Documenting Everything: Your Journal is Your Logbook

Written by Stephen Earley Jordan, II


Sailors had it for years. Great explorers had it as well. If you go on an expedition to an ancient Aztec mound, more than likelyrepparttar archaeologist will have one too - so, why shouldn't you own one?

No, I'm not speaking ofrepparttar 129042 scurvy that plaguedrepparttar 129043 sailors! No, I'm not speaking ofrepparttar 129044 Loch Ness Monster or Bigfoot, whom explorers claimed to have seen in snowy Manitoba winters. Nor am I speaking of a lost city, which was never truly lost, but simply buried under mounds of earth and recently dug up by an archaeologist.

I'm speaking of journals. Journals? Yes! Keeping a journal can be just as much of an adventure as sailingrepparttar 129045 high seas, exploring unknown Canadian wilderness or digging inrepparttar 129046 dirt to find buried treasure.

Journals have been a source of reflection for centuries. My suggestion is to look at your writing career as if you're an explorer analyzing new-found land; an archaeologist digging up new artifacts and renaming them and so on...

How can you do this? Well, view your journal as a logbook and document your daily happenings. Here is a suggested format for keeping your captain's log.

Divide your journal entries into sections: Date, Weather, Mood, Events and Freewrite

1. Date: This isrepparttar 129047 obvious one (for some people). Writerepparttar 129048 month, day andrepparttar 129049 year. Also write which day ofrepparttar 129050 week it is (i.e., December 17, 2001; Monday).

2. Weather: Make note ofrepparttar 129051 temperature outside. Is it 100 degrees? Or perhaps it's only 20 degrees? Is it raining and 35 degrees? Snowing and 110 degrees? Raining cats and dogs? (Don't step in a poodle....)

So You Want to Write a Non-Fiction Book?

Written by Dick Conklin


Have you ever thought about writing a non-fiction book? A book with your name on it can inform people on a topic while it enhances your career and provides a nice source of supplemental income.

Published works earn yourepparttar respect of co-workers, management, customers, and friends. Your expertise in a subject will be a matter of record, and you may receive other writing offers or speaking invitations. While your book may benefit from knowledge gained onrepparttar 129040 job, your professional career can also benefit from knowledge gained while researchingrepparttar 129041 book.

Do you have what it takes?

Most non-fiction book authors didn't major in English or journalism. Publishers are looking for people who are knowledgeable about popular or leading-edge topics and can explain them to others. They are more than willing to work with first time authors, providingrepparttar 129042 editing and artwork support required to transform a rough manuscript into a finished product. If you are an expert (or are willing to become one) in a subject that others want to know more about -- you are already halfway there.

How does your company feel about it?

Ifrepparttar 129043 subject of your book is directly related to your job, your employer may have something to say about your plans to publish, so first check out any company guidelines or restrictions. Many companies ask to review job-related works before publication. Reviewers may include management,repparttar 129044 communications or public relations department, and a corporate attorney.

Most employee writing projects are done outside of work in order to avoid ownership conflicts. To be safe, do everything on your own time: research, telephone calls, writing and printing. Use your home personal computer, notrepparttar 129045 one in your office. Carefully avoid using any company-confidential information. If you are writing about a still-unannounced product, make sure that your employer (orrepparttar 129046 product's owner) andrepparttar 129047 publisher are willing to sign a confidential disclosure agreement.

Royalties, advances and taxes

Book sales depend on things likerepparttar 129048 popularity ofrepparttar 129049 topic, reputation ofrepparttar 129050 author, strength of competing books, promotions and advertising, and corporate sales. Some companies buy books in bulk for product promotions (a book sold with a product or used for marketing purposes) or for internal distribution. For example, IBM employees can order many computer books (for business use) throughrepparttar 129051 company.

Royalties are paid twice a year and their rates are negotiable, ranging from 10 to 15 percent or more ofrepparttar 129052 net receipts, notrepparttar 129053 jacket price. For example, let's say a book sells for $35 and nets an average of $15 per copy. A 10% royalty would yield a per-copy payment of $1.50. Sell 10,000 books and you'll earn $15,000. Some publishers will pay on a sliding scale: 10% forrepparttar 129054 first 10,000 copies sold, then 12% forrepparttar 129055 next 10,000, etc. Royalties from co-authored works are shared according to ratios set byrepparttar 129056 authors.

An advance on royalties is customary, and is also negotiable. Some publishers will also pay a one-time fee for certain expenses in preparingrepparttar 129057 book.

Withholding tax is not deducted by publishers, so it is up to you to send estimated taxes torepparttar 129058 IRS. A tax accountant can provide guidance on this and other tax matters, such as deductible business expenses. Keep a chronological log of your activities, showing hours spent, milestones, and related expenses such as automobile mileage, telephone calls, and computer supplies.

Royalty income overrepparttar 129059 life of a book can range from less than $5,000 to over $50,000. The life of a technical book, such as one about computer hardware or software, is generally less than three years, but a popular title can be extended with revisions and subsequent editions. The highest sales are usually inrepparttar 129060 beginning, when book distributors make their initial purchases. A computer book may have a half-life of only six months to a year, and sales drop off rapidly asrepparttar 129061 information becomes obsolete. Eventually returns will exceed sales (book distributors get refunds on unsold inventory) and your royalties will drop below zero. If you have multiple books, negative royalties subtract from positive royalties. Otherwise you'll build up an amount that you theoretically "owe" your publisher, although these balances are rarely collected.

Before contacting any publishers, set some goals. What level of detail do I want to cover? How long should this book be? How long will it take to write? How much do I want to earn? What arerepparttar 129062 non-monetary benefits of this project? How much of my personal time do I want to devote to it?

Who is your audience?

Publishers will ask you for an outline and a sample chapter, but they'll also ask for your help in sizing uprepparttar 129063 potential market. Book sales depend onrepparttar 129064 subject matter, market demand, andrepparttar 129065 strength of competing books. A clear understanding of your potential readers is important. Non-fiction, especially technical publications, can be viewed as a pyramid. Atrepparttar 129066 base ofrepparttar 129067 pyramid are books about general and how-to subjects that appeal to a broad cross-section of readers. Atrepparttar 129068 top are narrow, specialty topics of interest to a few. You may be an expert on gardening and well-qualified to write about it, but unless you are writing just forrepparttar 129069 fun of it, you'll want to aim at a wide readership.

Define your audience(s) carefully. For example, a book about a software product might have multiple subcategories of readers: (1) shoppers: people who are curious aboutrepparttar 129070 product but haven't yet purchased it, (2) new users who have just boughtrepparttar 129071 product but haven't installed it or are just beginning to use it, and (3) experienced users who want to get more out of it. Will your book address all of these readers or just one or two segments? If it is a technical topic, will an introductory chapter extend its appeal to a less-technical audience? Or, if it is written primarily for novices, would a more advanced chapter atrepparttar 129072 end attract additional readers?

Some topics have a long shelf life while others peak early and decline quickly. For example, a book about basic computer architecture, if general enough, could sell for several years. With a few changes (such as questions atrepparttar 129073 end of each chapter) it might serve as a textbook. Onrepparttar 129074 other hand, a book about next year’s Folk Music Festivals might experience brisk sales, but only for a brief period. Read trade magazines and visit local bookstores. What's selling? What new topics are in demand? Which ones are overdone or obsolete?

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