formula

In order to create a strong blurb, you need to follow a well-established formula borrowed from the world of advertising. When advertisers create copy, their goal is to make sure that 1) their targets identify with the ad, 2) that they clearly understand the benefits being presented and 3) that they see their aspirations fulfilled in buying the product.

Now, there are many ways to accomplish this goal, as you’ll see in the multiple examples listed at the end of this article. However, they all need to follow the same basic formula.

In order to compel your readers to take action and purchase your book, you’ll need to:

Clearly state the main problem suffered by your target audience: Here’s where your target audience research becomes critical. In order to clearly state the main problem that afflicts your audience, which your book will solve, you need to know and understand your audience deeply. You need to know their hopes, dreams, challenges and what keeps them up at night.
Show what your solution will accomplish (but never show how it’ll do it!): Now that you’ve connected to your reader’s pain, you need to show them what your book will do to eliminate this pain – but you won’t tell them the “how.” Here’s an example for a self-help book:

- Learn how to easily overcome the barriers standing between you and your goals
- Learn how to reduce conflict and increase enjoyment in your interactions with others
- Learn how to develop a clear purpose in life that inspires you every day

Describe what the reader’s future will be like: Finally, it’s time to paint a clear picture that describes your reader’s aspirations. Here’s an example for a book on weight loss for people over 50:

- - Imagine looking forward to actively enjoying the outdoors with energy to spare
  - Being able to wear clothes that haven’t fit you for years
  - Looking in the mirror and feeling young again (the way you’ve always felt on the inside)

Blurb Specifications:

Here are some basic rules of the road that I recommend:

Try to keep your blurb to between 200-220 words
Always write your blurb in the second person
Consider starting your blurb with open-ended questions
Never reveal any of your “secret sauce” in your blurb
Always address your blurb to an audience of one – that is, to each reader individually. For example, don’t say: “…by using these techniques everyone will experience an immediate surge of energy…” instead say: “…by using these techniques you will experience an immediate surge of energy…”

Research Top Nonfiction Books in Your Niche

Finally, there’s no better way to learn how to do something for the first time than by looking at how the masters do it.

Go to Amazon and read the descriptions of the top 7-10 nonfiction books in your niche and deconstruct how they’re written using what you’ve learned in this article. Then make notes of any hooks, questions, and other devices that catch your eye.

If you find them compelling, then it’s probably a good idea to emulate them (without copying the text verbatim, of course). Use this information as inspiration to come up with a great blurb for your own book.

Book Blurb Examples

Below you’ll find examples of blurbs from a book in each of seven popular bestselling nonfiction categories on Amazon, followed by my analysis:

1) Biographies & Memories

Title: Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis

Blurb:

Hillbilly Elegy is a passionate and personal analysis of a culture in crisis—that of white working-class Americans. The disintegration of this group, a process that has been slowly occurring now for more than forty years, has been reported with growing frequency and alarm, but has never before been written about as searingly from the inside. J. D. Vance tells the true story of what a social, regional, and class decline feels like when you were born with it hung around your neck.

The Vance family story begins hopefully in postwar America. J. D.’s grandparents were “dirt poor and in love,” and moved north from Kentucky’s Appalachia region to Ohio in the hopes of escaping the dreadful poverty around them. They raised a middle-class family, and eventually one of their grandchildren would graduate from Yale Law School, a conventional marker of success in achieving generational upward mobility. But as the family saga of Hillbilly Elegy plays out, we learn that J.D.’s grandparents, aunt, uncle, sister, and, most of all, his mother struggled profoundly with the demands of their new middle-class life, never fully escaping the legacy of abuse, alcoholism, poverty, and trauma so characteristic of their part of America. With piercing honesty, Vance shows how he himself still carries around the demons of his chaotic family history.

A deeply moving memoir, with its share of humor and vividly colorful figures, Hillbilly Elegy is the story of how upward mobility really feels. And it is an urgent and troubling meditation on the loss of the American dream for a large segment of this country.

Analysis: Since this is a memoir, the blurb’s structure is less about problem-solving and more about the main thesis of the book: the disintegration of white working-class Americans and their struggles. However, the blurb still reflects on a key pain of its target audience: the loss of the American dream.

2) Self-Help

Title: The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are

Blurb:

When our embarrassments and fears lie, we often listen to them anyway. They thwart our gratitude, acceptance, and compassion—our goodness. They insist, “I am not worthy.” But we are worthy—of self-discovery, personal growth, and boundless love. With Brené Brown’s game-changing New York Times bestseller The Gifts of Imperfection—which has sold more than 2 million copies in more than 30 different languages, and Forbes recently named one of the “Five Books That Will Actually Change Your Outlook On Life”—we find courage to overcome paralyzing fear and self-consciousness, strengthening our connection to the world.

A motivational and inspiring guide to wholehearted living, rather than just the average self-help book, with this groundbreaking work Brené Brown, Ph.D., bolsters the self-esteem and personal development process through her characteristic heartfelt, honest storytelling. With original research and plenty of encouragement, she explores the psychology of releasing our definitions of an “imperfect” life and embracing living authentically. Brown’s “ten guideposts” are benchmarks for authenticity that can help anyone establish a practice for a life of honest beauty—a perfectly imperfect life.

Now more than ever, we all need to cultivate feelings of self-worth, as well as acceptance and love for ourselves. In a world where insults, criticisms, and fears are spread too generously alongside messages of unrealistic beauty, attainment, and expectation, we look for ways to “dig deep” and find truth and gratitude in our lives. A new way forward means we can’t hold on too tightly to our own self-defeating thoughts or the displaced pain in our world. Instead, we can embrace the imperfection.

Analysis: This is a textbook example of a problem-solving nonfiction book blurb: it first states the problem clearly, then it describes the solution without revealing any secrets, and finally it shows aspirational results to be anticipated by its target audience.

3) Health

Title: This Naked Mind: Control Alcohol, Find Freedom, Discover Happiness & Change Your Life

Blurb:

This Naked Mind has ignited a movement across the country, helping thousands of people forever change their relationship with alcohol.

Many people question whether drinking has become too big a part of their lives and worry that it may even be affecting their health. But they resist change because they fear losing the pleasure and stress relief associated with alcohol and assume giving it up will involve deprivation and misery.

This Naked Mind offers a new, positive solution. Here, Annie Grace clearly presents the psychological and neurological components of alcohol use based on the latest science and reveals the cultural, social, and industry factors that support alcohol dependence in all of us. Packed with surprising insight into the reasons we drink, this book will open your eyes to the startling role of alcohol in our culture and how the stigma of alcoholism and recovery keeps people from getting the help they need. With Annie’s own extraordinary and candid personal story at its heart, this book is a must-listen for anyone who drinks.

This Naked Mind will give you freedom from alcohol. It removes the psychological dependence so that you will not crave alcohol, allowing you to easily drink less (or stop drinking). With clarity, humor, and a unique blend of science and storytelling, This Naked Mind will open the door to the life you have been waiting for.

Analysis: Another example of a textbook nonfiction blurb, with the addition of a short intro that gives context to the book in light of the movement that it’s managed to spark.

4) Dieting

Title: Instant Loss: Eat Real, Lose Weight: How I Lost 125 Pounds

Blurb:

Brittany Williams has taken the weight loss world by storm with her best-selling Instant Loss Cookbook. After reaching a peak weight of 260 pounds and spending a lifetime struggling with obesity, yo-yo dieting, autoimmune diseases, and chronic fatigue, Brittany changed her relationship with food and lost an astonishing 125 pounds in a year through diet alone. She cut processed and takeout foods from her diet and eliminated gluten, most grains, and sugar, all without sacrificing the flavors of the foods she loved, and quickly grew legions of fans as she shared her meal plans on InstantLoss.com. Armed with a collection of 125 all-new delicious recipes for the Instant Pot, air fryer, and more, Brittany’s latest book shows how to make this a sustainable lifestyle with kid and family-friendly meals—from Strawberry Shortcake Oatmeal to Cowboy Chili to Easy 2-Minute Pork Chops. Members of her growing community have reported losing 50 and even 100 pounds themselves, and this cookbook will help others achieve similar success with simple, delicious meals, nearly all ready in 30 minutes or less.

Analysis: Here, the author is using her own personal journey as a reflection of the struggles of her target audience. She then continues in her narrative by expounding the benefits of her “life-changing” meal plans and ends with aspirational testimonials from her followers to add social proof.

5) Fitness

Title: Ready to Run: Unlocking Your Potential to Run Naturally

Blurb:

Are You Ready to Run?

Is there a bridge from the injury-ridden world of the modern runner to the promised land that barefoot running and Born to Run have led us to believe exists? Can we really live the running life free from injury? Is there an approach designed to unlock all the athletic potential that may be hidden within? Can we run faster, longer, and more efficiently?

In a direct answer to the modern runner’s needs, Dr. Kelly Starrett, author of the bestseller Becoming a Supple Leopard: The Ultimate Guide to Resolving Pain, Preventing Injury, and Optimizing Athletic Performance, has focused his revolutionary movement and mobility philosophy on the injury-plagued world of running.

Despite the promises of the growing minimalist-shoe industry and a rush of new ideas on how to transform running technique, more than three out of four runners suffer at least one injury per year. Although we may indeed be “Born to Run,” life in the modern world has trashed and undercut dedicated runners wishing to transform their running. The harsh effects of too much sitting and too much time wearing the wrong shoes has left us shackled to lower back problems, chronic knee injuries, and debilitating foot pain.

In this book, you will learn the 12 standards that will prepare your body for a lifetime of top-performance running. You won’t just be prepared to run in a minimalist shoe–you’ll be Ready to Run, period.

In Ready to Run, you will learn:

The 12 performance standards you must work toward and develop on an ongoing basis
How to tap into all of your running potential and access a fountain of youth for lifelong running
How to turn your weaknesses into strengths
How to prevent chronic overuse injuries by building powerful injury-prevention habits into your day
How to prepare your body for the demands of changing your running shoes and running technique
How to treat pain and swelling with cutting-edge modalities and accelerate your recovery
How to equip your home mobility gym
A set of mobility exercises for restoring optimal function and range of motion to your joints and tissues
How to run faster, run farther, and run better

Analysis: This blurb begins with a set of open-ended questions that address the main issue experienced by its target audience (enjoying the runner’s life free of debilitating injuries) and it ends with a large list of bullet points outlining the main lessons of the book, which includes a mix of solutions and aspirational statements.

6) Cookbooks, Food & Wine

Title: The Easy 5-Ingredient Ketogenic Diet Cookbook: Low-Carb, High-Fat Recipes for Busy People on the Keto Diet

Blurb:

Keto success is achieved by following low-carb principles, but the busy ketogenic dieter may find themselves distracted before reaching their diet destination. The Easy 5-Ingredient Ketogenic Diet Cookbook is more than a set of keto recipes, it’s a simple, adaptable solution to help maintain your keto diet no matter how hectic your lifestyle.

Perfect for on-the-go keto, The Easy 5-Ingredient Ketogenic Diet Cookbook provides 125 quick, keto-compliant recipes using a handful of easy-to-find ingredients. These low-carb, one-container meals can easily be modified to fit your own tastes, so you can keep your keto unique and utterly delicious.

With no-fuss recipes and no-nonsense guidance, The Easy 5-Ingredient Ketogenic Diet Cookbook includes:

Take five―Try out fast, flavorful, 5-ingredient ketogenic diet recipes with nutritional information (including macros)
Single container, endless meals―Make cooking and clean-up stress-free with 30-minute, one-pot meals
Customize your keto―Use substitution tips and delicious variations to easily customize your keto-friendly menu

The Easy 5-Ingredient Ketogenic Diet Cookbook transforms five everyday ingredients into a lifetime of countless, delicious meals.

Analysis: As a cookbook, this title doesn’t need to follow a compelling problem-solving arc, however, it still loosely follows the same nonfiction blurb formula (problem: busy dieter gets distracted and doesn’t accomplish Keto goals, solution: Keto-compliant recipes with easy-to-find ingredients, Aspiration: endless stress-free meals)

7) Parenting & Relationships

Title: Parenting from the Inside Out: How a Deeper Self-Understanding Can Help You Raise Children Who Thrive

Blurb:

In Parenting from the Inside Out, child psychiatrist Daniel J. Siegel, M.D., and early childhood expert Mary Hartzell, M.Ed., explore the extent to which our childhood experiences shape the way we parent. Drawing on stunning new findings in neurobiology and attachment research, they explain how interpersonal relationships directly impact the development of the brain, and offer parents a step-by-step approach to forming a deeper understanding of their own life stories, which will help them raise compassionate and resilient children.

Born out of a series of parents’ workshops that combined Siegel’s cutting-edge research on how communication impacts brain development with Hartzell’s decades of experience as a child-development specialist and parent educator, this book guides parents through creating the necessary foundations for loving and secure relationships with their children.

Analysis: This book uses the standard blurb formula but following a more academic approach, where the problem-solution-aspiration trifecta is embedded in a scientific narrative.

Next Steps

Once you master the marketing copy of your book blurb, your next step is to create a book introduction that closes the deal!

Best of luck!

Ben

Here are some related posts I highly recommend:

How to Write a Compelling Book in 12 Steps: A Must-Read Guide for Nonfiction Authors

How to Grow Your Business Writing a Nonfiction Book

Write Your Own Book and Become an Expert: 11 Reasons Why You Should

Paragraph Types with Examples: A Primer for Nonfiction Authors

by Bennett R. Coles Leave a Comment

Types of Paragraph with Examples PDF

This article will focus on the different types of paragraphs that you can use in nonfiction writing with clear examples for your reference.

There are four types that are ideally suited for this genre. Each has different characteristics that’ll work best in different areas of your book, as explained below:

Expository Paragraph Type:

This type is used to inform and educate the reader (however, it’s not meant for you to express your opinion).

Descriptive Paragraph Type:

This type is used to paint a picture in the reader’s mind.

Narrative Paragraph Type:

This type is used to bring the reader along your character’s emotional journey.

Persuasive Paragraph Type:

This type is used to convince the reader to side with you and your beliefs.

Each one of the four paragraph types fulfills a different purpose:

The expository paragraph type is used to convey well-researched findings to back up your solution in a way that establishes you as an expert in the reader’s eyes.
The descriptive paragraph type is used to paint vivid pictures in your reader’s mind of someone like them, both before and after they apply your solution.
The narrative paragraph type is used to take your reader through an emotional journey from problem to solution, as lived by the characters in your case studies.
The persuasive paragraph type is used to convince your reader why your solution will be different than any other than they might have tried in the past.

Let’s now go over each paragraph type in detail:

Characteristics of the Expository Paragraph Type

The expository paragraph type is used to build your credibility as an expert. You’ll achieve this goal by presenting facts, statistics and other data required to back up your solution.

What is This Paragraph Type Not Used For?

This paragraph type is not used to express your opinion or to influence your reader. Try to stay away from “loaded words” that carry a high emotional charge, since they’ll create a conflict with the factual nature of the type.

Expository Paragraph Example

“The fundamental question of work and leisure raised by Weiss is particularly relevant as a generation called Millennials moves firmly into the workforce. I know many Millennials and in general they’re hard-working, passionate young men and women who are eager to work, but they want to enjoy and draw meaning from their jobs.

Most are sensible enough to have a day-job to pay the bills, but many have a “side hustle” – a hobby or a business idea into which they pour their passion and hope to one day monetize.

Weiss recognizes this trend in workers, but an interesting disconnect between Weiss’ article and today is the discussion of self-employment. Weiss notes that self-employed workers are generally most satisfied even if they earn less, but also makes the observation that self-employment has significantly declined.

In this example the author is using expository paragraphs to present and analyze research findings by a recognized expert in the field.

Characteristics of the Descriptive Paragraph Type

As the old adage says, a picture is worth a thousand words, and this is where the descriptive paragraph type comes in handy. One of the best devices to engage your reader’s senses is to paint a clear picture of how your solution will work in their life.

The descriptive paragraph type is not only used to engage your audience’s five senses but also their feelings. Your goal is to engage your reader so closely that they feel they’re actually “there.” This is a powerful literary device used to great effect in the fiction genre and you’ll be borrowing from it for your nonfiction book.

What is This Paragraph Type Not Used For?

This paragraph type is not used to narrate. In other words, the descriptive type is never used to tell a story or to give insights into the thoughts or the emotional state of characters in your book.

Descriptive Paragraph Example

“Coming down to Bridge Park had been a good idea, he decided. Leaving the crowded mass of the city behind he’d ridden the train south, through the razed land and out onto the delta.

Rice paddies stretched to every horizon, blurring the line between land, river and sea. And then, in the shadow of the ruined supports of the bridge, the park rose like a garden oasis above the lowlands.

He obviously wasn’t the only person with the same idea today, and the park was lifted by the shrieks of children playing on the bridge replica fun zone behind him.”

In the above passage, the author is using the descriptive paragraph type to paint a picture in the mind of the reader by using specific adjectives and adverbs that appeal to the reader’s senses.

Characteristics of the Narrative Paragraph Type

Narrative writing can be used very effectively in problem-solving nonfiction through the power of story-telling. Nonfiction books without any story-telling are not as engaging as they could be.

Use stories to create an emotional connection with your readers by making them become invested in characters that they can relate to – characters that also “feel their pain.” They could be about yourself, past clients, or fictional characters that combine the experiences of multiple clients.

What is This Paragraph Type Not Used For?

The narrative paragraph type is not used to introduce facts and figures and it’s not used to influence or persuade your audience.

Narrative Paragraph Example

“Christopher Reeve was one courageous person who fully accepted an unexpected change in direction in his life. The icon of superhuman strength in the 80’s, he was the quintessential Superman. An actor of great appeal and talent, he represented the ideal combination of manliness, strength, seeker of justice, and savior of humankind.

In May 1995, he was riding his horse and had a serious fall. The accident damaged his spinal cord such that he was left a quadriplegic and had to use a machine to help him breathe. The accident sent shock waves around the world. How could Superman be rendered a quadriplegic? It was unfathomable.

After many months of grueling physical therapy, he learned how to function in this new altered state. The emotional toll was great as he and his family struggled with the changes this accident brought into their lives.

Within a year, however, he had founded a charitable organization called the Christopher Reeve Foundation in order to raise money for research on spinal cord injuries and made it his mission to find a way for all victims of these devastating injuries to walk again.”

Here the author is using the narrative paragraph type to portray the dramatic fall in the fortunes of a celebrity after a traumatic life event, and how he resolved the conflict in his life to become a real-life superhero in the eyes of his followers.

Characteristics of the Persuasive Paragraph Type

The persuasive paragraph type can be used to great effect in problem-solving nonfiction books. Your goal is not just to communicate and teach new skills, but also to persuade your reader to take action and implement your solution in their lives.

You want to persuade readers by appealing to them on an emotional level and using your connection and your credibility as an expert to convince them to side with you. The aim of persuasive writing is to align your reader’s goals with your own.

What is This Paragraph Type Not Used For?

Doing anything that takes your reader out of the plane of reality – such as by going into a detailed description of places, circumstances or events or into a deep narrative.

Persuasive Paragraph Example

“‘I’m too old’ or ‘It’s too late to change’ are nothing but limiting beliefs. Like any other beliefs, they’re fully under your control and are totally replaceable. In the end, you’re the one who truly runs the show, as much as you’re taught to believe the opposite. When it comes to making changes in your life, you have the ultimate say. If you end up doing what others think you should, it’s only because on some level you’ve made the decision to believe that their ideas are more worthy than your own.

If you want to change, you have to start believing in what you want to do, no matter what other people’s ‘opinions’ are. And you have to believe that the changes you want to make are worth it, regardless of your age or your circumstances.

Life consists of a collection of ‘moments.’ This very moment and every moment after it are what your life is made of. If you live your life worrying about the future, regretting the past or even living how others tell you to live, then you aren’t living ‘your’ moments.

All it really takes to become in charge of your own life is to simply decide to do so. Your process of reinvention is 100% yours. Don’t be afraid to use it fully to our advantage. Don’t be afraid to think big thoughts. Remember, you can make a difference: you are the difference!”

In this example, the author is using persuasive writing to influence readers to take action by changing their belief system through replacing limiting beliefs with empowering ones.

In Conclusion

The use of the above four paragraph types will add more texture to your nonfiction writing, and when used strategically it’ll make your writing much more engaging for your readers.

Ben

Here are some related posts I highly recommend:

How to Write a Compelling Book in 12 Steps: A Must-Read Guide for Nonfiction Authors

Nonfiction Short Author Bio: 6 Steps to the Perfect Bio (with Examples)

by Bennett R. Coles Leave a Comment

Short Author Bio Examples

In this article you’ll find 12 short author bio examples for your nonfiction book and you’ll also learn the 6 steps that are instrumental in creating a bio that’s compelling and that enhances the marketing message on your book cover.

I’ll begin by outlining the 6 key components of the perfect nonfiction author bio and then end by showing you specific examples of great short author bios in each of the 12 bestselling nonfiction categories on Amazon.

Here are the 6 steps:

Step 1: Always use a professional headshot in your bio

When it comes to short author bios, this information will be shown not only on the back cover of your book but also on the author pages of your website, online bookstores and any other website where you’ve contributed content.

It’s imperative that you invest in a professional photographer for your headshot. Most authors prefer to use a black & white headshot, but many choose a color image instead. Check the top selling books in your niche for inspiration on colors and poses.

Step 2: Write your bio in the third person, starting with your full name

The vast majority of author bios are written in the third person. A small percentage uses the first person, but this is typically done to abide by the publishing standards of websites where you’re a contributor.

Nonfiction books benefit from bios written in the third person because doing so contributes to the expert persona of the author.

Step 3: State your area of expertise and how long you’ve practiced in it

The next sentence in your bio will state your area of expertise, which should naturally be of high relevance to your target audience, and also the length of time of your training.

If the length of your experience is shorter than 5-7 years, you’ll be better off not quoting a figure in your bio – you don’t want to create the perception that you’re a newbie.

Step 4: Explain what you do in relation to the needs of your target audience

(Note: this section is optional but recommended for some categories, such as self-help, health, dieting, spirituality, etc.)

This step is different than Step 3 in that your focus is less on your area of expertise (e.g. … is a certified psychologist with 20 years of experience) and more on what you specifically do that’s relevant to the needs of your target audience (e.g. … has drawn on breakthrough principles of cognitive therapy to help people overcome the fear of intimacy, irrational low self-esteem and other self-defeating behavior patterns).

Step 5: State your current/recent work-business credentials (including awards, bestselling titles, etc.)

This is the part where you sing your praises. However, this isn’t meant to brag but to add third-party validation to what you’re bringing to the table. The more recognizable the third parties, the more seriously you’ll be taken.

Step 6: Bring the bio to a close with a personal touch

(Note: this step is optional but recommended)

Since your nonfiction book will automatically paint you as an expert, perhaps making you appear distant from the common person, it’s always a good idea to bring up elements from your personal life to show readers that you’re relatable.

Note that this section may not be as relevant in certain categories, e.g. money and finance, academic or scientific subjects.

Short Author Bio Examples

Since nonfiction topics are so vast and no one size fits all, here are specific examples from each of the top 12 bestselling nonfiction categories on Amazon that you can use for reference:

1) Biographies & Memories

Title:Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis

Short Author Bio: J.D. Vance grew up in the Rust Belt city of Middletown, Ohio, and the Appalachian town of Jackson, Kentucky. He enlisted in the Marine Corps after high school and served in Iraq. A graduate of the Ohio State University and Yale Law School, he has contributed to the National Review and is a principal at a leading Silicon Valley investment firm. Vance lives in San Francisco with his wife and two dogs.

Analysis: This is a textbook implementation of the above 6-step process, with the optional Step 4 excluded from the bio.

2) Self-Help

Title:The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are

Short Author Bio: Dr. Brené Brown is a research professor at the University of Houston where she holds the Huffington Foundation – Brené Brown Endowed Chair at The Graduate College of Social Work. She has spent the past two decades studying courage, vulnerability, shame, and empathy and is the author of five #1 New York Times bestsellers: The Gifts of Imperfection, Daring Greatly, Rising Strong, Braving the Wilderness, and her latest book, Dare to Lead, which is the culmination of a seven-year study on courage and leadership. Brené lives in Houston, Texas with her husband, Steve. They have two children, Ellen and Charlie.

Analysis: Another textbook implementation, this time including Step 4.

3) Religion & Spirituality

Title: Awaken: 90 Days with the God Who Speaks

Short Author Bio: Priscilla Shirer is a wife and mom first, but put a Bible in her hand and a message in her heart, and you’ll see why thousands meet God in powerful, personal ways at her conferences and through her books and Bible studies. She and her husband, Jerry, lead Going Beyond Ministries through which they provide spiritual support and resources to the body of Christ. They count it as their greatest privilege to serve every denomination and culture across the spectrum of the church. Between writing and studying, you’ll probably find Priscilla at home cleaning up after (and trying to satisfy the appetites of) her three rapidly growing boys.

Analysis: Here, the author has chosen to end her bio with a mundane anecdote from her personal life to counter the possible perception of a religious leader that may have little in common with her followers.

4) Health

Title: This Naked Mind: Control Alcohol, Find Freedom, Discover Happiness & Change Your Life

Short Author Bio: Annie Grace grew up in a one-room log cabin without running water or electricity outside of Aspen, Colorado. She discovered a passion for marketing and after graduating with a Masters of Science (Marketing) she dove into corporate life. At the age of 26, Annie was the youngest vice president in a multinational company, and her drinking career began in earnest. At 35, in a global C-level marketing role, she was responsible for marketing in 28 countries and drinking almost two bottles of wine a night. Knowing she needed a change but unwilling to submit to a life of deprivation and stigma, Annie set out to find a painless way to regain control. Annie no longer drinks and has never been happier. She left her executive role to write this book and share This Naked Mind with the world. In her free time, Annie loves to ski, travel (26 countries and counting), and enjoy her beautiful family. Annie lives with her husband and two sons in the Colorado mountains.

Analysis: Given her lack of formal training, the author chose to expand Step 4 into a mini narrative of her personal journey in order to illustrate why she’s qualified to write this book.

5) Dieting

Title:Instant Loss: Eat Real, Lose Weight: How I Lost 125 Pounds

Short Author Bio: Brittany Williams, a mother of three, blogger and self-proclaimed lover of food, decided to make a big change in her diet by removing processed snacks, takeout and high-calorie meals from her family’s menus. She replaced those foods with healthier meals she could make in her Instant Pot. She has since lost 125 lbs and has been featured in several media outlets including Good Morning America, The Today Show, US Weekly and more.

Analysis: Here the author is using personal accomplishments and the resulting mainstream media exposure as a way to prop up her credibility due to her lack of formal credentials.

6) Fitness

Title:Ready to Run: Unlocking Your Potential to Run Naturally

Short Author Bio: Dr. Kelly Starrett is a coach, physical therapist, author, speaker, and co-founder of MobilityWOD.com, which has revolutionized how athletes think about human movement and athletic performance. His first two books, Becoming A Supple Leopard and Ready To Run, are New York Times and Wall Street Journal Bestsellers. Becoming A Supple Leopard was also one of the 100 Most Notable Books of 2013 on Amazon. Kelly is also the co-author of the Wall Street Journal Bestseller, Deskbound, which he wrote with his wife Juliet.

Analysis: Here we see a strong focus on accomplishments because in this market niche the credibility of the author’s results-driven body of work is key. A personal touch is less relevant in this category and therefore omitted.

7) Politics & Social Sciences

Title:Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators

Short Author Bio: Ronan Farrow is an investigative journalist who writes for The New Yorker and makes documentaries for HBO. He has been an anchor and reporter at MSNBC and NBC News, and his writing has appeared in publications including The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post. A series of stories he wrote in 2017 exposed the first allegations of sexual assault against the movie producer Harvey Weinstein. Prior to his work as a journalist, he served as a State Department official in Afghanistan and Pakistan and reported to the Secretary of State as a senior official focused on youth uprisings. He is a Yale Law School-educated attorney and studied at Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar. He is a winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service, the George Polk Award, and the National Magazine Award, among other commendations, and has been named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People (and also one of People’s Sexiest Men Alive, which doesn’t have anything to do with his career, but he still brings it up a lot)

Analysis: In this bio the author’s “celebrity” credentials take center stage. Interestingly, as a counterpoint to the seriousness of the subject matter, the author chose to close his bio with a bit of humor and levity.

8) Cookbooks, Food & Wine

Title:The Easy 5-Ingredient Ketogenic Diet Cookbook: Low-Carb, High-Fat Recipes for Busy People on the Keto Diet

Short Author Bio: Jen Fisch, creator of the blog Keto In The City, and international best-selling cookbook author, is passionate about offering simple solutions for following the ketogenic lifestyle. She is a single, working mother who has battled autoimmune disorders for 20 years and has turned to the kitchen to find simple, delicious ways to make the ketogenic diet work for her busy lifestyle. She is not a nutritionist or trained chef, just a determined mom who searched high and low for a way of eating that would reduce the inflammation caused by her autoimmune disorders and allow her to feel like the very best version of herself. She lives with her daughter in Hermosa Beach, California

Analysis: Since the author lacks formal training, she chose to share her personal experience in the bio by showcasing results in order to strengthen her credibility. Her goal is to attract readers who are currently suffering from the same ailment that she figured out a way out of.

9) Business & Money

Title:It’s Your Ship: Management Techniques from the Best Damn Ship in the Navy

Short Author Bio: Captain D. Michael Abrashoff is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD, and was a military assistant to the former secretary of defense, the Honorable Dr. William J. Perry. Abrashoff left the navy in 2001 and became the founder and CEO of Grassroots Leadership, Inc. in Boston. You can visit his website at www.grassrootsleadership.com.

Analysis: In this bio the author chose not to follow Steps 4 or 6 – this is not uncommon for this category of nonfiction.

10) Parenting & Relationships

Title:Parenting from the Inside Out: How a Deeper Self-Understanding Can Help You Raise Children Who Thrive

Short Author Bio: Daniel J. Siegel, M.D., is an internationally acclaimed author, award-winning educator, and child psychiatrist. He is currently a clinical professor of psychiatry at the UCLA School of Medicine where he also serves as a co-investigator at the Center for Culture, Brain, and Development and co-director of the Mindful Awareness Research Center. He is also the Executive Director of the Mindsight Institute, an educational center devoted to promoting insight, compassion, and empathy in individuals, families, institutions and communities. He is the Founding Editor of the Norton Professional Series on Interpersonal Neurobiology. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two children.

Analysis: This author bio is another textbook implementation of Steps 1-6.

11) Education & Teaching

Title:Self-theories: Their Role in Motivation, Personality, and Development

Short Author Bio: Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D., is widely regarded as one of the world’s leading researchers in the fields of personality, social psychology, and developmental psychology. She has been the William B. Ransford Professor of Psychology at Columbia University and is now the Lewis and Virginia Eaton Professor of Psychology at Stanford University and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Her scholarly book Self-Theories: Their Role in Motivation, Personality, and Development was named Book of the Year by the World Education Fellowship. Her work has been featured in such publications as The New Yorker, Time, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Boston Globe, and she has appeared on Today and 20/20. She lives with her husband in Palo Alto, California.

Analysis: Another textbook implementation…

12) Crafts, Hobbies & Home

Title:The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing

Short Author Bio: Marie Kondo is a tidying expert, bestselling author, star of Netflix’s hit show, “Tidying Up With Marie Kondo,” and founder of KonMari Media, Inc. Enchanted with organizing since her childhood, Marie began her tidying consultant business as a 19-year-old university student in Tokyo. Today, Marie is a renowned tidying expert helping people around the world to transform their cluttered homes into spaces of serenity and inspiration. Marie has been featured on more than fifty major Japanese television and radio programs as well as in Time Magazine, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The London Times, Vogue Magazine, the Ellen Show, the Rachael Ray Show and many more. She has also been listed as one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people.

Analysis: In this bio the author relies on mainstream media validation to make her case for expertise given her established celebrity status in the niche.

Next Steps

Now you have the tools to help you craft a great short author bio for your nonfiction book. Before you put pen to paper, however, check out author bios in the top books in your niche to see which steps are more or less relevant in your case.

To do so you’ll need to make a special trip to your local bookstore or library and take notes, because Amazon’s Look Inside feature doesn’t show back covers where the author bio is typically placed.

Once you do this research, you’ll have all the information you need to craft a compelling author bio that’ll act as a great bookend to the marketing copy on your cover.

Best of luck!

If you enjoyed this article and are in the process of publishing a nonfiction book, be sure to check out my free nonfiction success guide, drawn from years of experience editing books for bestselling authors (including a New York Times bestseller) and ghostwriting for CEOs and politicians. Simply click here to get instant access.

Ben

Here are some related posts I highly recommend:

How to Write a Compelling Book in 12 Steps: A Must-Read Guide for Nonfiction Authors

How to Grow Your Business Writing a Nonfiction Book

Write Your Own Book and Become an Expert: 11 Reasons Why You Should

Great Blurb Examples for Nonfiction Books

How to Create a Great Book Back Cover Design for Nonfiction [with Examples]

How to Make My Nonfiction Writing Better in 9 Easy Steps

by Bennett R. Coles Leave a Comment

How to Make my Writing Better

If you’re writing nonfiction and want to make your writing better, the following 9 steps will teach you the best practices used by the pros in the genre to write great book after great book.

Here we go!

Step 1: Analyze the Top Books in Your Niche

The best authors in the nonfiction genre are popular because they truly understand their target audience. They know what makes them tick and they know how to connect with them at a deep level.

The top books in your niche will teach you the strategies that you need to develop to become a good nonfiction writer. All you have to do is to take the time to read them with your author’s hat on.

Find out What Techniques They Use to Engage Readers

Something the pros know how to do well is to engage their readers early in the book and then never let them go. They achieve this goal through a couple of clever techniques:

They Make Use of Hooks

Successful nonfiction authors are experts at grabbing the reader’s attention at the beginning of each chapter and keeping it all the way through to the end. They accomplish this task with the use of a “hooky” opening statement created to captivate readers.

Opening statements could offer new information that catches readers by surprise. They could also be controversial or be phrased as a burning open question that readers must know the answer to.

Hooks can also be attention-grabbing facts and statistics that are counter intuitive to the reader (e.g. “According to the National Department of XXX the second leading cause of death is not YYY as most people think but ZZZ” – which happens to be a pain point readers have).

Read several bestselling books in your niche and analyze the different hooks they use and then take notes. They are powerful devices to glue readers to the page.

They Make Use of Compelling Chapter Titles

Well-crafted chapter titles also make very powerful hooks for nonfiction books. The best way to create compelling chapter titles is to borrow from the world of advertising headlines.

The goal is to draw people’s attention and to persuade them to take action (i.e. read the chapter). Here are some effective headline techniques:

Use a “How To” statement (e.g. “How to Win the Game Without Knowing the Rules”)
Use a memorable phrase (e.g. “One More Thing”)
Use a question (e.g. “How Green is the Grass on Your Side of the Fence?”)
Make a controversial statement (e.g. “Why Diets Never Work”)
Use comparisons (e.g. “Setting Goals Instead of Expectations”)

An effective way to do great headline research for nonfiction books is to use the “Look Inside” feature on the Amazon bookstore to browse the table of contents of books in your niche.

Find out How They Use Story Telling

Use Story Telling

A key aim of nonfiction is to bring those lessons you’ve learned throughout your life onto the page to show your readers that once armed with them they can too overcome a difficult problem in their lives.

Now, instead of teaching readers by using facts and statistics, successful nonfiction authors use stories to create an emotional connection. They make readers become invested in their stories by creating characters that they can relate to – characters that also “feel their pain.”

You can draw ideas for stories from past clients or you can create fictional characters that combine the experiences of several clients. Story telling works so well because readers remember stories much more readily than naked facts and figures.

Stories map closer to the retention and retrieval mechanisms of our brain. We retain information much better through association and observation than by rote.

Find out How They Structure Their Books

Nonfiction bestsellers have well thought-out structures. At the beginning of the book authors always acknowledge the reader’s awareness of the challenge they want to overcome. Then, they proceed to unveil throughout the book the solution that will take care of that challenge.

You’ll find that good books take readers through a calculated journey of discovery. They never reveal too much too soon and they never leave all the “goodies” for the end.

Study the structure of the top books in your niche for ideas to help you develop your own structure.

Find out How They Create Flow

Bestselling nonfiction doesn’t take you through a dry and linear lesson plan either. These books make sure that you “flow” through an engaging journey that just happens to be littered with lessons.

But flow is an abstract concept that’s hard to capture in a formula. In order to develop a good flow in your book, it’s easier to focus on those things that can stop it so you can avoid them.

Here’s a short list of flow-stoppers you want to stay away from:

Run-on or confusing sentences. If readers need to figure out what a sentence means, the flow will break.
Writing that feels labored. If your writing is too formal or too complex, it creates a detachment for readers that slows down the flow. Bestselling nonfiction is always easy to read and conversational.
Over-explaining. While repetition can be good for helping readers retain information (if it’s done well), over-explaining stops the flow because it can be perceived as condescending. Readers want to connect with the author on a level-playing field, and being exceedingly intricate in your explanations can make you appear as detached.

Step 2: Write Like You’re Being Paid

You Are Being Paid

As in all other creative endeavors, there’s no substitute for “rubber to the road.” There are no shortcuts here, so in order to succeed you’ll have to develop strong writing habits.

Now, professional authors have an advantage over you – they’re getting paid to write, and that works in two ways: as an enticement (the carrot) but also as a motivator (the stick) because advance money usually comes attached to contractual deadlines that are legally binding.

Since you’re not getting paid to write, you need to rewire your brain to take your writing as seriously as if you were. Now, you may not have an advance from a publisher right now, but think of the future revenue your book will generate for your business once it comes out – revenue that would not be attainable without the cachet of having published a book.

For example, think about how once your book is published, you’ll be immediately deemed to be an expert, and with this title come many financial benefits:

You’ll be able to secure paid speaking fees for talks and keynotes
You’ll begin to attract media outlets who want to interview you for your expert opinion
You’ll develop a competitive advantage when you bid for contracts, because most entrepreneurs and business owners don’t publish books. Presenting yourself as an expert with a published book will often sway granting decisions in your favor.

Step 3: Write Daily

The key to becoming a prolific writer lies in your ability to develop the discipline necessary to be constantly evolving your writing craft. The more often you write, the more you’ll be exercising your writing muscle and the better your writing will become over time.

If you’ve ever taken music lessons, you know first-hand how there’s no fast route to getting good – no alternative to practice, practice, practice. That’s the only way to develop the muscle memory required to hit the right notes and get the right feel with consistency.

It’s no different with writing, so make sure that you create a two-hour writing block every day, or at the very least six days a week, and don’t skip it on days when you don’t feel like writing.

Professional writers (or musicians, or any artistic expert for that matter) practice daily, whether they feel like it or not. They’re being paid for the quality of their work, and they know that their quality will suffer unless they commit to a disciplined regime of practice.

But you also have to guard against writer workaholism. What you don’t want to do is to write for five hours straight until you’re creatively spent.

It’s okay to feel inspired, but it’s not okay to reach creative exhaustion. You’ll then be tempted to skip a day to re-charge your “author batteries” since you’ve already covered you daily quota for the next day.

Don’t fall into this trap. If you have a lot of creative juices left after your writing block for that day, just write down these ideas in your notebook and use them to restart your writing session the next day.

Step 4: Write for an Audience of One

For nonfiction books to be effective, they must be addressed to an audience of one. Whenever a reader picks up a book to solve a problem they have, they’ll only be thinking about themselves.

They aren’t interested in something that works for you or for a group or people. So instead of “we,” “I,” “us,” “our,” etc. you have to use “you” and “yours” whenever you’re addressing your readers.

For example, you never want to write: “the next thing we must do is to…” Instead, you want to write: “the next thing you must do is to…”

This isn’t a matter of kowtowing to self-centered people; it’s about creating a deep connection with your audience, and given the impossibility of calling them by their first names the next best thing is to refer to them in the second person.

Whenever you read a well-written nonfiction book in a subject that you’re deeply interested in, you’ll find that you’ll invariably feel that the author is talking directly to you.

This is the feeling that you need to engender with your book. You have to make readers feel that they know you, almost as if you were a friend writing a book to help them in an area of their lives.

Step 5: Write from a Solid Book Outline

Bestselling nonfiction authors never sit down to write a book staring at a blank page, they first create a fully fleshed-out outline of their future book before they dare put pen to paper.

The easiest way for you to create an outline fast is by using the Mind Mapping technique. This technique allows you to do an organized “brain dump” of your knowledge onto a chart or diagram that maps directly to the way your brain organizes and stores information (this is explained it in detail in the article: How to Use a Mind Map to Create a Great Book for Your Business).

Once you have a completed mind map, your next step is to turn it into a book outline. Start a new Word file, Google Doc or equivalent, and then type the categories from your mind map’s main branches on the first level of the list (e.g. 1, 2, 3, etc.).

Then, tab to the next level for each category and begin listing its sub-categories or mind map sub-branches (1a, 1b, 1c, 2a, 2b, 2c, etc.). Continue this process until you exhaust all branches in your mind map.

When you’re done, clean up your sub-categories if necessary. For example if a main category has 20 sub-categories, you may want to combine some of them to create a more manageable number.

Once you have a de-cluttered outline, think about what the best roadmap for your audience would be. Perhaps you’ll need to reorder some of the main categories until you achieve a flow of ideas that makes the best sense.

Each outline topic, sub-topic, etc. will identify a specific chapter or sub-chapter in your book and it’ll also act as the trigger or writing prompt for that section.

Since the content related to each book section is already stored in your brain, you’ll find that all you need to begin writing is a short phrase to prompt you brain into a state of recall.

So, use each outline topic and sub-topic as a seed to write the beginning of each section – just a short sentence will do. These initial sentences are going to be your chapter prompts that will be instrumental for downloading your book content from your brain onto the written page.

When you’re done creating a prompt for each section and sub-section, not only will you be ready to begin the writing process, but you’ll also discover that you’ll never experience “writer’s block.”

Step 6: Write With Your Authentic Voice

Since the most effective nonfiction books are written in a personable and conversational tone, you’ll need to master your ability to communicate with your own voice.

Your goal when communicating as an author/expert is to solve a problem for your audience in a way they feel is attainable. Don’t be afraid to be vulnerable and tell your audience how you struggled with the very same issue in your own past.

At its core, nonfiction writing fulfills the much deeper need to learn from each other, to enrich each other’s lives and to be of service to others. This is what writing really is at its foundation: a vehicle to create a deep connection between human beings – one is the writer, the other is the reader, and this can only be achieved by being yourself.

Your strategy is to always think deeply about your relationship with your clients as you write your thoughts down for your readers. Always write with empathy and your sincerity and authenticity will automatically come forward.

Once you’ve decided to write a book to support and grow your business or career, you have to go “all in.” Don’t try to protect your ideas from theft by just offering a teaser of your knowledge.

Successful writers always bare their souls onto the page. That’s how they’re able to connect so well with their audience. So, be honest, be authentic, be vulnerable, and never hide behind your writing.

The more you give they more you’ll get in return. Your book’s word of mouth marketing will be stronger, you’ll attract more readers, you’ll get better reviews, and in the end, more doors will open for you.

Authenticity in your writing is a great selling tool. But if you combine it with generosity and selflessness, you’ve now created a winner.

Step 7: Eliminate All Distractions

When you sit down to write, make sure you that let the people closest to you know not to interrupt you unless there’s an emergency that only you can take care of – this applies to family if you’re writing at home in the evening, or to your staff if you’re writing in the office before business hours – the expectation for all should be that you’re “not available.”

This also applies to your friends. Ask them not to call, text or message you during your writing blocks. Make sure they understand that you’ll be setting the do-not-disturb feature on your phone so you won’t be able get back to them during this time.

Creativity requires a certain inertia in order to achieve cruising speed. If you allow external circumstances to force you into a stop-and-go situation, you’ll never be able to get up to speed and your writing will suffer.

When you do manage to achieve this level of peace and quiet, you’ll notice how your writing, as well as your time, flies by. After your two hours pass, you’ll be surprised to find that you’ve written upwards of 1,000 words of original text.

Avoid Non-Productive Work at All Cost

This is what I also call “shadow” work. For example, taking hours to figure out how a new, complex piece of writing software works is shadow work.

Spending hours upon hours to create a beautifully-rendered chart or diagram for your book using PowerPoint where a rough paper drawing could be done in 15-20 minutes, is shadow work – this is work that should be left in the hands of a professional graphic designer later on in the publishing cycle.

The same goes for spending long stretches of your valuable time on illustrations (unless you’re a professional illustrator and you’re writing a book about your craft), or on photographs (unless you’re a professional photographer).

Always focus your time primarily on writing. Your job is to write just the text, to create a book version of what’s inside your head. Everything else that’s required to support or embellish your book should be outsourced to someone who does that for a living.

My point here isn’t to make you spend extra money, but to prevent you from sabotaging your creative process by focusing on anything that isn’t actually writing, however tempting it may be.

Avoid Bad Personal Habits

Don’t check your email or your text messages when you’re writing. If someone must reach you right away, they can call you or simply walk in the door. Make sure people always know where to find you.
As an extension to the above, don’t reply to emails during this time. If you promised someone a reply earlier in the day, then wait until after your writing block ends to do so.
Don’t browse the Internet when you’re writing. If you need to do some research for your book, do it outside of your writing blocks. The last thing you want is to fall into a Google-search rabbit hole that ends up eating half your writing time.

Avoid Checking Your Electronic Devices

Set your phone to do-not-disturb and mute the sound on your laptop
Turn both the audible ringer as well as the vibrate function off on your phone settings

Step 8: Tune into WIIFM

A very important aspect for nonfiction book writers is to understand the motivation of your readers.

While fiction readers are motivated by a need to be entertained, by the need to find a respite from the daily realities of life, nonfiction book readers are motivated by the need to solve a pressing problem that’s afflicting them.

Therefore, the question that nonfiction readers will ask themselves at every step as they go through your book’s content is: What’s In It for Me? (It’s often said that the only radio station nonfiction readers are tuned into is WIIFM).

If your book doesn’t address this question every step of the way – that is, if your book veers off from your audience at any point – there’s a strong chance you’ll lose them.

Don’t share a client’s story unless your audience can relate to them and their experiences. Don’t talk about yourself, your experience and your credentials unless you do it in relation to your audience and how they’ll benefit from this information.

Now, you may think that this is selfish behavior, but think about how you behave yourself whenever someone presents you with new information for your consideration. As busy as you are, the first thing that subconsciously comes to mind when you assess whether this is worth your time or not is: what’s in it for me?

Step 9: Create a Feedback Loop

Last but not least, you need to create a feedback loop for your writing process. Remember that you’re writing for your audience not yourself, so you’ll need to create an advance reading group made up of members of your target audience (current and past clients who are good at providing constructive criticism are ideal candidates).

Also, it’s critical that you engage them from the very beginning by inviting them to be a member of your advance reader group. As part of this group, they’ll receive from you advance copies of completed chapters as soon as they become available.

The wider the net of advance readers, the better the feedback you’ll receive, because different parts of your book will resonate better with different people.

What you don’t want to do is to wait for your manuscript to be completed before soliciting feedback, because often times the advance feedback you receive will spur new ideas that will help you rearrange chapters as you build your book, or perhaps even write a new chapter that wasn’t part of the original table of contents.

To make sure the feedback you receive is valuable, try not to include family members of colleagues in your advance reading group unless they happen to fit the profile of your target audience.

Now, you’re certainly welcome to invite them to read your writing separately; just take their feedback with a grain of salt – they’ll want to support you, not criticize you.

Next Steps

Congrats! Now you know the essence of nonfiction writing success. Follow the above 9 Steps and you’ll definitely be taking your writing to the next level.

Best of luck!

If you enjoyed this article be sure to check out my free nonfiction success guide, drawn from years of experience editing books for bestselling authors (including a New York Times bestseller) and ghostwriting for CEOs and politicians. Simply click here to get instant access.

Ben

Here are some related posts I highly recommend:

How to Write a Compelling Book in 12 Steps: A Must-Read Guide for Nonfiction Authors

How to Grow Your Business Writing a Nonfiction Book

Write Your Own Book and Become an Expert: 11 Reasons Why You Should

Legal Disclaimer Examples for Books

by Bennett R. Coles Leave a Comment

Legal Disclaimer Examples for Books

The legal disclaimer examples for books shown below are given as a guideline so that you can become familiar with the legalities of book publishing. Since I’m not an attorney, make sure to consult with one before you publish any book disclaimer statements.

Now, while fiction books require very little in the way of legal disclaimers, nonfiction books are a completely different story.

Depending on your book’s topic, you may be writing in areas that are subject to strict regulatory guidelines for disclosure and you’ll therefore need to engage the services of an attorney in order to create book disclaimers that minimize the chances of being sued by those regulatory agencies.

For example, if you created a system that allows you to lose 20 lbs. in 30 days, you’ve used this system successfully on yourself plus 20 other clients and you have the testimonials to back that up, the FTC will still not allow you to claim that those results are typical and achievable by the average reader.

The same applies to investment advice and SEC regulations on disclosure.

Just make sure that you hire an attorney to craft your nonfiction book disclaimer statements so that you’re well protected.

Book Disclaimer Examples for Fiction and Nonfiction Titles

Legal disclaimers for fiction books are quite straightforward. All you need to establish is that any similarities to people and events is purely coincidental. This can be achieved with a disclaimer that is short and to the point (see first example below).

However, legal disclaimers for nonfiction books are much more involved, depending on your subject.

For instance, books on investment matters will need to abide by SEC disclosure rules and books that promote a specific set of results (e.g. Lose X lbs. in Y time), will have to abide by FTC disclaimers of typicality that require you to disclose average or expected results, as well as the FTC guides concerning the use of endorsements of testimonials.

With these caveats out of the way, let’s look at some disclaimer examples:

Example of a Legal Disclaimer for a Fiction Book

This is a work of fiction. Unless otherwise indicated, all the names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents in this book are either the product of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Example of a Legal Disclaimer for a Nonfiction Book on Health (e.g. weight loss, illness management, alternative medicine, etc.)

Books on Health

The publisher and the author are providing this book and its contents on an “as is” basis and make no representations or warranties of any kind with respect to this book or its contents. The publisher and the author disclaim all such representations and warranties, including but not limited to warranties of healthcare for a particular purpose. In addition, the publisher and the author assume no responsibility for errors, inaccuracies, omissions, or any other inconsistencies herein.

The content of this book is for informational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any condition or disease. You understand that this book is not intended as a substitute for consultation with a licensed practitioner. Please consult with your own physician or healthcare specialist regarding the suggestions and recommendations made in this book. The use of this book implies your acceptance of this disclaimer.

The publisher and the author make no guarantees concerning the level of success you may experience by following the advice and strategies contained in this book, and you accept the risk that results will differ for each individual. The testimonials and examples provided in this book show exceptional results, which may not apply to the average reader, and are not intended to represent or guarantee that you will achieve the same or similar results.

Example of a Legal Disclaimer for a Nonfiction Book on Fitness

Book on Fitness

The publisher and the author strongly recommend that you consult with your physician before beginning any exercise program. You should be in good physical condition and be able to participate in the exercise. The author is not a licensed healthcare care provider and represents that they have no expertise in diagnosing, examining, or treating medical conditions of any kind, or in determining the effect of any specific exercise on a medical condition.

You should understand that when participating in any exercise or exercise program, there is the possibility of physical injury. If you engage in this exercise or exercise program, you agree that you do so at your own risk, are voluntarily participating in these activities, assume all risk of injury to yourself, and agree to release and discharge the publisher and the author from any and all claims or causes of action, known or unknown, arising out of the contents of this book.

The publisher and the author advise you to take full responsibility for your safety and know your limits. Before practicing the skills described in this book, be sure that your equipment is well maintained and do not take risks beyond your level of experience, aptitude, training, and comfort level.

Example of a Legal Disclaimer for a Nonfiction Book on Money (e.g. money management, investment, debt management, etc.)

Books on Money

The information provided in this book is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a source of advice or credit analysis with respect to the material presented. The information and/or documents contained in this book do not constitute legal or financial advice and should never be used without first consulting with a financial professional to determine what may be best for your individual needs.

The publisher and the author do not make any guarantee or other promise as to any results that may be obtained from using the content of this book. You should never make any investment decision without first consulting with your own financial advisor and conducting your own research and due diligence. To the maximum extent permitted by law, the publisher and the author disclaim any and all liability in the event any information, commentary, analysis, opinions, advice and/or recommendations contained in this book prove to be inaccurate, incomplete or unreliable, or result in any investment or other losses.

Content contained or made available through this book is not intended to and does not constitute legal advice or investment advice and no attorney-client relationship is formed. The publisher and the author are providing this book and its contents on an “as is” basis. Your use of the information in this book is at your own risk.

Example of a Legal Disclaimer for a Nonfiction Book on Psychology (e.g. psychology, relationships, self-help, etc.)

Books on Psychology

Although the publisher and the author have made every effort to ensure that the information in this book was correct at press time and while this publication is designed to provide accurate information in regard to the subject matter covered, the publisher and the author assume no responsibility for errors, inaccuracies, omissions, or any other inconsistencies herein and hereby disclaim any liability to any party for any loss, damage, or disruption caused by errors or omissions, whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident, or any other cause.

This publication is meant as a source of valuable information for the reader, however it is not meant as a substitute for direct expert assistance. If such level of assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought.

Next Steps

Now you have a good idea about the role that legal disclaimers play in the book trade.

This is an area where it’s better to be safe than sorry – if your distribution and promotion are limited and your book doesn’t reach a wide audience, your risk will be somewhat mitigated.

But if your book takes off in the market and reaches wide distribution (hurray!), you’ll need to be protected and the cost of an attorney early on in the publishing process will be an investment worth making.

If you enjoyed this article and are in the process of publishing a nonfiction book, be sure to check out my free nonfiction success guide, drawn from years of experience editing books for bestselling authors (including a New York Times bestseller) and ghostwriting for CEOs and politicians. Simply click here to get instant access.

Ben

Leave me a comment below if you have any questions or a specific need that I can help you address – I operate an author services firm that specializes in helping entrepreneurs, professionals and business owners who want to publish books as a calling card for prospects, to establish their status as an expert or to just to generate additional leads for their businesses.

Here are some related posts I highly recommend:

How to Write a Compelling Book in 12 Steps: A Must-Read Guide for Nonfiction Authors

How to Grow Your Business Writing a Nonfiction Book

Write Your Own Book and Become an Expert: 11 Reasons Why You Should

The 10 Must-Have Writing Skills for Nonfiction Authors

The 7 Key Rules for Writers of Outstanding Nonfiction Books

Learn 10 Powerful Writing Habits to Fast Track Your Nonfiction Book

Copyright Page: What All Self-Publishing Authors Should Know

by Bennett R. Coles Leave a Comment

Your book’s copyright page is a key aspect of copyright protection, but isn’t sufficient on its own to fully safeguard the content of your book.

In this article I’ll share all the steps that you need to take in addition to creating a copyright page to maximize your protection against copyright infringement.

What Protections Does a Book Copyright Confer to the Author?

Copyrighting your book will protect it from intellectual property theft. In its most basic form, your copyright makes it illegal for someone else to reprint copies of your book and sell them – or even hand them out for free.

But copyright goes beyond the right to make copies of a book. For example, if you’re writing a fiction book, your copyright will also protect you from someone else lifting your plot and its characters and rewriting the same story with different character names and in a different location.

If you are a Harry Potter fan and you read an exact clone of a Potter book but with different character names and taking place in India, you’ll figure it out after you read just a handful of pages. This is precisely what copyrighting is designed to prevent.

If your book is nonfiction, you’ll likely be using your expertise in order to publish a unique solution to a problem that your target audience suffers from, from health to relationships to psychology to finances.

While specific data or procedures may not be copyrightable (they may instead require a patent for your protection), your explanation, illustration and description of your methodology is subject to copyright.

Finally, any names or expressions that you coin in order to brand your unique approach (such as “The 1-Hour a Day Diet” or “Investing Without Effort”) are not subject to copyright. Instead you’ll need to register a trademark to prevent others from using them for financial gain.

Is a Copyright Page All I Need?

It’s not as simple as that. In order to maximize your chances of prevailing in a copyright infringement suit, you’ll need to diligently document the creation of your intellectual property. This includes keeping in a safe place all of your:

Written notes (make sure you date them)
Electronic files
Charts, graphs, research
Mind maps
Older draft manuscripts
Email communications
Written or electronic documentation outlining characters, plots and places

…plus any other evidence of authorship.

In short, to be fully protected don’t throw anything out when you’re done writing your book, don’t recycle any paper with information about your book, keep backups of all book-related electronic files on an external drive or a on USB stick, and keep these storage devices in a secure place.

Do I Need to Apply to the U.S. Copyright Office?

It depends. If you live in Canada or in many other countries, copyright is automatically granted – you own it the moment you write your book and you may not need to produce a certificate of copyright as evidence in an infringement suit.

But if you live in the United States, the only mechanism for proving to the courts that you’re the legitimate author of your intellectual property is to produce a certificate of copyright from the U.S. Copyright Office.

For example, if you discover that someone else has written a book identical to yours and it’s clear that your book content was stolen, the date of registration on your certificate of copyright – which is a document in the public record – will prove your ownership to the courts.

With a registered copyright, you can assert your copyright starting from the official date of registration, which allows you file a claim for infringement without having to prove others’ prior knowledge of your work.

<H2> What Are the Actual “Rights” in Copyright?

When you copyright your book, you’ll be granted the following rights:

Exclusive right for making copies of your book: You may grant third parties permission to reproduce parts of your book or your book in its entirety for a limited time and for a limited quantity in exchange for financial compensation.
Exclusive right to distribute your book: You may grant others permission to distribute your work on your behalf through a mutually beneficial financial arrangement.
Exclusive right to create derivative works: For example, you may grant others permission to translate your book to foreign languages and to distribute it in those markets through a mutually beneficial financial arrangement.

What’s the Cost of Copyrighting My Book?

The least expensive way to copyright a book with the U.S. Copyright Office is to do it online through a process called Single Application (visit: www.copyright.gov for more details). This will cost you only $35.

Keep in mind that this type of application is subject to some restrictions:

You must be the only author listed on the copyright registration form (if you’re co-authoring your book you’ll have to file a Standard Application instead)
You must register a single work (for example, a very large book split into several volumes isn’t considered a single work)
You must be the sole claimant (if you’re sharing your copyright ownership with others you’ll have to file a Standard Application)
You must write the book by yourself (if you hired a ghostwriter to write the book on your behalf you’ll still be considered the copyright owner, but you’ll have to file a Standard Application instead).

If you must file a Standard Application for the reasons stated above, your cost will increase to $55 (online applications only). If you want to file a paper application and send it through snail mail, your cost will go up to $85.

What Are the Steps I Need to Follow to Copyright My Book?

Step 1: Add a Copyright Page to Your Book

This page must be placed on the backside of the title page in your book (the title page is one of the first pages in your front matter and it must contain your book title – often a reproduction of your book cover in black & white or grayscale).

Your copyright page must include the following information:

- A copyright notification (e.g. Copyright © <year> by <copyright owner, e.g. your name, your company name, etc.>).
- Your publisher’s name and address. If you’re self-publishing your book, then create a publisher imprint or use your business as the publisher. If you don’t want to include a physical street address, use the publisher’s URL instead. This information is only required so that others can get in touch with you if the need arises.
- Your book’s edition followed by the date of publication – month and year will suffice (e.g. First Edition, September 2019).
- The book’s print run if applicable (e.g. first printing, second printing, etc.).
- A statement of rights (e.g. “All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, or through any information browsing, storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.”)
- Your book’s bibliographical record. To request this information as a self-published author in the U.S. visit: https://locexternal.service-now.com/auth.
- Permissions from other copyrighted works, if applicable (e.g. if you’re quoting a poem from another author in your book, you must first obtain their publisher’s permission in writing and post it on your copyright page).

Legal disclaimers, if applicable. You’ll need to consult with an attorney to obtain the appropriate text for your book, especially if it’s a legal requirement by a government agency (e.g. if you offer investment advice, the SEC may require that you show one or more disclaimers. If you make claims about results readers can expect from your system, you’ll have to abide by the disclaimer rules of the FTC).

Step 2: Register Your Copyright with the U.S. Copyright Office

For maximum protection, or if you live in the U.S., file your application with the U.S. Copyright Office. As stated above, you can do so online by visiting www.copyright.gov or by mail by completing Form TX (downloadable from the same website).

Step 3: Mail Two Copies of Your Book to the U.S. Library of Congress

After you file your copyright registration, you’ll need to fulfill the mandatory deposit requirement of the U.S. Library of Congress by mailing two copies of your book to the following address (this must be done within three months of publication):

Library of Congress

Attn: 407 Deposits

101 Independence Avenue SE

Washington, DC 20559-6600

Next Steps

Your book is the labor of love. Make sure you give it the best level of protection possible against intellectually property theft.

If you’re thinking about filing an application for copyright, it’s always a good idea to first consult with an attorney. They could either check your form for accuracy or fill it out and file it on your behalf.

Ben

Here are some related posts I highly recommend:

How to Write a Compelling Book in 12 Steps: A Must-Read Guide for Nonfiction Authors

How to Grow Your Business Writing a Nonfiction Book

How Long Does it Take to Write a Book to Help Grow Your Business?

Write Your Own Book and Become an Expert: 11 Reasons Why You Should

The 7 Most Effective Book Promotion Ideas For Nonfiction Authors

How to Create the Copyright Page of Your Book [with 6 Ready-to-Use Fiction and Nonfiction Samples]

by Bennett R. Coles Leave a Comment

The copyright page of a book is an industry requirement that must be placed on the backside of your title page (which is typically a black & white or gray scale version of your book cover).

The copyright page will be used by distributors to add your book to their databases, by booksellers to order your book and by anyone who wants to get in touch with the publisher or the author.

In this article, you’ll learn how to create a copyright page with ease, and you’ll find six useful samples that you can copy and paste directly into your book file (with some noted exceptions).

Since, as the writer of an original work you want to make sure that the authorship of your intellectual property is well protected, keep in mind that copyright procedures are different for each country. If you live in the U.S., I highly recommend once you add your copyright page and before you go to print that you file your copyright with the U.S. Copyright Office by visiting the page below:

www.copyright.gov

The official copyright certificate is required in order to assert your copyright in U.S. courts. Canadian law, for example, makes this application optional since the certificate isn’t a mandatory requirement to legally assert your copyright. If you live in any other country, I suggest that you seek local legal advice.

Note that even though the processing of your copyright application may take several months or longer in the U.S., depending on their backlog, it’ll become legally effective on the date that the Copyright Office acknowledges receipt of all the required documentation. This will be the case regardless of how long it takes the office to mail you the actual certificate of registration.

(Disclosure: I’m not an attorney, so I recommended that you consult with one in matters related to your copyright application as well as any legal disclaimers that may be required to appear on your copyright page).

Before we get to the sample pages, let’s discuss the eight different components of your book’s copyright page:

1) Copyright Notice

The copyright notice is made up of four elements: the “Copyright” word itself followed by the © symbol, the year of publication (YYYY format) and finally the author’s name “by John Doe.”

Incidentally, you have the choice to either use your real name or a pen name. Don’t worry if you choose a pen name for privacy or other reasons, you’ll be supplying your real name when you register your copyright with the Copyright Office as the true owner of your intellectual property.

2) Publisher Notice

The publisher notice contains the name of the publisher, their mailing address or P.O. Box (optional) and their website address (optional). If you’re self-publishing your book, you’ll need to create a brand name to use for your book – this imprint will be associated with your ISBN.

e.g. Published in the United States by ABCDE Press, 12345 Street Ave. East, P.O. Box 277, City, State, Zip code.

The goal of this section is to make it easy for anyone to reach you if they want to get in touch with the publisher for ordering, or with the author to hire your services.

3) Edition Notice

The edition notice simply informs the reader and the book trade whether this is the first edition of your book or a revised edition (e.g. Second Edition, Third Edition, etc.). Also, if your book is in print, you can also mention the print run here.

e.g. First ABCDE Press Edition, 2019

First Printing

4) Restrictions

This section identifies your restrictions as it pertains to the content that you’re publishing. There are many versions of this text out there and they all differ slightly, but you’ll find one of the most popular ones in the example below:

5) Credits

In this section you can give credit to those professionals who’ve helped you in the production of your book. They may include:

Your cover designer
Your editor
Your book designer
Your photographer
Your illustrator, and so on

e.g. Cover Design: Jane Doe

Author Photograph: Jim Doe

<H3> 6) Bibliographic Record

Visit this page to submit your bibliographic record request:

https://www.loc.gov/publish/prepubbooklink

Visit this page to purchase your ISBN:

https://www.isbn.org

Here’s an example:

Library of Congress Cataloguing-in-Publication Data:

Doe, John.

Title of the Book: Sub Title

cm.

ISBN 000-0-000-00000-00

1- Problem-Solving. 2- Self-management. 3- Success. I. Title.

BF555.A55 2019 111’.1 –ab11 12-34567

7) Disclaimers

Now it’s the time to add any legal disclaimers that are necessary for your protection. The nature of your disclaimers will depend on your genre.

For example, fiction books need to stipulate that all characters are fictitious and do not represent any person, living or dead.

If your book is nonfiction, then you need to clarify that you’re not responsible for any errors of omission, and that your information doesn’t replace the advice of experts (i.e. your content does not replace the need to consult with a physician, a lawyer, a certified accountant, etc.)

Here are some examples:

Fiction Books:

“Unless otherwise indicated, all the characters in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.”

Nonfiction Books:

8) Third-Party Permissions

If you’re reprinting content under copyright by third parties, then you must first obtain written permission from their publisher. You’ll need to contact their publisher’s rights-department in order to make this request.

Keep in mind that reprinting grants are a source of revenue for publishers, so always expect to be asked for payment.

Here’s an example of a permission grant:

Without Further Ado, Here Are 6 Ready-to-Use Copyright Pages for Fiction and Nonfiction Titles

You may copy and paste the samples below directly into your book, with the exceptions of the ISBN and the bibliographic information, which you’ll need to request from the websites mentioned above.

Example 1: Short-Length Copyright Page for Fiction Titles

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form, or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information browsing, storage, or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Published in the United States by ABCDE Press – <your website URL>

First ABCDE Press Edition, 2019

ISBN 000-0-000-00000-00

Unless otherwise indicated, all the characters in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Example 2: Medium-Length Copyright Page for Fiction Titles

Published in the United States by ABCDE Press, 12345 Street Ave. East, P.O. Box 277, City, State, Zip code – <your website URL>

First ABCDE Press Edition, 2019

First Printing

Cover Design: Jane Doe

Author Photograph: Jim Doe

ISBN 000-0-000-00000-00

Unless otherwise indicated, all the characters in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Example 3: Full-Length Copyright Page for Fiction Titles

Published in the United States by ABCDE Press, 12345 Street Ave. East, P.O. Box 277, City, State, Zip code – <your website URL>

First ABCDE Press Edition, 2019

First Printing

Cover Design: Jane Doe

Author Photograph: Jim Doe

Library of Congress Cataloguing-in-Publication Data:

Doe, John.

Title of the Book: Sub Title

cm.

ISBN 000-0-000-00000-00

1- Problem-Solving. 2- Self-management. 3- Success. I. Title.

BF555.A55 2019 111’.1 –ab11 12-34567

Unless otherwise indicated, all the characters in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

(If applicable, any third-party reprinting permissions go here)

Example 4: Short-Length Copyright Page for Nonfiction Titles

Published in the United States by ABCDE Press – <your website URL>

First ABCDE Press Edition, 2019

ISBN 000-0-000-00000-00

Although this publication is designed to provide accurate information in regard to the subject matter covered, the publisher and the author assume no responsibility for errors, inaccuracies, omissions, or any other inconsistencies herein. This publication is meant as a source of valuable information for the reader, however it is not meant as a replacement for direct expert assistance. If such level of assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought.

Unless otherwise indicated, all the characters in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Example 5: Medium-Length Copyright Page for Nonfiction Titles

Published in the United States by ABCDE Press, 12345 Street Ave. East, P.O. Box 277, City, State, Zip code – <your website URL>

First ABCDE Press Edition, 2019

First Printing

Cover Design: Jane Doe

Author Photograph: Jim Doe

ISBN 000-0-000-00000-00

Unless otherwise indicated, all the characters in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Example 6: Full-Length Copyright Page for Nonfiction Titles

Published in the United States by ABCDE Press, 12345 Street Ave. East, P.O. Box 277, City, State, Zip code – <your website URL>

First ABCDE Press Edition, 2019

First Printing

Cover Design: Jane Doe

Author Photograph: Jim Doe

Library of Congress Cataloguing-in-Publication Data:

Doe, John.

Title of the Book: Sub Title

cm.

ISBN 000-0-000-00000-00

1- Problem Solving. 2- Self-management. 3- Success. I. Title.

BF555.A55 2019 111’.1 –ab11 12-34567

Unless otherwise indicated, all the characters in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

(If applicable, any third-party reprinting permissions go here)

Next Steps

You’re now armed with some solid copyright-page samples that you can put to work right away with a simple copy and paste.

Before going to print, however, check that all the names and numbers are 100% accurate since you’ll be gathering information from multiple sources.

Ensure that you triple-check:

The spelling of your title and subtitle as well as your name
The year of publication
The name of your publishing company and all contact information (full street address, P.O. Box number, website URL, etc.)
The spelling of the names of anyone being credited
Your ISBN
All bibliographic information from the Library of Congress
Any permission information from third parties

Your copyright page will be used by book distribution channels to catalog your title in their inventory systems, by booksellers to order your book and by anyone else who wants to get in touch with the publisher – so make sure it’s accurate!

Ben

Leave me a comment below if you have any questions or a specific need that I can help you address – I operate an author services firm that specializes in helping entrepreneurs, professionals and business owners who want to publish books as a calling card for prospects, to establish their status as an expert or to just to generate additional leads for their businesses.