The Truth Shall Set Your Fee--Writing Controversial Non-Fiction
By W. Adam Mandelbaum, Esq.

Truth is stranger than fiction, they say. It can also be more profitable, and easier to get published and promoted on a nationwide basis. Yes, this article is about the joys and benefits of writing controversial non-fiction. The kind of writing that makes some readers angry, and others shout, "Aha!" The kind of writing that makes the media stand up and take notice. This type of writing isn’t talked about too much in the pages of most "how to" writing guides and sites-- until now.

When I talk about "controversial non-fiction," I mean books, like the one I wrote-- THE PSYCHIC BATTLEFIELD (St. Martins 2000)-- which was a non-fiction investigative report into the world of psychic spying and the use of the supernatural as a military-intelligence tool. It was rather critical of the government, downright insulting to the CIA, and both praiseworthy and accusatory of a variety of characters involved with this bizarre world. The book highlighted a government cover-up about the true powers of the mind of man. The reviews, both good and bad, were certainly not lukewarm. The media coverage was exceptional, with print, radio and television time easily obtained.

Don’t get me wrong. I write fiction too. It’s fun, and can bring in a few shekels now and then, but being a lawyer (and therefore a money-grubbing mercenary S.O.B.), I like to write for larger sums than carfare. Since I’m not worthy to polish the shoes of a Stephen King with the oil on my nose, (to paraphrase and purloin a William Burroughs expression) I’m not going to make decent money from my fiction– at least right now. I have done rather well however, from my non-fiction– and maybe you could, too, should you choose to write some. Shall we say, something controversial?

Let’s look at the advantages.

First, non-fiction is easier to sell. Just ask any editor, publisher, or published writer. It is also easier to get a larger advance for non-fiction, than for fiction. (Yes, I know that if a fiction book hits big, it’ll blow the pages off of a non-fiction book, but how likely is that if you’re a no-name?) Further, you don’t have to write it before you sell it– you market a proposal, not a manuscript.

One of the quicker ways to get your non-fiction published, or at least looked at, is to come up with a "hot" (read: controversial) topic. Yes, we’ll get to that in a moment.

In the course of writing THE PSYCHIC BATTLEFIELD, I interviewed and became friendly with the top psychic spies the CIA had working for them (and us). Cool, huh? I even got to try some of the techniques. (I maybe even got my life threatened on an AMTRAK train by an agent for the government, but you gotta read the book to find out about that). Perhaps some of the folks at the Agency were not overly thrilled that I opened a cover-up can of worms with my humble little pen. However, my publisher was very interested. That’s why St. Martins bought the book. It was controversial.

So, how do you find controversial topics? Remember, you want a subject that has "sides" to it; a topic that people can get emotionally worked up about, and can take your reader behind the scenes for "the real story." The easiest place to find topic ideas is– you guessed it– the internet. The internet is the world in a box, and the key to the controversial topics that exist in that world is a good search engine. (I personally recommend google.com.)

Go to a search engine, and plug in words that should generate some controversial topics. What kind of words? "Coverup," "exposé," "political," "military," "sexual," "corporate," or "conspiracy."

As I write this, I am plugging the words "military sexual coverup" into the search engine. In less than five seconds I find a story entitled "Sexual and Physical Abuse in Australia’s Refugee Detention Camps." How’s that for controversy? Could you write an investigative book on that topic? Something entitled, perhaps, "Down Under–The Dirty World of Detention Camps?" Get the idea, a little creative wordsmithing and a good search engine, and voila! You can find all the controversial non-fiction topics you can use for a lifetime of publication.

The point is, we all love a good controversy. We love the films, the books, the stories, and the miniseries that deal with the dark secrets of our world. But let’s start loving the real world of controversial topics more. Let’s write more non-fiction about it. , I mean the truth behind the hype and the headlines. That "World of Gods and Monsters" that exists below the surface abounds with opportunities for clever and courageous pens.

Now, besides larger advances, greater chances of publication by a major, and the downright fun of controversial nonfiction, there is the advantage of it being much easier than fiction to promote nationwide. (I’m assuming you aren’t a brand name yet).

In the promotion of PSYCHIC BATTLEFIELD, I was able to easily get on the Art Bell Show, Whitley Strieber’s Show, Fox Network, New York and New Jersey Cable TV, and obtain print promotion in Fortean Times, Publisher’s Weekly, and Australia’s New Dawn Magazine.

Those are just some of the venues that my non-fiction tome served as admission ticket. Would I have received this coverage as a no-name fiction author? Not too bloody likely.

We all are bemoaning the difficulties of earning a living with our pens. Perhaps by writing more controversial non-fiction, we can not only materially benefit ourselves as authors, but the world that needs to know. The more the subject matter of controversy becomes a mote in the public eye as nonfiction, perhaps, the more related fiction works will gain publication and acceptance. A recent example might be Richard Preston’s nonfiction bestseller, "The Hot Zone," and his later fiction follow up, also a bestseller, "The Cobra Event." These books dealt with the controversial topics of biological terrorism and deadly epidemic diseases.

Remember, the odds in the real word of publishing are against you. You are competing with many thousands of people looking to get their names in print on a book, and get that book in the front of the news and the bookstores. To increase the odds in your favor, think first, nonfiction, then immediately thereafter, "controversy."

You just might find your "Hard Copy" in hardcover.

THE PSYCHIC BATTLEFIELD by W. Adam Mandelbaum (St. Martins 2000) is available at bookstores and at Amazon.com.  Contact the author at NYLAWMAN@Justice.com. 

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