JustWriteBooks: Nonfiction Writing & Publishing Help

Writing Prompts & Publishing Tips

Psssst, we’re cracking open the vault and giving away everything that’s inside it. Here are a bunch of free instructional resources, book lists (all-time faves in several categories) to help you write and get published, special reports, and other useful writerly stuff. These tools of the trade were all either developed by us or used by us—tested and proved worthy. Enjoy!

Develop a Knockout Non-fiction Book Proposal (free mini-course): Get our daily email series of pointed questions to help you develop your non-fiction book concept, structure, and marketing plan—a $50 value for free, just because we want you to succeed. (If you just can’t wait 30 days to receive every last one of our emails, you can buy the report in toto and then work at whatever pace is good for you.) Crafting a stellar non-fiction book proposal or writing plan can make the difference between signing a publishing contract and receiving a polite rejection letter, help you land a savvy literary agent who can get you a favorable deal, and help you write a solid book that people will want to buy and read. Bonus: if you have questions as you complete the course, just come back to this blog and post your query. We’re here to help!

Land an Agent, Get a Book Deal (free video): Watch this four-minute overview of the way most books get published. Karen describes the process of writing your proposal, finding an agent, and signing a book deal.

Make It a No-Brainer for Agents and Publishers to Say Yes (special report): Our top 10 do’s and don’ts for non-fiction book proposals. We reveal what to do and what to avoid in pitching your non-fiction book. Our tips help you write a great proposal, get it in front of the right people, and have them say yes. Use it as a primer before you start and a checklist when you’re done.

Best Books & Magazines for Non-fiction Writers (book list): Our top picks for the best resources on crafting a non-fiction manuscript and writing a book proposal with plenty of how-to and writing samples.

Our Canon (book list): Ghostwriting, editing, blurb writing, opinion-slinging … we worked on all of these in one way or another.

Publishers Lunch, best job board we’ve found for legit editorial gigs, part-time, full-time, and freelance: