A book review of The Influential Author: How and Why to Write, Publish and Sell Nonfiction Books That Matter by Gregory V. Diehl
Stars: *****
Identity Publications (2018)
Writing Nonfiction
436 pages
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This post contains affiliate links.
Summary: By combining his experience as an educator and entrepreneur, author Gregory V. Diehl teaches passionate thinkers how to turn unique messages into profitable books—without sacrificing royalties or creative control to a publisher.
With in-depth advice about all stages of book creation, publication, and marketing, The Influential Author takes a uniquely grounded and intellectual approach to nonfiction self-publishing. Unlike self-publishing guides that promise to teach you how to write a bestselling book quickly and easily, Diehl’s book actually walks you through the complex details of planning, writing, editing, and promoting your work at the standards of traditional publishing.
Whether you are an experienced writer or have just started thinking about how to write a nonfiction book, The Influential Author will teach you about:
• Combining your passions and experience with reader demand to decide what book to write.
• Organizing your knowledge into sections and chapters for maximum comprehension and flow.
• Refining your book with feedback from editors, proofreaders, beta readers, and market testing.
• Choosing a title, subtitle, description, and cover design that capture your message and create sales.
• Pricing and promoting each format of your book (digital, print, and audio) for maximum readership and revenue.
• Enjoying lifelong passive income, influence, and meaning from your book’s success.
The Influential Author
This is the best book on writing nonfiction that I’ve seen. It’s so thorough and talks about topics others don’t bother with. For example it starts off with the historical influence of writing and helping you think about what to write about. The strategy section talks about the book market and your message. The creation section is about the qualities of a writer and writing your first draft. Refinement is about editing and proofreading. Presentation covers book appearance and format. Promotion is about book launch and book traffic and exposure. Finally Reward is about what happens when you publish a book.
The book is very thick and chock FULL of information for every section. The resources section in the back includes links to tools and websites you can use for each section.
I’ve always wanted to write nonfiction but I can’t seem to settle on a topic I feel comfortable writing about. I will be keeping this book for when I figure it out though, that’s for sure.
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