Let’s say your goal is to write a non-fiction book in which you can share information you’ve gathered in your lifetime.

For the sake of this exercise, let’s assume that you’re a parent who’s raised some really great kids, and you think other parents might benefit from what you’ve learned.

1. Your first problem is to figure out whether or not your information is really new. There are already a lot of books and articles out there on parenting. So step one is for you to find and read a number of books and parenting magazines from the last couple of years. The newer they are the better. What you want to determine is whether or not anyone else is saying what you want to say. If not, then perhaps there is a market for your book. If someone is saying what you want to say, you can either stop now and recommend that person’s writing, or, if you still feel your book is needed, you can look for another approach to the topic where you say more or less the same things but in your unique way.

2. Assuming you intend to go ahead, you need to work on your writing skills. Just as I recommend writing short stories before attempting a novel, so I  recommend writing some articles before writing a non-fiction book. Brainstorm to come up with a list of at least 10 specific things you could write about. Yes, most of them should be on your topic – parenting. But you might also discover other ideas that would hold your interest for at least one article. So you might end up with things like “sibling rivalry,” “thinking you’re being unfairly treated,” “doing homework,” “caring for pets,” “family devotions,” “bullying,” “mom and dad on the same page,” “praise without pride”, etc.

3. Next, look at newspapers, magazines, and the internet to find out what kind of articles are being published these days.  Are they looking for thought-provoking articles such as “It’s never too late to develop a nurturing relationship with your children” or more specific ones, such as “Three things your teenager needs to understand before you had over the keys to the car.” Look at your list of ideas and see if you can narrow and focus them into specific topics that interest you and will be of interest to at least one of the magazines, newspapers, or internet sites you’ve found. So “sibling rivalry” might become “Effective strategies for teaching pre-schoolers to share a room while still recognizing one another’s need for personal space.”  Or it might become “Three tips for reducing the number of fights between sisters.” Or “Ensuring harmony in the home by making sure each of your children feel loved.”

4. Once you have some specific ideas, get to work and actually do some writing – maybe three or four different articles.

5. Now it’s time to analyze your work.  Never assume that a first draft is a finished article. The first draft is simply something to work with. So study your work as objectively and honestly as you can. Compare it to the work you’ve recently read. How does it measure up? You may have had really good teachers in school, or you may simply be a natural writer. Just as some people know instinctively how to hit a golf ball with a club while others struggle for years to find the right stance, move their shoulders properly, and hit the ball instead of the grass, so some people seem to instinctively know how to create interesting sentences, arrange things in paragraphs, and build to a climax.  But for most of us, in spite of all the work we did in school or university to learn how to write academically or creatively, there is still a learning curve as we learn to write professionally.

6. At this point, you likely need to go to www.Writers Digest.com and check out the books they have that interest you. You may have decided you need to work on your grammar and sentence structure, crafting good leads, using anecdotes,  structuring the article, or  figuring out the target audience.  There are books for aspect of writing. And magazines, too. Don’t forget to check your local library.

7. The other thing that will help you immensely is finding a critique group containing at least some professional writers who can read your work objectively and perhaps spot areas you missed in your own analysis. You can also pay a professional writer or editor to give you a critique. Having someone who “knows” good writing give you specific tips can save you all kinds of time, money, and energy.

8. If at all possible, attend a conference for writers where you can get a manuscript critique and make appointments with agents and editors who are connected with the publishers of the books or magazines you’ve been reading.

9. Finish at least one article and send it to the magazine you think might be most interested. If the magazine only accepts query letters and not completed articles, then you need to write a query. Yes, there are excellent books to help you with that. Once your first article is out, follow it up as soon as possible with another article to another magazine. And keep sending out articles or query letters until you’re comfortable sending the query before you write the article.

10. As you’re writing, you’ll likely get ideas that don’t fit into your articles but are still worth keeping track of. Now would be a good time to start a blog. Don’t give all your ideas away, but do make the blog a good resource for the kind of people who would be the target audience for your book.

11. You might also look for opportunities to speak to groups of parents or to teach workshops in which you use some of your ideas. By doing this, you’re creating an audience for your book.  You’re also honing your ideas and finding out what people are looking for.

12. Once you’ve had several articles published, start work on your book. What you will need is a proposal consisting of an outline for the entire book along with a paragraph or two explaining each chapter,  plus three or four completed chapters. Yes, articles can be adapted into chapters. Ideally,  you’ve already met an editor or an agent you can send it to.

Next – but what if my non-fiction book isn’t offering information. What if it’s about me?

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