Funding for non-fiction book research?

It can be kind of a chicken and egg situation, eh? Here's how it might work out, though (emphasis on might): the agent likes your proposal and decides to take the project on. He then finds a publisher. That publisher pays you an advance, which you can use to fund your research/writing.

The hitch may come if the advance is too small to meet your funding needs. You should think long and hard about this, just because an agent (or publisher) will be miffed if they spend time and resources, then you turn around and say "Sorry, I can't afford to write this."

You might like to simultaneously look into grants (arts council, groups supporting the culture of whatever you are researching, any associated businesses or tourism boards that might benefit fromt he book etc). Even if it doesn't work out it shows a good faith effort to do your part in making the book affordable for the publisher. Chicken and egg wise granting bodies prefer to know the book has found a publisher before paying up but sometimes these things can be sync-ed up if they are both in progress at the same time.

fiasco said:

Should I bring it up if the agent calls back and expresses further interest in the project just to get the tough conversation out of the way?

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I think honesty is usually the best policy, so yes I would. Be careful how you do it, just because the agent will have already spent time on you and probably assumes that you can/will complete the book. Also, I imagine the agent will have little concrete encouragement for you, he may just say: "Get back to me when you can afford to do it." Remember that the agent will be extremely reluctant to pitch a project to an editor that might not happen.

While all the suggestions you received are excellent, I think you are sort of looking for a needle in a haystack. Our job as writers is to write, and that involves doing the research required to create all or at least part of the manuscript. We can have a good idea, as you seem to have, but without doing the basic research involved and finding out what we must, all we have is an idea. The cost in money and time to do the research is at our doorstep, in the great majority of cases agents and publishers are not going to fund our ideas -- unless we are celebs or a household name in the industry. Of course you can try an sell your idea to a publisher and hope that the advance you MIGHT receive will cover the expense money you need, but I don't think that's too realistic. Of course you can apply for grant money, but I think that's a long shot. Maybe privately you know of someone who would front you the money needed for a percentage of any advance and royalties you might receive if you sell the work to a publisher. I'm not going to even suggest your own money since that's none of my business. I would try and find a benefactor, as hard as it is.

This is always the dilemma writers face, whether it's for a nonfiction work or a novel. Publishers offer advances based on how they think the book will sell, not because they are the tiniest bit concerned about how you'll pay to get the research done. If the idea is incredible and the publisher thinks they can sell hundreds of thousands of books, you may get a great advance that will cover your costs. But I wouldn't count on it. It's highly unlikely you'll find grant monies to fund research for a book you're writing, at least not quickly. If you can find a wealthy benefactor who has an interest in your topic and is willing to foot the bill, go for it (and send me the name). Figuring out how to make a living while writing is something every writer faces. Good luck--hope you get what you want.

If you can't afford to write the book because it would require leaving your
job for 4 months, I think you're in a tough spot.

Some questions:
If you took a leave of absence, would you get your job back?

Do you have any idea of what sort of advance you would need to meet your financial obligations? In other words, what if you get an agent and the publisher offers you $30,000 -- total -- in thirds? Can you survive for 4 months on $10,000?

You get the next $10,000 after a certain point, and the final $10,000 at the end of the contract.

And once you finish your 4 months on the road, you'd have to write/rewrite the book which will take weeks/months depending on what you accomplished while on the road. Can you meet the deadline set by the publisher if you return to work fulltime and can only write during the weekends/after hours?

This is not to discourage you, just some practical thoughts. I've always written fiction and didn't know anything about NF or proposals, but now I'm having my NF project reppped by a great agent.

However, it was just easier for me to write--and rewrite-- the whole thing ahead of time. (I was working freelance the entire time so could a lot of time to the book.) Now I'm back working full time and the LAST thing I want to do at night/weekends is write. (I write full time at an ad agency.)

If it's at possible, could you write most of the book -- 70% -- ahead of time and perhaps cut back on the "road work" or something.

Anyway, good luck--just think/plan ahead so it's all worth your while and money!

It might be worth contacting your National Endowment for the Arts

NEA

All I know is that the Brit Arts Council sometimes sponsors writers for a specific piece of work.

I once missed funding to write full time for a year. So instead I negotiated a longer (two year) period to write and brought in a co-author. The book got delivered. It wasn't ideal but it got the job done

Just a quick thought - an uneducated one at that - if it is about college basketball, will there be a couple of key colleges that you focus on? If so, and assuming that you will be playing them in a positive light, perhaps you might find some support from their PR or endowment departments?

Good luck!