Nonfiction

Narrative Nonfiction: Making Facts into a Story

When editors say they are looking for narrative nonfiction, what does that mean?

Narrative nonfiction is creative nonfiction yet while both are fact-based book categories, narrative nonfiction is also about storytelling, not just presenting facts in a clever way. It gives people, places and events meaning and emotional content

Writing for the Gifted Education Market

In recent years, gifted education has become a big field. Every year the National Association for Gifted Children hosts a meeting attended by thousands of teachers, parents, and administrators. There are many opportunities to publish in the field of gifted education, ranging from newsletters to books. Before hitting the keyboard

Nailing Down the Interview

Most writers at one time or another will conduct an interview to learn more about a career, a person, a historical event, etc. Interviewing does not come naturally to many individuals, especially those writers who tend to be introverted (like me). But there are skills we can learn to make

Claire Rudolf Murphy Talks About What’s Hot in Nonfiction Today

In the December 2014 issue of Children’s Book Insider, author Claire Rudolf Murphy spoke with Anne Tews Schwab about her newest nonfiction book, My Country ‘Tis of Thee: How One Song Tells the Story of Civil Rights. Here, they continue the discussion on what’s selling today in the nonfiction market,

How to Use Fiction Techniques in Nonfiction

by Sue Bradford Edwards

To sell your nonfiction, you have to hook your reader, including your first reader – an editor or agent. When I write narrative nonfiction, I grab my reader using the same techniques used by fiction writers. I create a story full of interesting characters who

Write What You Know — Research What You Don’t!

From the first time I began reading about being a writer and attending a writer’s group, I heard that I should `write what you know.’ It made sense, and for a long time, I limited myself to personal experience writing, interviews, or easy fiction where I `knew’ all about the

Free eBook — Writing Children’s Nonfiction

Writing for the Educational Market

Part of the reason we write for children is because we enjoy this type of writing, because we want to get published, because we want to get paid, because we want children to read, because we want to get famous. Writing for the Educational Market accomplishes all these things except

Writing Picture Books Based on True Events

There are many stories in the news that intrigue us curious authors, and many of us have wondered if the story might make a good children’s book. There are story elements and the strength of the facts to consider first before writing your non-fiction story.

A few of Mary

How to Write a Picture Book Biography

Nonfiction picture books are a hit with children in the older elementary grades. The factual information appeals to teachers and kids doing school reports, while the illustrated format makes the books accessible to readers who are intimidated by large blocks of text, and perfect to read aloud to a classroom.