All good non-fiction titles contain the following characteristics:Accuracy – There is no point conveying information to the reader if that information is incorrect. At best misleading and at worst libellous or defamatory, poorly checked work can land the author (and the publisher) in a great deal of trouble. Ultimately, the book will have failed to achieve its aim and will have cheated the reader. Please understand that here we are talking about facts. For opinions or conjecture there is no such thing as correct or incorrect. Here an author, as long as the reasoning is explained, has free reign to escape conventional thinking. In fact we positively encourage it.Credibility – There is no point getting the facts right if the reader doesn’t believe you. Fortunately, there are several things that an author can do to enhance the credibility of the work. Firstly, an author can be a renowned expert on the subject he or she is writing about. Clearly, you either are or you aren’t and this is not something that will be easy to change. It is certainly not essential but a book written by an individual who is well known as an expert will always be at an advantage. The second thing an author can do to enhance the book’s credibility is to write with a confident and knowledgeable tone. Finally, give the readers a chance to check for themselves. Refer to further sources of information. Very few readers will actually check what you have said but it is reassuring to know that they can. If you have successfully captured the reader’s imagination then this also provides a means for them to explore the subject in greater depth.Clarity – To be good, non-fiction must be easy to follow and understand. Expressing complex ideas in simple terms takes phenomenal skill, but it can be achieved. “A brief history of time” by Professor Stephen Hawking took some of the most mind-bendingly difficult ideas in modern science and expressed them in terms that could be understood (more or less) by normal members of the public. With this feat he managed to sell over 9 million copies. It was not the subject matter that made this book successful, but the clarity with which he was able to explain it. Understand the reader, decide what level of knowledge and expertise can be assumed, and then err on the side of caution. A final point on clarity is that books are not the appropriate medium for an author to showcase his or her expansive command of the English language. No readers enjoy having to reach for the dictionary in order to understand what they are reading.Readability – Every book should be a joy to read. Just because a book is on a dry subject does not mean that it is acceptable for the book to be a test of endurance. Books must be stimulating. The reader should feel a sense of exhilaration rather than dread at the thought of turning over a new page. It does not matter whether the author chooses to achieve this by writing a book that is humorous, fascinating, thought-provoking or exciting as long as ultimately, it is entertaining.Marketable – As with all types of book, there have to be potential readers in sufficient numbers for it to be economically viable. However, there is room for some flexibility here. Human beings are curious creatures and will find virtually any subject interesting as long as the author can do a good enough job at making it interesting. Previous non-fiction bestsellers have included books on such diverse subjects as English grammar, advanced physics and economic theory. These books only achieved such success by arousing the curiosity of readers who would not normally buy books on these subjects. However, as a general rule, it’s best to ensure that the obvious market for a book is sufficiently large to make it a worthwhile venture. Then sales to a wider market can be thought of more as a bonus than a necessity.If you achieve all of the above then you will have a manuscript to be proud of and be in with a good chance of securing a publishing deal.
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