Lauren Bingham

I'm not sure who this book is for. Beginning writers, sure, but how 'beginning'? I don't know if I just feel I'm a step or two beyond this book, or if I question just how much need there is for this much of a beginner book, but I really felt put-off by how simple author Lauren Bingham treated this. One of the first chapters, two pages long, titled "Before You Start Writing" deals with the prospective author first needing to decide what type of book they want to write and attempts to help the beginner understand if that's non-fiction, what kind of non-fiction or fiction. There are so many choices! How do you decide? Think on it. Sleep on it. Day dream about it. Make lists. The answer of what type of book you want to write will come to you.

I'm not going to go chapter by chapter pointing out the sheer basic-ness of what is presented here. I think this early portion definitely sets an appropriate expectation on the reader. And while I do wonder what kind of writer wants or needs a book like this, the truth is that there are plenty of people who could use something like this. Try running any kind of writing contest and I promise you will see submissions that come from people who clearly need to learn the basics.

One of my issues with independently published books is the tendency to pad the pages. I'm aware that sellers like Amazon tend to pay the author based on how many pages are in the book and so many writers (especially non-fiction authors, in my experience) stretch their page count as much as possible. Bingham has a couple of tricks up the sleeve, including using half a page to share the definition of "edit" from Merriam Webster's online dictionary. There's also a moment where two paragraphs are repeated, but I suspect (hope?) this is an editing error that was in my ARC but was caught before going to press.

My copy of this book appears to be two books combined into one title. There's How to Write a Book: Taking the Plunge into Non-Fiction and Conquering Your New Writer Fears and Doubts (86 pages) and How to Write a Book: Non-Fiction for Newbies: How to Write a Factual Book and Actually Kind of Enjoy It (88 pages). At least the second title addresses who the target audience is.

I did appreciate one of the exercises included but if we're told, in a bullet point that this is "15 minutes of uninterrupted time" do we really need another sentence telling us: "That means you're going to spend the quarter hour writing about one particular memory"?

Looking for a good book? If you need a book as basic as Lauren Bingham's How to Write a Book compilation, then you probably aren't reading reviews, but if you need this book, then I hope you'll take the advice to heart and write, write, write.

I received a digital copy of this book from the author, through LibraryThing, in exchange for an honest review.

3 stars… (mehr)

I received a copy of this ebook as part of Library Thing Early Reviewers. This book is an excellent resource for writing non-fiction which, as the book very accurately points out at the offset, is NOT easier than writing works of fiction. This book acknowledges many of the anxieties of writing (in any genre as well as some specific to non-fiction) and offers a nice encouragement to break through such mental blocks. The breakdown of steps does appear to make things less daunting. Advice is practical and does not drone on too much. There are some good prompts to get you going in a few different sub-sets of non-fiction and a continual emphasis on an examination of your motivations (be sure you really want to write the particular book you are writing and so not lose track of what drives). I personally will definitely be re-referring to this book in the coming years as I write my for my PhD and beyond into academia.… (mehr)

This book was ok for me. It definitely had a lot of useful information and insights on how to form not just a character, but also the story. It also showed how to deal with staying organised and not write a 2000 page book because everything seems important. I would prefer if it was a bit shorter, since there were a few points i didn’t find interesting but you can easily skip them and learn a lot from the book. I would appreciate if the contents showed number of page on which it is so i could go directly to a part i need when i am rereading the book, but maybe that was just my book since it was a second copy i read since i had some trouble with receiving the first one, not the authors fault.… (mehr)

Non-Fiction for Newbies
How to Write a Factual Book and Actually Kind of Enjoy It
Author Lauren Bingham

Lauren Bingham’s book is a very good guide for aspiring writers who are drawn to the world of nonfiction. She has a very friendly conversational style which makes for a very pleasant read.

She addresses all the essential questions:
What makes a “good” nonfiction book?
How do you stay on track while writing?
How can you create a book that truly adds value for readers?
What strategies can you use to inform, inspire, and engage your audience?

Nonfiction types covered are:
Biography
Autobiography and memoir
History
Travel
Self-Help
How-To
Philosophy
Insight/Analytical

The book is not just theory but also practical. Bingham provides interactive exercises and valuable resources to help new writers take their first steps into the world of nonfiction. Whether you’re interested in sharing your life story, exploring historical events, or providing practical advice, this book has you covered.

I would highly recommend the book.… (mehr)