This is a very subjective question, considering the wide range of Non-Fiction present, but I have virtually no experience in Non-Fiction of greater than 5,000 words, so I'm looking for input. Here are my plans for my Non-Fiction WIP:
1. Plan Harder - Most of the Non-Fiction I've read in the past has always been very stream of consciousness. This comes naturally to me writing NF, but it is also something that scored negative marks because it makes it very difficult to go back and form facts. This, coupled with what I've read about book-blogging, led me to come up with a format that ultimately I feel does not work for my work (it's a sort of "Reader's Companion" style) and as a result my first part of the book has been through three revisions so far that I may have avoided with more thorough planning.
2. Complete Writing - Self-explanatory
3. Verify Information - This is where the questions start. Most of the information in the rough draft is me writing from memory immediately after viewing the sources and from my own memory of the subject, which is fine for informal blog writing but probably not the best for a published book. I plan to go through all of my facts and confirm them against original sources, but here's the kicker: to cite, or not to cite? Pros of citing: easier to prove that I'm being truthful, less likelihood of any sort of potential legal issue, makes it easier to verify my own statements. Cons of citing: Looks too formal, nothing I've read in this style has cited their facts to specific sources unless referencing a statement by another derivative work (e.g. an opinion work referencing a more or equally prominent opinion-writer's statement), adds additional work which may slow down the process, and I may not always find a source for common knowledge. I'm leaning toward in-line citation of titles (Title A provides an example of _____) as often as possible, but I welcome feedback regarding this.
4. Hire Fact-Checker - As much as I want to be confident in my own work, I am not a fact-checker by nature or professionally, and I find it unlikely that I would pick up on every potential flaw. This would be the equivalent of having your surgeon friend read the scripts of your medical drama before finalizing them. In this case, I have a friend who is equally knowledgeable about the subject as myself but as a hobby is known to fact-check and investigate information, so my intention is to make this person an offer, provide my sourced information, and hire him to pick apart my work as a sort of targeted Beta-reader. If it turns out that I am particularly terrible at this, this step may be repeated as any editing step would be.
5. Legal Issues - I've added this one to the list based on feedback I've received from these forums. The first step of this is to ensure that all of my work is defensible under Fair Use, from there I intend to contact the correct individuals regarding the corporation whose I.P. is being analyzed in my book and provide them with a sample chapter and a summary. Best case scenario, this results in additional publicity and face-time with the individuals whose work is being referenced; worst-case, this results in any unexpected legal issues being brought up before there is any grounds to bring it to court and the potential to work them out. Unfortunately my friends in Law have no specialty in Copyright Law, though if anybody on this board volunteers to consult for this I would take them up on that offer.
6. Final Editing - Up to this point, I would rely on self-editing and beta readers for editing. At this point, I would hire an editor (like in Step 4, probably a friend who I trust has the training but won't charge rates I can't afford) for quality control.
7. Querying.
Anybody here who has gone through this process with Non-Fiction and either feels I missed a step, or have some steps out of order, I value your feedback.
1. Plan Harder - Most of the Non-Fiction I've read in the past has always been very stream of consciousness. This comes naturally to me writing NF, but it is also something that scored negative marks because it makes it very difficult to go back and form facts. This, coupled with what I've read about book-blogging, led me to come up with a format that ultimately I feel does not work for my work (it's a sort of "Reader's Companion" style) and as a result my first part of the book has been through three revisions so far that I may have avoided with more thorough planning.
2. Complete Writing - Self-explanatory
3. Verify Information - This is where the questions start. Most of the information in the rough draft is me writing from memory immediately after viewing the sources and from my own memory of the subject, which is fine for informal blog writing but probably not the best for a published book. I plan to go through all of my facts and confirm them against original sources, but here's the kicker: to cite, or not to cite? Pros of citing: easier to prove that I'm being truthful, less likelihood of any sort of potential legal issue, makes it easier to verify my own statements. Cons of citing: Looks too formal, nothing I've read in this style has cited their facts to specific sources unless referencing a statement by another derivative work (e.g. an opinion work referencing a more or equally prominent opinion-writer's statement), adds additional work which may slow down the process, and I may not always find a source for common knowledge. I'm leaning toward in-line citation of titles (Title A provides an example of _____) as often as possible, but I welcome feedback regarding this.
4. Hire Fact-Checker - As much as I want to be confident in my own work, I am not a fact-checker by nature or professionally, and I find it unlikely that I would pick up on every potential flaw. This would be the equivalent of having your surgeon friend read the scripts of your medical drama before finalizing them. In this case, I have a friend who is equally knowledgeable about the subject as myself but as a hobby is known to fact-check and investigate information, so my intention is to make this person an offer, provide my sourced information, and hire him to pick apart my work as a sort of targeted Beta-reader. If it turns out that I am particularly terrible at this, this step may be repeated as any editing step would be.
5. Legal Issues - I've added this one to the list based on feedback I've received from these forums. The first step of this is to ensure that all of my work is defensible under Fair Use, from there I intend to contact the correct individuals regarding the corporation whose I.P. is being analyzed in my book and provide them with a sample chapter and a summary. Best case scenario, this results in additional publicity and face-time with the individuals whose work is being referenced; worst-case, this results in any unexpected legal issues being brought up before there is any grounds to bring it to court and the potential to work them out. Unfortunately my friends in Law have no specialty in Copyright Law, though if anybody on this board volunteers to consult for this I would take them up on that offer.
6. Final Editing - Up to this point, I would rely on self-editing and beta readers for editing. At this point, I would hire an editor (like in Step 4, probably a friend who I trust has the training but won't charge rates I can't afford) for quality control.
7. Querying.
Anybody here who has gone through this process with Non-Fiction and either feels I missed a step, or have some steps out of order, I value your feedback.
