George Galdorisi Get Published Now!

1. Get Published Now!
Coronado Adult Education
Winter 2018
Non-Fiction: The Hungry Market
January 30, 2018

2. “When the Day of Judgment dawns and the great
conquerors and lawyers and statesmen come to receive
their rewards - their crowns, their laurels, their names
carved indelibly upon imperishable marble - the
Almighty will turn to Peter and say, not without a
certain envy when he sees us coming with our books
under our arms, 'Look, these need no reward. We have
nothing to give them here. They have loved reading.’”
Virginia Woolf

3. Recap of What
We Covered Last Week

4. First - and Essential - Steps
• Creating content and placing it to win:
– Content-hungry media
– Recycling and building content
– Building relationships with editors – a win-win for both
parties – examples….
– Solo or with a wingman? The pros and cons of
collaboration
• Ensuring what you produce is embraced & accepted:
– Avoiding the slush pile – tilting the board in your favor
– Getting paid and getting invitations to reduce speculation

5. This Week:
Non-Fiction - The Hungry Market

6. “History is what the historians and writers say it is.”
Norman Polmar
(Forty books – and counting)

7. Non-Fiction - The Hungry Market
• Being - or becoming - the expert?
• Pursuing a subject - or letting life happen?
• Scratching itches - or entertaining?
• How much to tell and what’s next?
• Getting a publisher to buy your book
• Examples and resources

8. These two quotes might make your head
explode…so let’s deconstruct them….

9. “Now, if you’re getting all fired up and ready to pound the
keys, I might inject a word of caution. Actually, this word
comes from my wife. For most of us, writing is not a team
sport. An article for a trade journal or a short story is no big
deal, but if you find yourself writing a long piece or a book,
you probably ought to have a chat with your spouse. For
most of us, writing means closing off the other people in
your life for several hours a day and it’s something you
may want to talk about before you begin.”
Dick Couch
(Fifteen books – and counting)
Shipmate, April 1993

10. “If you have other things in your life—family, friends,
good productive day work—these can interact with
your writing and the sum will be all the richer.”
David Brin

11. ….first, let’s look at the
optional homework assignment….

12. Optional Homework Assignment
for This Week
• We’re mindful the non-fiction book market is vastly
easier to enter than the fiction market
• Let’s assume there is an area you are passionate
about and have some street creds
• Assume someone you’re met while engaging in this
passion is going to compile a book on the subject
• Write a short e-mail to him or her and explain why
the book would rock if you wrote one chapter
• Send it to me and I’ll roll it into the power point
slides

13. Writers (left) and Editors (right)
• Krista • TK

14. From: Krista Schagunn
Subject: Freighter Travel book chapter
To: Mulberry Meadows
Hi Mulberry
It was great to have talked with you at the last Armchair Travel meeting. I’m very
excited about hearing of your new book on Freighter Travel!
Just as a follow-up to our conversation, I would be delighted to be a possible
contributor for one of the chapters in your book.
I have been on three freighter voyages, the last one on the French Freighter line CMA
CGM Matisse from Tilbury Docks England, to Tahiti. It was my favorite one and very
exciting, including a North Atlantic hurricane and passage through the Panama Canal.

15. I think an interesting slant to pursue for the chapter would be the passengers and
crew members you get to meet on Freighter ships. On my first voyage from Yokohama
to Prince Rupert Canada, I met a woman who was riding her bike around the world.
On another voyage from Pusan S. Korea to Long Beach, I was the sole passenger and
got to hear hair-raising stories from the captain at dinner each night about his
experiences with stowaways, pirates and shipwreck rescues. Oh, and then there was
the passenger that drank the ship’s entire supply of red wine only two weeks into the
voyage to Tahiti!
Anyway, let me know if you are interested in accepting the chapter, and we can discuss
specifics you would like included. I also have pictures if you need them.
Looking forward to hearing from you, and let me know if you are headed out on any
more Freighter trips!
Best regards,
Krista Schagunn

16. The most essential questions you must ask
yourself before you embark on a book….

17. I keep six honest serving-men
(They taught me all I knew);
Their names are What and Why and When
And How and Where and Who.
Rudyard Kipling
The Elephant’s Child

18. Some Things to Consider Before You Write
• Who are you writing for?
• What are you going to write?
• Where are you going to write?
• When are you going to write?
• Why are you going to write?
• How are you going to write?

19. Why Non-Fiction Books?
• It is a hungry market
• Relatively easy to enter
• Lower risk – sell then write
• Can be steady money
• Can query without an agent more easily
• Vastly more nonfiction published than fiction

20. “I do not over-intellectualize the production process. I
try to keep it simple: Tell the damned story.”
Tom Clancy

21. Being – Or Becoming - the Expert
• Some essential “first order” questions:
– Is this something you’re passionate about?
– Do you have enough “street creds” that you’re an expert?
– If not, is there a way you can acquire those street creds?
– Do you really want to spend several years doing this?
• If the answer is yes, then it’s all about the packaging:
– First stop – solo or with a collaborator?
– Next stop – the library and the internet – due diligence
– Is it a book – or an article?
– If it’s a book – packaging – query letters and proposals

22. So What Should You Write About?
• Whatever you are passionate about
• Recall our “You’re in a bar with your friends” story
• What my first agent always asked:
– What are you really passionate about?
– What do I wish I had more time for?
– How would I spend year as a “professional dilettante?”
– What do I think about when I’m alone?
– What do I worry about and what issues concern me most?
– What have I done that people seem curious about?
– Is there a topic where friend turn to me for advice?

23. Pursuing a Subject-or Letting Life Happen?
• Beyond the Law of the Sea
• Leave No Man Behind
• The Kissing Sailor
• A Doolittle Raiders book

24. Scratching Itches - Or entertaining?
• Beyond the Law of the Sea:
– We had a mission
– We had a message
– We wanted people to do something
– It gave us a platform
• The Kissing Sailor
– We had a mission
– We were on a “Mission from God”
– In some ways, the day the book was published–we’re done
– And…the book “percolated” into downstream goodness
• Leave No Man Behind – “the blend”

25. How Much to Tell and What’s Next?
• Getting past: “It’s an article, not a book”
• Recall last week: Article to book ratio
• One book – or a series
• Above all else – the purpose of the book (LNMB)
• At the end of the day – you decide, not the editor
• If you didn’t write articles – now you should!

26. “Creating a book takes more than a good idea and solid
writing. Beyond the preparation of the text, the book
must be produced, then promoted.”
Gordon Burgett
Before You Write Your First Book

27. A Strategic Pause…

28. You’re in the Starting Blocks!
• You know what you’re going to write about
• You know why you’re going to write about it
• You know who is going to write it (solo….or….)
• You know roughly when you’ll write
• You already have the where figured out:
– Solo
– With collaborator (the “how” question)
• Now all you have to do is get someone interested in
publishing the book!

29. Getting a Publisher
to Buy Your Book

30. “The toughest hurdle you must scale is getting a
publisher to agree to handle your book. You are a new
name, a new risk to them. They will judge you on what
you send, the thought behind it, the obvious
professionalism, how it reaches them, sometimes your
expertise or previous writing output, and always on
how your book will increase their profit line.”
Gordon Burgett
Before You Write Your First Book

31. You Must Do This:
Decide What Your Non-Fiction Book Is

32. What Is Your Non-Fiction Book?
• Narrative Non-Fiction:
– A book that tells a true story, often using the techniques of
fiction: biographies, autobiographies, and memoirs
• Prescriptive Non-Fiction
– A book offering information and advice, this includes
helping readers improve their lives or learn a new skill

33. Narrative Non-Fiction
• Most narrative non-fiction is produced by someone
who has some experience as a writer
• Most good narrative non-fiction entertains through
storytelling as much as it informs
• Biographies typically require an enormous amount of
research and need to “hook” if the subject is familiar
• Many aspiring non-fiction writers focus on memoirs –
the “art” is finding something new to say
• At the end of the day, narrative non-fiction will
succeed or fail based on the author’s writing skill

34. Prescriptive Non-Fiction
• Prescriptive non-fiction requires decent writing, but
the bar isn’t as high as for narrative non-fiction
• However, this kind of book is sold on the basis of the
author’s platform or visibility
• Readers don’t want to be entertained, they want to
learn from the wisdom of your experience or insights
• Most popular categories of prescriptive non-fiction:
– Religion
– Business
– Self-help: Diet, health, fitness, self-improvement etc.

35. Ready to go…
…get ready for three hurdles….

36. “It’s already
been done, or
it’s on Wikipedia”
“It’s an article,
not a book”
“You don’t have
a platform”You must
overcome
all three!

37. Getting a Publisher
to Buy Your Book
• Due diligence – with a vengeance!
• Finding the right agent or publisher
• The query letter – address those three circles
• Your book proposal – and some examples

38. Due Diligence – With a Vengeance!
• Once you get past the “It’s an article, not a book”
roadblock, the next one is…
• “It’s already been done before”
• You have to convince yourself it hasn’t and then you
have to convince an agent or editor
• So how to you do that? (Your “Mission from God”)

39. Due Diligence – With a Vengeance!
• Meet Your Two Best Friends:
– The library
– The internet
• The library
– Books
– Journals and magazines
• The internet
– Subject searches
– Writer searches
• Other friends
– Your colleagues and fellow travelers
– Bookstores – large and small

40. So What the End Game – What Are You
Looking For?
• Publishers who publish this kind of book
• Agents who agent this kind of book
• Once you know that, it’s all about the query
• Persistence on steroids!

41. The Query Letter
• There is a cottage industry of courses on how to write a
query letter
• There are a number of books on how to write a query
letter
• There is a cottage industry of experts on how to write a
query letter – and some of them are here!
• There is a massive amount of information on the internet
on how to write a query letter
• Two sources:
– The Great Courses: How to Publish your Book
– Google: http://www.agentquery.com/writer_hq.aspx
– But these are only two, there are many, many more

42. The Query Letter
The “Bell Shaped Curve” For Most
• The hook
• Mini-synopsis
• Your bio
• Your closing – “where’s the beef?”
– High Concept
– Outline
– Table of Contents
– Sample Chapters
• “Bound the problem” for how much time you’re
going to spend on getting an “A” in query letters

43. The Query Letter
The “Bell Shaped Curve” For Most
• The hook
• Mini-synopsis
• Your bio
• Your closing – “where’s the beef?”
– High Concept
– Outline
– Table of Contents
– Sample Chapters
• “Bound the problem” for how much time you’re
going to spend on getting an “A” in query letters

44. The Magic Words….

45. …Yes, I’d be interested in reading it

46. How long will the editor have to
wait to see your proposal?…

47. “Interest” has a half life….

48. Before You Write the Proposal
• Come up with a “purpose statement” for your book
and write it down in one sentence
• Then put this into a working question: This book is
the answer to….
• Two sources (there are a multitude of them in print):
– John Boswell – The Awful Truth About Publishing
– Jeff Herman – Write the Perfect Book Proposal

49. The Proposal – The 100,000-Foot View
• Who would read your book?
• Why would they buy it?
• Where would they use it?
• What else is available like your book?
• How does your book differ from others?
• When did you decide it’s better than Wikipedia?
Think about your competition today – not just books,
but the internet? Is your book better than Wikipedia?

50. Your Book Proposal
• This is not the time for humility
• Think back to when you wrote your first resume
• Advice from John Boswell: The Awful Truth About
Publishing
– Define the book’s audience
– Describe the book generally and specifically
– Show that your book fills a need for your audience
– Show that you are uniquely qualified to write this book

51. Today – You Are the Publisher’s
Marketing Department
• Part of your proposal must include how you are
going to do their work for them!
• What’s your platform?
– Media of all kinds (talks, interviews, print, et al)
– Internet presence
• Facebook
• Twitter
• And more….
– How you are going to make promoting our book a
constant drumbeat

52. Let’s look at two examples of proposals
that worked….

53. Leave No Man Behind
• The “Hook” – Rescue Story (Clyde
Lassen – Medal of Honor)
• About the Book
• Table of Contents
• Chapter Summaries
• The Market
• The Authors
• Promotion
• Length and Delivery

54. Leave No Man Behind
“An important and comprehensive work on that most
American of military imperatives--going in harm's
way to get one of our own.” Dick Couch (NYT
bestselling author)
“Leave No Man Behind is a solid piece of history. Well
written, well told, well done!” Darrel Whitcomb
Author of The Rescue of Bat 21
“This story has never been told before! Leave No
Man Behind offers a unique blend of operational
experience and technical description.” Dr. Norman
Friedman – author of over 30 books.
“George Galdorisi and Tom Phillips have provided a
comprehensive, and well-written history of the
development of combat rescue up to the present,
including dramatic accounts of rescues, among them
many never before revealed.” Norman Polmar –
author of over 40 naval books.

55. The Kissing Sailor
Cover
Quote
Table of Contents
Concept (Why this book?)
Competition (Surely this story has
been told before?)
Timing (Why are we doing this
book at this time?)
Methodology (How are we going
to pull this off?)
About the Authors
Chapter Summary
The Market
Promotion
Length and Delivery

56. The Kissing Sailor
“What a wonderful detective story
about a kissing sailor and a beautiful
nurse – the most famous couple
celebrating the end of WWII. Famous
but anonymous - until now. I loved it.”
Tom Brokaw, author of The Greatest
Generation
“The Kissing Sailor is a whodunit that
provides once and for all the
identification of the world’s best-
known smoochers…You have to read
this book!” David Hume Kennerly,
Pulitzer Prize winning photographer

57. “A blank piece of paper is God’s way of telling us how
hard it is to be God.”
Sidney Sheldon

58. Some Iconic Non-Fiction Writers
and Helpful Resources

59. “There comes a time when you realize that everything
is a dream, and only those things preserved in writing
have any possibility of being real.”
James Salter
“All That Is”
NYT Magazine
December 27, 2015

60. Some Iconic Non-Fiction Writers
and Helpful Resources
• David McCullough
• Walter Isaacson
• Malcolm Gladwell
• Laura Hillenbrand
• Writers on Writing (I)
• Writers on Writing (II)
• NYT Book Review
• NYT Book Review – Last Page
• The Great Courses: “How to Publish Your Book”

61. A Summing Up of What We’ve Covered:
Whew – Is It Worth It?
• Being - or becoming - the expert?
• Pursuing a subject - or letting life happen?
• Scratching itches - or entertaining?
• How much to tell and what’s next?
• Getting a publisher to buy your book
• Examples and resources

62. “Being a comparatively successful writer is a good life.
You don’t have to work at it all the time and you carry
your office around in your head. And you are far more
aware of the world around you. Writing makes you
more alive to your surroundings and, since the main
ingredient of living, though you might not think so to
look at most human beings, is to be alive, this is quite a
worthwhile by-product, even if you only write thrillers.”
Ian Fleming
How to Write a Thriller

63. Slides Posted:
http://www.georgegaldorisi.com/
E-mail address:
george@georgegaldorisi.com
E-mail me if you’d like a copy of:
Book proposal for: Leave No Man Behind
Book proposal for: The Kissing Sailor

64. The Next Week We Meet
February 13

65. “The Great American Novel”
• Great or not-so-great? What you need to know
getting started
• Mainstream or genre? Which way should you go?
• Defining your audience and picking a “voice” and
point of view
• Getting the sale

66. Optional Homework Assignment
for February 13
• Novels have the lowest barrier to entry of virtually
anything you can write except social media
• You have a novel idea you want to pitch to an agent
or a publisher:
– Tell us whether it’s mainstream or genre
– Tell us why it is “familiar but new”
– Convince the agent it will have fabulous:
• Plot
• Characterization
• Action
• Put this into prose you can read in two minutes

67. “It’s none of their business that you have to learn to
write. Let them think you were born that way.”
Ernest Hemingway