Best Selling books non Fiction

[This article was written by guest contributor Howard Polskin, CEO and Editor-in-Chief of Thin Reads.]
If you’re a journalist or an author who enjoys writing nonfiction stories, eBook singles represent a new revenue stream for you. In some cases, authors can net more than $100, 000* for a 60-page effort.
Of course, the big money is in fiction ($250, 000 and up for a short piece if it gains widespread popularity) but you’ve got to be a big name author to crack that list 99% of the time. And if you’ve pulling in that type of money, you don’t need to listen to me. You’re doing just fine.
I’ve been tracking the Kindle Single nonfiction and fiction best-seller lists since the beginning of 2013 and every Sunday, I publish the Thin Reads best seller list. Thin Reads defines an e-book single as a written work between 20-100 pages in length and priced between 99 cents and $4.99.
From studying the movement of books landing on the list, there are some clear lessons that I’ve learned. So before you decide to sit down and write your way into a new tax status, pay attention to the advice below. This is not surefire advice, but if you want to improve your odds of cracking the top 10 titles in the nonfiction e-book single category, your book should have one of the following characteristics.
Be Topical
This is a critical element and it often distinguishes e-book singles from long-form books. E-book singles can be published mere weeks after big news happens. None other than Stephen King came out with an e-book single, “Guns, ” a month after the tragic shootings in Newton.
Writers have to think like a newspaper or magazine editor and play to stories of immediate topical interest. (See “Six E-Book Singles That Should be Written Now.”) One of 2013’s most successful e-book nonfiction singles has been “Lincoln’s Little Girl, ” a slight look inside the Lincoln White House. However, it was pegged to the theatrical release of the Spielberg film, and it benefitted by the film’s Oscar nominations and DVD release. Another popular title this year: “The Rolling Stones Discover America, ” which was timed to the band’s 50th anniversary (read the Thin Reads interview with author Michael Lydon). Other topical best-sellers this year include “The Battle of $9.99, ” “Always Right” and “To Have and Uphold.”
Be Personal
Let’s face it. Reporting is hard work and takes time. It’s much easier to mine one’s own experience and turn it into art. It’s also more rewarding. These types of nonfiction e-book singles have performed well, especially is they are dark or personally embarrassing. I sometimes call it the Literature of Personal Shame.
Among this year’s best-sellers in this category: “Falling: The Story of a Marriage, ” “Drinking My Way Through 14 Dating Websites, ” “The Long Run” and Mara Altman’s “That’s What She Said.” Altman also had a big hit last with “The Bearded Lady, ” a funny book about her body and facial hair (read the Thin Reads interview with Mara Altman). The Brooklyn-based publisher The Thought Catalog is especially skillful at bringing these types of e-book singles to market written by and aimed at knowing 20somethings.
Source: blog.bookbaby.com
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Googling of the Best Books of 2007?
2008-01-01 12:00:33 by BrimmerDid you read my posting carefully? If so, then your comprehension skills are sorely lacking because I wrote that the 8 books represented on my list were a few titles that I "acquired" in calendar year '07, not a best books of 2007 list. To wit:
"Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" was published in 1971
"Terrorist" hit the shelves in 2006
"Big Sur" was first in print in 1962
"Factotum" first graced book store shelves in 1975
Sorry I confused you. Perhaps you need to read more.
So you declare that I am not a "real writer", huh? OK, sport, here's a double-pronged challenge for you:
First of all, post some writing, something in the box
Excellent article, wonderful book
2008-12-16 10:00:13 by SwannFrom the article:
"It is one of those rare books that speaks with the same eloquence to children and adults -- and is equally beloved by both."
That's a special category. I might add writers too, as a peculiar kind of adult. The best children's fiction has the simplicity of clear writing without talking down to readers or listeners. You'll find some 'big' words in its pages, and it's always the right word. But when it suits to use several 'smaller' words instead, those are used to good effect.
Writers could benefit by reading the best of children's literature for a dozen more reasons
The thing I like best about reading fiction
2007-12-17 15:00:51 by snimralIs that it makes me think about different people who think differently from me. It makes little people like us important and tells stories from their point of view. It's not like the media where it's always some big shot or celebrity you're supposed to think about.
Internet is fast, and everyone writes fast and doesn't think a lot. I like books because things slow down, and the writing in a good book can keep you hanging on every word, and you can't put the book down.
My wife brings home a stack of mysteries about twice a month and devours them.
Sci-fi writer Harry Harrison dead at 87
2012-08-15 19:06:19 by RFiveDFour
Popular science-fiction author Harry Harrison, whose book "Make Room! Make Room!" was the basis for the 1973 film "Soylent Green," about a futuristic society and its fictional food, has died, his publisher said Wednesday. He was 87.
Born in 1925 in Stamford, Connecticut, Harrison was best known for his 12 novels about the futuristic character "Slippery Jim" DeGriz, also known as the Stainless Steel Rat. Harrison also was the main writer for the "Flash Gordon" comic strip during the 1950s and '60s, according to his publisher, Tor Books
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