How to write a nonfiction book. Many of the same tips and tricks of writing fiction apply to writing nonfiction, from avoiding the passive voice to eliminating clichés. But a big advantage of nonfiction writing is that even when you experience writer's block, you can always take that time to do more research and dig deeper into the facts of your topic. Writing nonfiction, especially well, is a craft and takes patience, persistence, and a strong narrative voice to get it right. == Writing to write == Understand the genre. Nonfiction writing is literature based on fact. Nonfiction writers can focus on topics like biography, business, cooking, health and fitness, pets, crafts, home decorating, travel, religions, art, history, etc. The list of possible subjects for nonfiction writing could be anything and everything. Unlike fiction, which is literature created from imagination, nonfiction is structured around real events, moments, practices, and approaches to a subject. Memoir is a type of nonfiction that acts as a record of events based on intimate knowledge and personal observation, too. So if you are writing memoir, you will likely need to do some research around your memories of a particular event or moment. But most memories do less research than other nonfiction writers, as the basis for their story is personal memory. Read several good examples of nonfiction. Many well-written and engaging nonfiction books end up on best of the year lists and the best sellers list. Several topics, such as the War in the Middle East, the scientific developments of the 21st century, and institutional racism in the American Justice System have all been popular nonfiction topics. Of course, food writing, home decor, and travel writing are topics of interest, too. Take a look at nonfiction books such as, The Sixth Extinction, an unnatural history by Elizabeth Colbert. Colbert, who writes about science for other well-respected publications, looks at the history of life on Earth and concludes where experiencing the sixth mass die off, thanks to the changes imposed on the planet by humans. A gripping nonfiction look at the influence of humanity on nature and science, 4. Just Mercy, a story of justice and redemption by Brian Stevenson. Stevenson's book focuses on the trial of a black man convicted of murdering a white woman in Monroeville, Alabama. With an informative but unsentimental tone, Stevenson presents a new way of thinking about the death penalty and examines the prejudices of capital punishment in America, 5. Sue Sheff, 24 hours on the line by Jibney. The restaurant kitchen has been the setting of many popular nonfiction writing. Jibney's book looks at the egotistical, empowered head chefs and the young wild ones who serve under them, the Sue Sheffs. Jibney uses sharp prose and solid technical detail to give the reader the sights, smells, tastes, and clashes of a shift in the kitchen, 6. Wilde, from Lost to Found on the Pacific Coast Trail by Cheryl Strait. Straits nonfiction tale about her journey through heartbreak, addiction, and loneliness on the Pacific Coast Trail is a great example of combining a personal story or memoir style writing with factual detail and scenes, 7. DIY ideas, projects and tips for every room by Kathy Barnes. This nonfiction book on Home Decor from Better Homes and Gardens focuses on, Do It Your Self-Projects. It contains over 200-plus fun, approachable home improvement projects with clear directions and beautiful photographs, 8. Analyze the examples. Once you've read several nonfiction books, think about how the writer uses factual evidence in the book and approaches the topic in an interesting way. Ask questions such as, What makes the writer's approach to their topic unique or engaging? How does the writer use factual information in their narrative? How does the writer organize the information in the book? Do they use section breaks? Parts? A table of contents? How does the writer cite their sources in the narrative? As a reader, what was the most affecting scene in the book? What scene was the least effective for you? Determine your topic or subject. Maybe you already have a topic in mind, or maybe you aren't sure how to narrow down your broad range of interests. But it's important to home in on your topic and the angle you are going to take on the topic. Ask yourself these questions. What am I passionate about or interested in? Writing a book about a subject you are interested in will make your research more vigorous in your dedication to telling the story much stronger, 9. Was a story only I can tell? Or what makes my view on a subject unique? For example, you may have an interest in pastry-making or same-sex marriages. But you need to determine what your unique take will be on these topics. Perhaps for pastry-making, you'll focus on the development of a particular technique or a particular pastry, like the croissant. Or for a current topic like same-sex marriages, maybe you will focus on a particular section of America, like the Bible Belt, to see how this subject is affecting these communities. Who would read this book? It's important to identify the audience for your book and the market for your book. You want to have a large enough audience for the book to justify writing the book. For example, a nonfiction book about the evolution of the croissant might be of interest to other pastry-makers, food critics, and readers with an interest in baking. It may also appeal to historical buffs who enjoy looking at the history of food from a unique angle. Brainstorm. Take some time to get your creative juices flowing. Take out a blank sheet of paper and a pen, or open a new document on your computer. There are many ways you can brainstorm, such as a mind-map, with boxes around the main idea and then lines out to other words or phrases that relate to the main idea. You can also create a list of possible unique angles on the main idea. For example, a food history of the croissant? The political implications of the croissant? The different types of croissants in Europe? Create an outline or table of contents. One of the easiest ways to organize your thoughts is to create a content outline or a table of contents for your book. A more detailed outline will also help you focus your research on certain aspects of your topic or subject. Make a bulleted list, with the main topic and then subtopics or headings underneath the main topic. For example, for a book about the croissant, the main topic might be the croissant in the subtopics could be, origin, history, development, establishment of the basic croissant, and current variations of the croissant. You can also make a chart with the topics and subtopics, and then add subsubtopic under the subtopics. Try to expand on the idea as much as possible and write down anything, even if it feels a little odd in left field, that you feel may be a possible subtopic of the main topic. Decide how much research you will need to do on your topic. Good nonfiction is based on months, if not years, of research. Besides online research, you may need to use libraries, archives and record offices, newspapers, and even microfilm. You will also need to find experts on your subjects and, witnesses to events. This means individuals who can share first-person accounts of an event. You will then need to follow up on leads, interview people, transcribe interviews, and read a lot of material, 13. For each topic and subtopic in your table of contents, brainstorm possible research you may need. For example, for the origin or history of the croissant, you may want to talk to historians who specialize in research on French food or French food culture. Ask yourself, what do I not know about this topic? Who is the best person to talk to about this topic? What kind of documentation can I look up about this topic? Create a research to do list. Look over your content plan or detailed table of contents. Take all the research items you listed and put them on a numbered to-do list. Make a list of Earl's, books, and articles you will need to look for and read. Make a list of locations you may need to visit, like a French bakery. Make a list of experts or witnesses you will need to interview