In most cases, and for most writers, the best bet when breaking into publishing ebooks, and making some money at it is in the non-fiction market. There are a multitude of reasons for this, here are three good ones.
Miss part one? Find it here!
- .It is much easier to determine what an audience will buy in non-fiction.
- The bar for the quality of your writing, and the skill it takes to get it done, are both much, much lower.
- It is easier to find places to promote and talk about your non-fiction.
Let's start at the top and work our way down. Why do people buy and read non-fiction? There are really only a few reasons, and they are easy to decipher.
- They need the answer to a specific question, or want to learn to do something
- They feel the need to improve something in their own lives
- They are curious about a topic and would like to know more than they do
The possibilities are endless. For every question there is an answer, providing enough good answers can make you very, very popular, and maybe even potentially wealthy. Anywhere that those questions exist, there are books to be written. I can show you how to find those questions and tune in on the one that you are qualified to answer.
**But how does this make non-fiction a better bet for a saleable book? **
Well that's pretty simple. It usually goes a little something like this:
- Mr. Jones has a problem. He needs to know how to design and build something for his home, but he doesn't know where to look.
- He looks around online and discovers that the information on most websites is very thin and incomplete.
- He decides he is even willing to pay a small sum of money to get a good, complete answer to his problem.
- He doesn't really want to go out and hunt for a solution at the bookstore.
- He searches online for books on the topic, finds yours, peruses your sample pages, and boom, he hits the “buy now” button.
Versus fiction:
- Mrs. Jones has just finished her latest read. She wants to start another, but does not want to go to the bookstore, or library.
- She searches online and finds her favorite writer has a new book out, and she buys it.
- Or, she messages a friend; they recommend a new writer for her to try, so she does.
- Or, she searches through the first few dozen titles in her favorite genre on Amazon, and chooses a title.
None of these scenarios will end with Mrs. Jones finding your book. Fiction creates huge, broad categories, so unless you are writing about Neo Conservative Circus Clown Zombie Vampire Farmers, or something similarly obscure, anyone stumbling across your work in a large market like Amazon is virtually impossible.
There is a Caveat
If you can write really hot genre fiction and you know your audience, you should go for it! Many of the most successful self-published authors write fiction, and all of the top paid writers are fiction writers in nearly every case.
It is harder to break in and build an audience, but once you do, they will buy what you write, provided you stay with your core audience and don't disappoint them with poor quality work.
But it's Still Easier to Write Non-fiction
While people still enjoy being entertained when they read non-fiction, their requirements of your writing lean more to the presentation of factual and useful information. Most non-fiction writes itself, in a manner of speaking. Your research should lead you to a conclusion.
- Non-fiction is inherently limited. Once you decide on your topic, an outline will suggest itself.
- The information will be available in most cases, in a form that you must simply interpret, or add your touch to. The writing goes quickly and you can finish more books in less time than with fiction.
- The ending is typically the most difficult part of a fiction work. With non-fiction, your ending will be there. You simply finish the project, or follow the history to its end.
The style of non-fiction is more natural for most of us as well, after all, most of the writing we do in life is in the non-fiction category, whether straight communication, or essay form, such as blog posts, or briefings for work.
Non-fiction is written the same way you think or talk. There is very little stopping to think about how to say something, or making sure just the right words come out of a character's mouth. It is not intimidating.
You Can Write From Your Own Experience
If even researching a topic is too intimidating, go for simple and write what you know. If you think through your life experience, you are sure to find something that you are expert enough in to squeeze out five thousand plus words.
Your non-fiction could even be a launching pad for your fiction. It gives you credibility as a writer, helps you hone your craft, and teaches you the publishing tools you need to sell a million copies of the next great American novel.
So, ready? The next part is where you come up with your idea and get this thing started!
I make money selling both fiction and non-fiction books (I have a pseudonym for each). It is MUCH easier to make money from the start with non-fiction, and you don't even have to market it much, if at all. I have non-fiction books that I've NEVER marketed that make me a consistent income each month. Fiction is harder. You DO have to market it, and develop a loyal audience. It takes more time and effort, and longer to make money, but the rewards can be greater over the long-term. Ideally, an independent freelance writing career would involve both at the beginning, so you could make money off the non-fiction, while you build up your fiction audience.
Informative and real. Thank you for your erudite perspective. I prefer to let my fancy flow, but truth is truth. Writing is just for shits and giggles.
I agree with your assessment completely. I do, however, know several working authors who insist fiction is the way to go. They say once you get up past 8 or 10 novels, the income begins to grow and becomes dependable.
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Steem On!
Thanks! That's the plan.
:))
I've been toying with the idea of producing non-fiction literature and publishing it in order to get some audience following and perhaps build up my credentials as an author. I just need to figure out what to write on.
Keep reading, I'll be helping with that next. But, may I ask what credentials do you have in life? What are you expert at? Or passionate about?
Expert at? I'd say weapons qualification, maintenance, and general shooting fundamentals. I'm also relatively well-behaved when it comes to vaping, and general philosophy. As for my credentials, I was a combat arms soldier in the Army, I am an assistant manager, and I'm also a small-time writer of fiction and non-fiction.
You might consider the growing prepper movement as a target market?
Seems like steemgoblin beat me to replying here. I think that's a good idea. Another really popular niche in some markets is self-made guns, from common hardware and parts.