Why so few nonfiction compared to fiction!

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DrDLN

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I am nonfiction author of self-help and spiritual series. Always wonder why so few nonfiction authors. Is it lower demand or harder to write.? I realize nonfiction often needs specialized knowledge. Like to know your views.

Those who Like to read about Health & Spirit Raise Your Hand.. & Those who don't Like to read Raise Your awareness…LOL
 

Helix

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I am nonfiction author of self-help and spiritual series. Always wonder why so few nonfiction authors. Is it lower demand or harder to write.? I realize nonfiction often needs specialized knowledge. Like to know your views.

It's harder to write overall, I guess, because of the requirement for specialised knowledge.

Those who Like to read about Health & Spirit Raise Your Hand.. & Those who don't Like to read Raise Your awareness…LOL

Dearie me.
 

cornflake

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I am nonfiction author of self-help and spiritual series. Always wonder why so few nonfiction authors. Is it lower demand or harder to write.? I realize nonfiction often needs specialized knowledge. Like to know your views.

Those who Like to read about Health & Spirit Raise Your Hand.. & Those who don't Like to read Raise Your awareness…LOL

I think it's easier to write. You do have to have specialized knowledge, though I wouldn't really consider that knowing your views so much as knowing information and having credentials.

There's just less in general produced in the world.
 

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I think it's easier to write. You do have to have specialized knowledge, though I wouldn't really consider that knowing your views so much as knowing information and having credentials.

There's just less in general produced in the world.

Oh, yeah. I'd agree that it's easier to write once you have that specialised knowledge.
 

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I am nonfiction author of self-help and spiritual series. Always wonder why so few nonfiction authors. Is it lower demand or harder to write.? I realize nonfiction often needs specialized knowledge. Like to know your views.

I was a non-fic editor for years, and spent some time working on esoteric non-fic, much of which was spiritual and self-help. As is true in all genres, there are lots of people writing this stuff, but very few do it well enough for others to be willing to spend money on it.

I have seen so many dangerously bad self-help books, and so many patronising and lecturing spiritual guides. You'd be astonished. Some written by people who had great platforms, which was such a shame. But there you go. We couldn't publish bad books so they still got rejections.

Those who Like to read about Health & Spirit Raise Your Hand.. & Those who don't Like to read Raise Your awareness…LOL

That's not funny, and it won't go down well here. Please don't do this again.

I think it's easier to write. You do have to have specialized knowledge, though I wouldn't really consider that knowing your views so much as knowing information and having credentials.

There's just less in general produced in the world.

I agree non-fic is easier to write: but only if you're a good writer already, with a good understanding of your subject and its history. If you're a bad writer, you're still not going to be able to write good non-fic.
 

Fruitbat

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I think nonfiction writers might just tend to hang out more on forums about the topics they write about than on forums about writing in general.
 

Siri Kirpal

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Sat Nam! (literally "Truth Name"--a Sikh greeting)

I've written non-fic spirituality books. I only got on this board because I noticed the AW Library and thought it would be a good place to post a calling card. But there was a 50 post requirement to do that at the time, so I did that and found I could actually do some good here, so I've stayed. But most non-fic writers don't have to learn things like plotting and what's-my-genre, so this type of forum works better for fiction writers.

Blessings,

Siri Kirpal
 

DrDLN

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I think nonfiction writers might just tend to hang out more on forums about the topics they write about than on forums about writing in general.

That's because their knowledge and interests are very specific. I prefer to hang out on all kind of forums.
 

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The Admin is a non-fiction writer.
 

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Hi there. I'm a non-fiction writer and editor. I genuinely believe that it is legitimate to talk about narrative and arc in non-fiction writing. Nancy Duarte made me start thinking about this; her specialty is presentations.

I'm incoherent at this point. However, I might return to this topic.

Woke up at 3:45, couldn't get back to sleep. Read email from author, which resulted in working for an hour before I could fall back asleep. Maybe it's bedtime again now!!
 

Siri Kirpal

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Oh, yeah! If you're writing memoir or narrative non-fic, knowing something about arcs does help.

Blessings,

Siri Kirpal
 

mccardey

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Always wonder why so few nonfiction authors.

?


What's your basis for this? I read a lot of non-fic and I'm certainly never short of writers to choose from...
 

BrianY

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I am nonfiction author of self-help and spiritual series. Always wonder why so few nonfiction authors. Is it lower demand or harder to write.? I realize nonfiction often needs specialized knowledge. Like to know your views.

I don't believe any of these theories. I suspect that most nonfiction authors are instead visiting forums that cater to their specialties. For example, there are lots of places on the web to discuss cooking, gardening, travel, or cars. (to name a few examples.)

Certainly, the world of nonfiction publishing is strong. There are books and magazines and websites that serve almost every interest.
 

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?


What's your basis for this? I read a lot of non-fic and I'm certainly never short of writers to choose from...

I assumed "few" meant: on this forum.

Part of it might be that non-fiction is pretty time consuming. So it is more obvious, from my web presence, that I have written about 20 long form prose works than half a text book.
 
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BrianY

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Well, maybe "everybody" but me. Although I was sort of getting at that.
 

blacbird

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There may be a biased impression at this site, because it seems to be so deeply dominated by Heroic Fantasy fiction series writers. In the real world there's a lot of high-selling nonfiction. But for serious nonfiction, experience and credentials mean a lot more than they do for any kind of fiction writing.

caw
 

Bongo

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I have a feeling that many non fiction writers don't consider themselves writers, first. They don't write so much for the sake and art of writing, but rather to inform about whatever their topic is. As others have stated, if into forums, they're probably hanging around other places that discuss the topics they write about.
 

DrDLN

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What's your basis for this? I read a lot of non-fic and I'm certainly never short of writers to choose from...

I am thinking more about fiction and nonfiction writers on various discussion forums....
 

dot-dot-dash

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I guess you're less likely to seek my advice on chemistry than about character development.
I've had non-fiction published, but it never occurred to me to join a forum. It was the decision to take fiction seriously that prompted me to join this forum, where the subject is the writing itself.
 

balletomane

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Personally I find fiction much more challenging than non-fiction, which is why I joined this forum. I didn't need to look for any company or support so long as I was just pottering happily round my comfort zone, but as soon as I ventured outside it, I realised I wanted to talk to other writers.

My previous books did require specialist knowledge (they're based on my PhD and subsequent research in the field of peace and conflict studies), but I'm not finding fiction any less demanding in this way. My novel is requiring a lot of research. To make a traumatic birth scene credible, I had to borrow a relative's midwifery textbooks, read up on birth defects, and quiz my relative about the times she'd assisted at births like the one in my book. Doing the research and building up the knowledge is the easiest part. Far harder is finding confidence, developing a consistent narrative voice, and pushing past the urge to scrap it all and start from the beginning. With narrative non-fiction I already have these skills, but as far as fiction goes, I'm a novice.
 
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