Jan B. King's Page

You probably know there are two major types of books: fiction and nonfiction. Fiction includes a number of genres, including literary stories (the classics), poetry, drama, mystery, romance, science fiction, fantasy, horror, and more.

Nonfiction books are based on fact or on the opinions of the author. Not based on a story made up to entertain, as fiction would be, nonfiction is usually written by a subject matter expert.

Books are defined by their topics, by their audiences (books for childre… Continue

Now that you have an idea of what you’ve already got and some thoughts about how to organize it, spend some time deciding exactly what you want to commit to. Based on everything you now know, are you ready to obligate yourself to write a book this year? If so, the first ingredient is organizing your own time to make this happen.

You must believe in that responsibility and talk about it accordingly. “When my book comes out next year, I’m going to be doing a book tour in our area.” “I’m working o… Continue

No doubt about it, one of the most daunting challenges is a blank computer screen that almost defies you to pour out your beautiful prose. How do you get from blank screen to finished book?

Of course, every author does it a different way, but, most important, you must find a process that works for you.

Some well-known authors write at the same time every day, yet others write when the mood strikes. Some authors write on a computer and others in longhand. Some start at the beginning of the book… Continue

The thing that differentiates a great book from simply a good one is its ability to transform the reader, no matter what the topic of the book is. Transformational books are the kind you always remember and which touch your life. There have been hundreds of these types of books on dozens of subjects—from business to motorcycle maintenance. It isn’t the subject matter but the author’s ability to communicate universal messages that makes a book transformational. Almost any book can increase its au… Continue

Whether you’ve created a book, eBook, or other informational product, and no matter how good a writer you are, you need an editor. It simply isn’t possible to read your own work and see the problems. We all read what we think we wrote, not what is actually on the page.

Some authors find it difficult to let their “perfect” manuscripts go through the editing process—it can be ego-bruising if you let it. Try looking at it through a new lens: The editing staff can take you from a good writer to a g… Continue