A nonfiction writer is someone who takes something that is true and makes it entertaining for the reader. This could be through investigative journalism or telling a story through primary and secondary sources. A nonfiction writer’s job is to make the truth more accessible to the average person. It is their job to take information that the average person might not be familiar with and break it down so that everyone can understand.
While the exact title of a nonfiction writer might vary from company to company, they generally have four major jobs that they carry out. These are:
Gathering the Data
The first and most critical step in the writing process for a nonfiction writer is to gather the data. This might mean going out and interviewing experts or finding statistics that back up the claims you are making. You might want to look into gathering data on the topic and then using that information as a basis for your argument. Or, it could be that you’ve already created a detailed outline for your book or article and now you need to flesh it out with the data you’ve collected. Whatever the case, you need to make sure that you’ve gathered enough data so that you can support your claims. Otherwise, the reader won’t be able to follow your argument and you’ll lose credibility.
Writing the Proposal
Once you’ve collected all the data and your book or article is well-written and thoroughly researched, it’s time to move on to the next step. This is where you take all that information and write a proposal for the project. Your proposal acts as a blueprint for the rest of the book or article, and it is this proposal that will make or break your chances of getting published. Your proposal should be detailed enough so that the editor doesn’t have any questions about it, but still concise enough to be compelling. You can also include a short bio about yourself in the proposal.
Editing
Once you’ve got your proposal accepted, the next step is to go back and edit it. This is more than just a re-write, although you might want to take a close look at it to make sure that all of the information is presented in a clear and concise manner. There will also be a lot of feedback from various sources, including the reviewers for your proposal, and it’s important that you incorporate all of this feedback while maintaining the flow and coherence of your argument. Incorporating feedback in an organized and timely manner will also help you avoid unnecessary delays in the publishing process.
Publishing
The last and possibly the most important step in the nonfiction writer’s process is to publish. This is when you send your manuscript to the press and attempt to make money off of it. If all goes well, you’ll soon be hitting the streets with your book or article, looking for readers. Make sure you follow all of the steps listed here and you’ll be able to enjoy the fruits of your labor.
Hopefully, this was a helpful overview of what a nonfiction writer does. If you’re interested in pursuing a career in nonfiction writing, you’ve come to the right place. Now, all you need is a proposal and a short bio about yourself.