When most people think of writing, they think of writing a fiction book. Fiction is the rock star of the writing world, and it does get the lion’s share of attention. However, non-fiction books are the bedrock of the writing world. If you’ve been thinking about writing a book, here are 5 reasons to write a non-fiction book:
1. You support fiction writers
Behind every great fiction writer is a whole host of non-fiction writers who provide them the research and information they need to make their books authentic and realistic. No fiction writer could do what they do without a non-fiction writer to support them. It’s important work, and the right audience will appreciate what you do.
2. It’s easier
If this is your first book, it is much easier and less time consuming to write a useful, well-selling non-fiction book than it is to write a fictional account. The reason is simple: when you write fiction, you must expend the energy and take the time to create it all. However, when you are writing non-fiction, you are recounting. You are telling facts and sharing information that you already know or have already spent time learning. It is a much easier and far less painful process.
3. Audiences are easier to find
It is easy to figure out who is likely to buy the book you are planning to write. It’s a simple matter to check Google to see how many searches per month are conducted to find the information you’ll be including in your book. The honest truth is that fiction writing is always a risky proposition, full of variables and unknowns. Non-fiction writing is usually straight forward.
4. Life experience is enough
You don’t have to go to a library and comb through stacks of books or get a doctorate in a subject in order to put together a non-fiction book that people will want to read. Your life experience is enough. Someone out there can benefit from what you’ve learned and what you’ve experienced.
5. It’s easier to know when you’ve gotten it right
When you’ve done non-fiction well, your audiences have the information they need and they know it. They’ve gotten what they want, and they feel good about where they are. The same thing can’t be said about fiction. Writing well can sometimes mean that people will hate the work you do. We don’t always like having mirrors held up to see what’s really there, and that’s something great fiction does. You can do everything right with fiction and people may still hate it.
Your thoughts?
What do you think? Do you agree with what I’ve said, or would you disagree? Why or why not? Are there benefits to writing non-fiction that I’ve overlooked? Tell me about them.