"After Jean reworked my first draft, paperback rights sold for $137,000." --Timmen Cermak, M.D., author of A Time to Heal: The Road to Recovery for Adult Children of Alcoholics
Mastering the craft and understanding the mechanics of writing self-help and how-to books is the key to getting publishers to take notice of your work. Now, in the first guide to writing self-help and how-to books, Jean Stine offers an insider's view of this growing genre. Her easy-to-follow program takes you step-by-step through the complete writing process. You'll learn the importance of:
* Structure and Style
* Clear, easy-to-understand exercises
* Creating catchy and compelling titles, subtitles, and chapter headings
* Using lists, charts, and graphs to maximum effect
* Checklists and other interactive elements
* Writing a proposal that sells
* Negotiating permissions for quotations, photos, and illustrations
* Preparing your manuscript for presentation to a publisher
Autorentext
JEAN MARIE STINE has edited over 50 self-help titles, including such bestsellers as Women Who Love Too Much, Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, and Chop Wood, Carry Water: A Guide to Finding Spiritual Fulfillment in Everyday Life. She has held numerous editorial positions, most recently Editor in Chief at Jeremy P. Tarcher, Inc.
Inhalt
Partial table of contents:
WRITING AND SELLING SELF-HELP/HOW-TO BOOKS.
What You Should Know about Writing Self-Help/How-To Books.
Selling Your Self-Help/How-To Book Made Easy.
THE BASICS: TITLE AND OUTLINE.
Finalizing Your Title and Subtitle.
WRITING A SELF-HELP/HOW-TO PROPOSAL.
How to Write a Proposal That Sells.
WRITING THE SAMPLE CHAPTER.
Chapter Writing Step by Step.
Style Made Easy.
Lists Made Easy.
SELF-EDITING SELF-HELP/HOW-TO BOOKS.
Editing Your Manuscripts the Lazy Writer's Way.
Getting Friends to Troubleshoot and Edit Your Manuscript.
SELLING SELF-HELP/HOW-TO BOOKS MADE EASY.
Submitting Your Book for Publication.
SIMPLIFYING PERMISSIONS, CROSS-REFERENCES, ILLUSTRATIONS, CHARTS, TABLES, AND FRONT AND BACK MATTER.
Permissions to Quote and Reprint.
Appendices, Resources, and the Index.