How to Sell, Then Write Your Nonfiction Book: A Comprehensive Guide to Getting Published - From Crafting a Proposal to Signing the Contract and More

Ms. Camenson presents a terrific overview of the nonfiction publishing world in general. More specifically, she outlines the necessary steps to sell your nonfiction book before you actually write it. This is one of the major keys to professional time utilization. Ms. Camenson points out that there's no point investing a lot of time writing a book that might never sell. Included in the book are tips for researching ideas, preparing and presenting query letters and book proposals, information on "standard" contracts, and advice on writing your book once you sell it. As far as the writing advice section goes, there are much better aids, books, and guides for this. But, on the whole, this is an excellent book for the nonfiction writer's bookshelf.

The strongest points of this book are the sections on ascertaining the market for your book idea, the options available to get your foot in the door, and the need to write a quality proposal (better is better than faster). The chapter about the elements that make up a book proposal are sound although not as extensive as they could be. The examples of query letters and proposals are excellent. I found the sections on writing the book to be less useful but sound. Other writers may find them very helpful. The book is graced with some wonderful quotes. One of my favorites - by Patrick Dennis - is "Writing isn't hard. It isn't any harder than ditch-digging."