7 Ways to Save Time and Money while Writing and Editing a Nonfiction Book
Writing a nonfiction book takes time and money . . . but if you’re taking the plunge, and once you’ve done the research, it is possible to write and edit more quickly and more affordably.
Here are 7 tips to help you do that.
1. Always—always—write from an outline.
I was recently hired to do a manuscript assessment; after two months of revisions and some negative feedback from a publisher, the author wanted help. I asked to see an outline. Crickets. The project turned into a developmental edit, because the author had been winging it all along. The narrative was all over the place, the story was repetitive, and it went off on tangents. This could have been avoided.
As soon as you can, and once you have a sense of the general chronology and the larger context, create an outline. With chapters. Each should have a title, hook, thesis, main theme(s), general chronology, and transition.
2. Don’t overwrite.
Don’t get lost in the details. Everybody has that friend or family member with the long, drawn-out stories with so much excessive detail that it takes fifteen minutes for them to get to the point. Don’t be that person on paper.
If you need help with structure or pacing, get a manuscript assessment or a developmental edit.
You can’t use every little detail of research, and there doesn’t need to be an aside in every paragraph or every footnote. Extra material belongs in a blog, short article, or appendix, or it should be filed away for future reference.
3. Write a shorter book.
Do you know the average length of a nonfiction book? You should. And you should stick to it.
Check out my other article, “What’s the Ideal Word Count for a Nonfiction Book?”
Using the example of history books:
For some publishers the sweet spot for a history book is 70,000 to 80,000 words.
Local history books or family history books can be half that—or less. You need to keep the reader’s interest and be able to sell the book at a reasonable price. Less is more.
Years ago, a PhD student told me he was having trouble finishing his dissertation, a biography of a southern politician in the nineteenth century. His subject lived to ninety-something and the dissertation was already six hundred pages long. That’s a problem.
A biographical treatment need not involve every detail from the subject’s entire life. There might be several stories within a story, and you don’t need to tell them all.
If you’re a graduate student, don’t write a voluminous dissertation. Converting it into a book (if that’s your goal) will be a herculean task.
4. Learn to self-edit.
Stick to consistent editorial preferences and standardized spellings for names, dates, formatting of notes and bibliography entries, and other stylistic choices. Do it right the first time, or get it right on your own, and you’ll save time and money.
The “Recommended Resources” in my free Author Tools resource will suggest some books to help you. There are books on that list that will help you self-edit.
You might also have beta readers read your book. You can get helpful feedback from avid readers of books in your genre and from authors of similar books if you know the questions to ask.
If you hire a copyeditor, they should give you a style sheet. It will save time and money on proofreading. Having the best Proofreading Checklist will help you do your own proofreading.
You could also invest in ProWritingAid, which touts itself as “a grammar checker, style editor, and writing mentor in one package,” for under $150 per year (see pricing here).
5. Don’t over-edit.
To fully appreciate the flow of the book and to catch inconsistencies that are spread out, it’s best to revise in large chunks—as full a draft as possible. You need not go back each day or even each week and edit what you wrote.
6. Know the going rates for the services you’ll need.
Check out the average rates for professional editing and other services according to Reedsy, Writer’s Market (use the latest edition), or the Editorial Freelancers’ Association and confer with fellow authors. Each type of professional editing should be done only once.
7. Keep yourself energized.
Talk about your book—online, with friends, with a book coach, on Clubhouse, or by presenting work in progress. You’ll have helpful suggestions and generate interest that will sustain you.
Writing a book is a long journey. Reward yourself as you pass key milestones. Appreciate all that you’ve accomplished, even if you’re not done yet.
Writing a book is time-consuming and can be expensive, but don’t let that stop you.
If you have a great story to tell, a genuine passion for the subject, and a fresh or in-demand approach or topic, the length of time or the moderate expenses involved won’t seem as daunting.
The more you write, the easier it gets in the future.
There are a lot of great books that have yet to be written. So get to work!
Looking for step-by-step support that’s insightful and encouraging—
from first draft to first book sold—or anywhere in between?