by Dave Haslett
Cheat #1 – rewriting other people’s work
Whatever subject you’re planning to write about, there’s probably a magazine that covers it – and probably several of them. Many magazines have sections where experts answer readers’ questions. These questions – and the answers – are worth cutting out and collecting, because they tell you exactly what your readers want to know. You should include the same information in your book. It might not be new material as far as you’re concerned, but it obviously is to some people.
It’s worth collecting questions and answers from a variety of magazines so you get different levels of expertise and different angles.
Ideally, your collection of questions and answers should span at least a couple of years, though this will depend on the subject and how quickly it changes. If you write about computers, gadgets and smartphone apps, it might only be worth keeping information from the last few months. Anything older will be out-of-date. But if you write about gardening, caravan holidays, restoring antique furniture or anything like that, it’s worth tracking down as many back issues as you can find. Much of the material from ten or twenty years ago should still be relevant, though some of the products may have been updated, replaced or discontinued.
Other good sources include online discussion forums and Facebook groups. Start with the FAQ (frequently asked questions) document if they have one – we’ll look at these later in the chapter. But you’ll find plenty of useful material elsewhere in the forum or group too.
Once you’ve collected enough questions, group them together in an orderly structure that fully covers each topic. It should be a fairly quick exercise to put together a book this way.
As you read through the list of questions and answers that form each topic, you’ll probably notice gaps where essential information is missing. Use your expertise – and other reference sources – to write your own questions and answers to fill the gaps.
Of course, you won’t use the actual questions and answers you clipped from the magazines or websites. You’ll need to rewrite them in your own words and style to avoid infringing their copyright. At the same time, you can add your own examples, tips and anecdotes, so it truly feels like your book.
It’s important to double-check the answers that were given. Magazines sometimes make mistakes, and even if their answer was correct, there might be a better solution.
It’s worth checking readers’ letters in the next couple of issues to see if anyone complains about the answer or sends in a better one. If you cut out the question and answer from the magazine, write the issue number and date on it so you know which editions to refer to for follow-up information.
If the question and answer came from a website, look at the comments posted beneath it in case they give a different or better answer.
Another good way of doing this is to only collect the questions, not the answers. This is a great way of testing your knowledge, and you might come up with better solutions than the magazines or website contributors gave. If you don’t know the answers, you’ll have to research them, but that’s a good thing because you’ll learn more about the subject. It shouldn’t take you long to do this, because you’ll know exactly what information you’re looking for.
If you’re in touch with any experts on the subject, you should be able to get most of the answers by making some quick phone calls or sending a few emails.
You’ll find lots more “cheats” like this in Chapters 14 and 15.
Question and answer format (summary)
Here’s a summary of how to organise your questions and answers into book form:
Sort the questions and answers into groups of related topics to form chapters.
Divide them into sub-topics and add relevant sub-headings.
Rewrite the questions and answers in your own words and style.
Add extra questions and answers to fill any gaps.
Write an introductory paragraph or two at the start of each chapter, and a brief introduction to the book…
and you’re done!
Can I ask you a question?
Another simple way of finding out what people want to know is to just ask them.
Go to a place where people interested in your subject gather together in large numbers, and carry out a survey. Find out how much they already know about the subject – or the particular aspect of it that your book is about, what they would most like to know, and where they’d go for more information.
If the event is well-attended, you should get plenty of responses – perhaps enough to form the basic structure of your book.
You should make some useful contacts there too.
FAQs
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) are documents that list all the questions that newcomers to a particular website, discussion forum or Facebook group tend to ask over and over again. And, of course, the document gives the answers too, often with links to more detailed information and previous discussions. They’re a fantastic starting point when you’re planning your book.
The administrators and regular contributors to the site usually put the FAQ document together because they’re fed up of seeing the same questions being asked over and over again.
It often contains a complete overview of the basics, as well as other information such as contacts, suggestions for further reading, and so on. Visitors to the site are expected to check the FAQ before posting their own questions.
FAQs are easy to find. Visit the site or group you’re interested in, and there’s usually a link to it near the top of the page, or in the Files or Documents section. If you can’t see it, read through the list of recent questions people have asked and look for what you think are the more common and obvious ones. If the answer is in the FAQ, someone will post a comment telling the person to check it, and they’ll include a link to it.
Another easy way to find FAQs is to search online for the subject you’re interested in, together with the word FAQ. For example: “lawncare FAQ”.
These sites are also great places to ask about the best books, magazines, experts, conferences, and so on. And you can ask any questions you’re having trouble finding answers for.
Getting lively
While you’re looking through websites, discussion forums, blogs, Facebook groups, and so on, look out for any interesting anecdotes and real-life examples. These can help liven up your book, and they add an element of human interest, so your book isn’t a wall of solid information.
If you come across a good anecdote, contact the person involved and ask for permission to use it in your book.
You’ll probably hear some great anecdotes when you’re at the kind of events and gatherings we discussed earlier. Make sure you capture these, together with the person’s name and contact details.
Webinars and teleseminars
It’s worth signing up to lots of newsletters and blogs related to the subject you’re writing about. You’ll probably know most of the information already, but look out for any announcements of guest speakers who’ll be giving webinars or teleseminars. These are seminars or classes that you can watch online or listen to on your phone. You’ll need to register for them – which means you’ll also be added to the guest speaker’s mailing list – but otherwise they’re usually free.
The guest speaker will undoubtedly spend the first few minutes introducing himself and showcasing his experience and expertise. He’ll also promote his new product at the end. But the middle part should be pure information. Again, you’ll probably know most of it – though you might learn something new. But what you’re most interested in are his anecdotes. Great speakers always include a few good ones. Make a note of any you particularly like, and contact him afterwards to ask if you can use them in your book.
If you say you’ll mention his name, product or website in your book, he’ll almost certainly agree.
Learning by doing
At the beginning of this chapter, I likened writing a non-fiction book to teaching a clas
s on the subject. This reminds me of when I first started teaching IT (Information Technology). It wasn’t long before I started getting complaints…
My earliest classes mostly consisted of me demonstrating the features of each piece of software. But my students didn’t just want to watch me, they wanted to try it for themselves. As soon as I realised this, I changed the format so that as I demonstrated each feature, I gave them the chance to try it out and explore its possibilities. My classes immediately became a great success.
The downside was that it now took at least twice as long to cover the material. But the students were happy. And they retained their knowledge far longer than if they’d just watched me doing it.
This is one of those “anecdote” things I mentioned in the last section!
With this in mind, see if you can make your book as much of a hands-on experience as you can. Think about the sorts of things your students would do if they were attending your class in the real world. Give your readers similar exercises or experiments to do, and let them get their hands dirty.
You could also give them your contact details, or set up a website with a discussion forum, or set up a private Facebook group, so they can chat to other readers, share tips and photos of their work, and ask for extra guidance if they need it – especially if something goes horribly wrong.
When your readers tell you that an exercise or experiment went wrong, it’s valuable feedback. When you write your next book, or revise the current one, you can discuss the problems they had, explain why they happened, and give the best solutions.
If you write a new edition of your book, look at the exercises your readers had problems with and see if you can make the instructions any clearer.
Structure
The way you organise your information can make all the difference between a successful book and a useless one – or a published book and an unpublishable one.
It’s worth experimenting with different structures. Does the information flow smoothly and logically from one point to the next? If not, you might have used the wrong structure. Or perhaps one or more sections are missing and you’ll need to add more to plug the gaps.
Have you grouped related information together or is it scattered throughout the book? If there’s no logical grouping, your readers will find it almost impossible to look up the information they need.
Remember, the emphasis should be on adding value. Being able to look something up quickly is one aspect of this. Make this as easy as possible by organising your book logically and including a table of contents and an index.
If your book is structured as a series of classes, related information could be scattered throughout it. You might like to try reorganising it so that related information is brought together in topics.
On the other hand, structuring your book as a series of classes can work extremely well, and your readers might prefer it. It all depends on the subject you’re writing about, how you tackle it, and your readers’ preference and level of expertise.
Finding the best structure
Try organising your information into several different outlines that each present the information in a different way. We’ve already considered presenting it as a series of classes or grouping related topics together. You might be able to come up with other ways of doing it.
Show your outlines to as many people as you can – beginners as well as experts. Send copies to industry experts and those who teach the subject. Take copies to meetings, conferences and other gatherings and ask them which outline they like best. What changes do they think you should make?
Remember to get the contact details of everyone who gives you their opinion. Many of them will be interested in buying, reviewing or recommending your book when it’s finished.
The most obvious structure for your book might not be the best one. Other books on the subject might present their information in a particular way, but you don’t have to follow their approach, especially if you want your book to stand out. But if you think their way really is the best, you should do it that way too.
Quick – you’re in charge!
Imagine that someone has arranged to teach an evening class on your subject but he’s pulled out at the last minute. The students are already signed up, but there’s no one to teach them. The organiser knows you’re something of an expert and persuades you to step in. You now have to prepare fifteen to twenty lesson plans, each lasting for two hours, aiming to cover the entire subject at whatever level the students are currently studying.
It’ll take you a while to create the lesson plans, but when they’re done you’ll have the complete structure of your book: each lesson plan will become a chapter.
As we’ve just seen, some subjects work better if you group related information together. But structuring your book as a set of lessons is a great place to start from, and it will ensure you cover everything.
Knowing where to begin
See if you can organise your book so that you start giving great information from the very beginning. If your readers immediately learn something new and valuable – perhaps while they’re flipping through your book in a shop or reading a sample online – they’ll know they’re going to get great value from the rest of the book, and they’ll buy it.
Many non-fiction books begin with a history or general overview of the subject. Unless it’s a vital part of the book, it’s best not to dwell on this for too long. The information is usually readily available elsewhere, and intermediate and advanced readers will already be familiar with it.
You only need to mention the historical aspects if your book is aimed at beginners (or historians). And even then, it might be best to give a quick overview before referring your readers to the resources section for a list of publications that cover the history part. Get into the “meaty” part of your book as soon as possible, as that’s where the real value is.
Can’t write a book? Think again!
You don’t need to be able to write, type or even be literate to write a book. You just need to know your subject and be able to talk about it.
Here’s a good way of doing it:
Design your book’s structure as we discussed above – or get someone to help you with it.
Divide your book into chapters.
Take one of those chapters and immerse yourself in it for a whole day. Research it, experiment with it, visit somewhere relevant, contact experts, talk to fellow enthusiasts, and so on.
At the end of the day, give a thirty-minute speech on it.
Have a voice recorder – or a voice recorder app on your phone – running while you do this. If you can, use a clip-on lapel microphone rather than the built-in microphone or a handheld one, as the sound quality will be better. This will make it easier to transcribe the recording into text.
It will help enormously if you give your speech to a real person or to a group of people. This will force you to take it seriously and do it properly.
Don’t read from notes; speak from your head and your heart. If you need prompts, jot down a few keywords on an index card, but no more than that.
If you can’t write or type, get someone to transcribe the recording into text for you afterwards. Or use transcription software such as Dragon Professional. We’ll look at this in Chapter 13.
If you’ve spent the day well, you should have more than enough material to fill your thirty-minute speech and cover every point in sufficient detail. Remember to entertain your audience as well as educate them. If you’ve picked up a few anecdotes or jokes during the day, put those in too.
Once you’ve given your speech, that’s your writing done for the day; the chapter is finished. Get the recording transcribed into text and repeat the process tomorrow with the next chapter.
If you already give speeches on this subject, consider compiling a collection of them into a book. It will enhance your reputation, both as an expert and as a published author. You’ll also be able to sell copies of your book whenever you give one of
your talks. You might need to write a few new speeches to cover any gaps in your outline, but you’ll have written most of the book already.
If your after-dinner speeches have earned you recognition, a collection of them in book form could do well. The book will also be very quick to write.
If you don’t give speeches but you know someone who does, see if you can persuade him to work with you on a book. All you have to do is record him each time he gives one of his talks, then get the recording transcribed afterwards. When you have enough material, sort the transcripts into logical order, write an introduction, and your book is finished.
The speaker will make extra money from his share of the book sales – for absolutely no effort whatsoever. All he did was wear a microphone. He might even have been paid to give the speeches, or sold tickets to his event. And you’ll make money from your share of the sales too – again for virtually no effort. Don’t waste opportunities like this!
Before you arrange anything, make sure you agree how you’ll split the profits between you. Write down what you’ve agreed and both sign it.
Speaking variation
A variation of the speaking idea above is to spend one hour preparing a ten-minute speech on a single topic. If you do three of these each day, you’ll get thirty minutes of total speaking time, just as you did in the idea above, but you’ll do it in around half the time.