Posted on 02/21/2008 3:44:09 AM PST by 60Gunner
Okay. At the suggestion of many a reader (and I sincerely thank you all), I have begun a book. Sort of.
It's a toss-up. I am torn between a non-fiction compilation of my experiences (which is fraught with legal hassles) and a fictional work based on my experiences with a third-person character taking on my persona.
I'll be the first to admit this: it's one thing sharing my stories with you; it's entirely another when I have to sit down and figure out what I'm supposed to write, make the reader empathize, and all that stuff.
Frankly, I do not know what to do.
I have a couple of working titles: either Good Times: A Year in the Life of an Emergency Department Nurse, or for the fictional work, Angels of Bedlam.
I don't know thing number one about writing a book or having it published. Does anyone out there have any advice? I trust you all. You have been very kind and supportive to me over the past couple of years.
Thanks for your friendship, support, and encouragement. Any suggestions?
ER Nursing Stories/ your advice is welcome ping!
Nonfiction: Angles of Bedpans. Seriously though, your nonfiction is riveting, better than any fiction I have read.
Published? More pings to those who have been?
ping.
“Angels of Bedlam” is an excellent title. I wish you well.
I'd suggest a draft of the first chapter and then use a resouce like The Literary Marketplace to find potential publishers. I'm sure I don't need to say it but I will anyway; there are a lot of scam artists in the get published field so stick with the above.
Target the publishers that look likely and send them a letter of no more than one page outlining your book.
Hang in, it may take a while to find a good match. Of course rejection, or outright being ignored, is normal.
When you get a hit they'll probably query you for a sample. At that time shoot them the first chapter.
It's a long and tedious process so hang in and don't get discouraged. It's easy to think and say that but no matter it almost always happens.
Non-fiction outsells fiction, but your questions is too wide open. Anybody who can sum up what to do with a posting doesn’t know squat.
One word of advice; you better have some sort of built-in audience, a platform, as it’s called. If you don’t have some article already published, you’ll have problems.
I also have potential customers who want to write about their life story, their 40-year marriage, their wonderful children, etc. That might be interesting to you, but that’s about it.
Save yourself a lot of time and prepare a proposal first. This is a selling tool, something that a publisher or agent can look at and determine if they might be interested and if you can pull it off, writing the book, that is. In the proposal is a table of contents (this can cahnge as the book is being written), a summary of each chapter (can also change), your bio, including every that you’ve written that has been published, who your audience is (and don’t say something like “women.” You really have to define your readership), how you are going to sell the book (because selling is actually harder than writing)...and more. Should be around 30-40 pages.
Publishers won’t hold your hand.
Don’t expect them to throw much more than lunch money at the publicizing of your book.
Get a couple of books (go to the commie site of Editors & Publishers) and look around for books for beginners...
There’s so much more.
Send me a message through the mail link. I’ll give you more, but I actually do consultations on “How To Get Published.”
I’m eight books deep into all of this.
http://beerinfood.wordpress.com/about/
NO suggestions, just eager support. Go for it. I want to buy this book. I want to buy about 4 copies as well for my medical buddies.
Do you have an agent? Do you know how to get one? I have an agent, and I’ve had at least one agent (sometimes 2) for the last 12 years. I sold my first novel (twice, actually) and I’ve written fiction and non-fiction, so if you have any q’s let me know. I might be able to answer them.
***go for the true episodes approach, like James Herriot in All Things Great and Small , etc. It will be easier to write and take a lot less time to edit.***
Gusopol3 is absolutely correct. You have a great comic talent for writing short episodes. That sort of thing is a natural seller. Cash in on it, and once established as a selling writer, THEN think about a book.
Have you thought about printing some of the stories you posted to FR, taking them to an agent, and asking for advice?
I couldn't tell you how to begin finding an agent but I suspect there you have a local writer's group that could.
I began writing my book about a month ago and had the same questions...whether to make it non-fiction or fiction based on my experiences.
I've begun it in non-fiction now and if I get along too far and find that I have to change too many things for security reasons, I'll just make it fition. At least the premise is in place.
Also, once you have a draft manuscript done, you may want to join a local writers' group. A friend of mine has done so and says she has gotten a wealth of constructive criticism and ideas on to improve her novel.
Bump
I might ping on you too, if you don't mind.
What kind of stuff do you write? I might want to read some.
How about “Confessions of a Male Nurse”! :P
Writing advice needed.
Good luck!
I was gonna write “The Adventures of Tijeras Slim”, sort of half “The Decameron”, half “Tom Jones”... but on further reflection it ended up being more dull than “Great Hockey Players of the Amazon Basin”.
I’ll leave it up to the pros.
He has an excellent writing style.
Gunner, I would go with the nonfiction. Name no names, except perhaps your own, use no identifying marks, unless they are common to many people, and use only scenarios that no one could identify the other people except, perhaps, the people that were involved.
Your anecdotes have always been riveting and I think you could do well with nonfiction.
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