{"id":1418,"date":"2016-06-30T22:07:45","date_gmt":"2016-07-01T02:07:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.robertwlucas.com\/wordpress\/?p=1418"},"modified":"2021-12-06T08:05:46","modified_gmt":"2021-12-06T13:05:46","slug":"ways-to-succeed-as-a-nonfiction-author","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.robertwlucas.com\/wordpress\/ways-to-succeed-as-a-nonfiction-author\/","title":{"rendered":"Ways to Succeed As a Nonfiction Author"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.robertwlucas.com\/books-by-robert-w-lucas\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft  wp-image-1420\" src=\"http:\/\/www.robertwlucas.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Bobs-books-standing-edited-300x296.jpg\" alt=\"Ways to Succeed As a Nonfiction Author\" width=\"181\" height=\"179\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.robertwlucas.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Bobs-books-standing-edited-300x296.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.robertwlucas.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Bobs-books-standing-edited-768x757.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.robertwlucas.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Bobs-books-standing-edited-1024x1010.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 181px) 100vw, 181px\" \/><\/a>There are a variety of ways to succeed as a nonfiction author if you take time to plan ahead before you start writing. Like many other things in life, writing a successful nonfiction book takes more than just a dream. Some people have the mistaken belief that writing\u00a0a nonfiction\u00a0book will bring them\u00a0fame and fortune. While there have been many exceptions\u00a0(e.g. Jack Canfield, Dale Carnegie, Truman Capote, Maya Angelou and Stephen Hawking)\u00a0the average nonfiction book averages less than 2,000 copies\u00a0in sales over its lifespan, according to an article by publisher Berrett-Koehler.\u00a0Even though all of the authors I listed above\u00a0have sold millions of copies during their lifetime and later, they is not the norm.<\/p>\n<p>I do not want to dissuade you from writing, but if you are looking to create a primary stream of income from writing you will have to prepare.\u00a0I suggest that you start by doing some research on the number of books published each year and prepare for your competition. For example, if you search for\u00a0&#8220;nonfiction\u00a0books&#8221; on Amazon, you\u00a0will get a listing of various genres totaling over three million titles.<\/p>\n<p>The following are several ways to succeed as a nonfiction author.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Do your homework.<\/strong> You can quickly get an idea of what you are up against by researching similar titles to the one you have planned. Look at competing titles from the standpoint of content, format (e.g. size, print, eBook, and design), quality, pricing and other factors that will impact sales.<span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><strong>Objectively assess your reasons for wanting to write a nonfiction book. <\/strong>People write for different reasons. For you\u00a0succeed, you should first objectively and honestly decide why you want to write. Some typical reasons are personal or business credibility,fame, fortune, to help others, you have something to say, you want a creative outlet, to leave a legacy for future generations, or for brand identification. Whatever your motivation, it is important to set realistic goals based on it. Research shows that people who put their goals in writing and refer to them regularly are more likely to attain them. Put a not next to your computer or\u00a0on the refrigerator to visually remind you of what you want to accomplish.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Create a viable plan of action.<\/strong> To succeed in attaining your goals, you will need to develop a plan of action in the form a\u00a0project or business plan.\u00a0You also have to dedicate <span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">the hours required for all phases of the writing, production, marketing and selling processes. If you take these simple actions, you significantly increase your chances of success and for providing a decent income for yourself and your family.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>What are some of the steps you have taken to become a successful nonfiction author?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There are a variety of ways to succeed as a nonfiction author if you take time to plan ahead before you start writing. Like many other things in life, writing a successful nonfiction book takes more than just a dream. Some people have the mistaken belief that writing\u00a0a nonfiction\u00a0book will bring them\u00a0fame and fortune. While there have been many exceptions\u00a0(e.g. &#8230; <\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more-container\"><a title=\"Ways to Succeed As a Nonfiction Author\" class=\"read-more button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.robertwlucas.com\/wordpress\/ways-to-succeed-as-a-nonfiction-author\/#more-1418\" aria-label=\"More on Ways to Succeed As a Nonfiction Author\">Read It Now<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[659],"tags":[630,500,571],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v17.7.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Ways to Succeed As a Nonfiction Author - Nonfiction Author and Writer Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.robertwlucas.com\/wordpress\/ways-to-succeed-as-a-nonfiction-author\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ways to Succeed As a Nonfiction Author - Nonfiction Author and Writer Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"There are a variety of ways to succeed as a nonfiction author if you take time to plan ahead before you start writing. Like many other things in life, writing a successful nonfiction book takes more than just a dream. Some people have the mistaken belief that writing\u00a0a nonfiction\u00a0book will bring them\u00a0fame and fortune. While there have been many exceptions\u00a0(e.g. ... Read It Now\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.robertwlucas.com\/wordpress\/ways-to-succeed-as-a-nonfiction-author\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Nonfiction Author and Writer Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-07-01T02:07:45+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-12-06T13:05:46+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/www.robertwlucas.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Bobs-books-standing-edited-300x296.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Robert W. 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