Which Books Sell More, Fiction or Non-Fiction?

Last time we looked at which is easiest to write, fiction or non-fiction.

And today I we'll look at which books sell more, fiction or non-fiction?

And as previously, I can only speak from my own experience.

My fiction novels have been selling for years, both my horror novel, Playing for Real (http://www.cheritonhousepublishing.com/books/PFR.html) and my romance book, Stand By Me http://www.cheritonhousepublishing.com/books/SBM.html). My third novel, Two Weeks in Corfu, is still in draft mode and going through the editing stage.

Of my two published novels, they both sell a few dozen copies each week. I'm not sure of the exact amount because I rarely, if ever, check my online accounts (I have a bookkeeper for that).

As to my non-fiction books, I make fewer sales, maybe even half the amount of my fiction book sales. In the beginning, my non-fiction books start with high sales but soon settle down after a few weeks/months into regular lower sales.

The reason for the high sales in the beginning is probably because I find it easier to market them and often my marketing begins long before the books are published so that by the time each one is available for sale, I have people waiting to buy copies. I also sell them at an early discount for my subscribers which also helps to boost sales.

But even though I sell more fiction books than non-fiction books, it doesn't necessarily mean that I make less money from non-fiction sales. Far from it.

This is because my non-fiction books sell for much higher prices than my fiction books. Sometimes over 10-times more. The reason for this is because the non-fiction subjects are worth more because the reader can use the information to make money, so the book is really an investment.

So in my experience, I currently make more sales from my fiction books, but more money from my non-fiction books. Perhaps it would be different if I'd written many more fiction books.

What I do know is that to be able to write a lot of fiction, you must be an avid reader of fiction.

I myself read more non-fiction books than fiction, which probably explains why I prefer to write non-fiction.

So write whichever you prefer.

Just write a lot of books.

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Fiction or Non-Fiction: Which is Easiest to Write?

As you know, I've recently finished writing a first draft manuscript of my latest novel.

It's only my third attempt at writing fiction as I'm usually a non-fiction writer.  And I have to say that writing fiction is a lot different to writing non-fiction and in so many ways.

So I was thinking; which is the easiest to write? Fiction or non-fiction?

And these are my thoughts from my own experience:

To write fiction isn't as easy as most people think.

Before I even attempt to begin writing, I first have to plan out my characters, including their backgrounds, their appearance (including the way they dress and present themselves), their fears and their wants. The main character usually has to have a flaw or two that they have to overcome in some way.

As well and the main characters, I also have to plan out all the minor characters who have small, but significant parts to play in the story. So I need to know them well including their looks and personalities.

And then I have to figure out the main plot and the subplots which all has to lead to a satisfactory ending. To begin with, I don't need to know exactly how it will all lead to the end, only that it will.

I then have to pull it all together in a timeline of events, making sure that it all runs smoothly and avoid things like characters knowing about something before they should, and figuring out how they get to know things and when. Creating a good outline and blueprint is where my imagination really kicks in to help the story unfold.

For non-fiction, most of what I write is what I already know about, but it still takes quite a bit of figuring out because knowing something, and explaining it in writing, are two completely different things.

I also need to do some research to make sure of my facts, and to find out anything I don't already know, and to find other people's view on the subject just to make sure I'm not missing something.

Then I plan out the chapters I need to include and the correct order to write them in plus break them down into different topics within those chapters too.

So, for me, writing non-fiction is easier, but mainly because I'm writing about subjects I already know a lot about. No doubt it would be different if I had to write about a completely new subject, although I'd still handle it in the same way except that I'd need to do much more research.

Which means that whether fiction or non-fiction is easier to write, depends on the author.

And we all know what kind of books we like to write.

It's really down to having to discipline to sit down and do it.

The next question is which books sell more, fiction or non-fiction?

Which is what we'll look at next.

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Laid out in an easy to follow style and suitable for writing fiction and non-fiction. Just follow the advice as you go through the course and by the end, you’ll have your manuscript written.

http://ruthiswriting.com/links/writequickly.html

How to Write 30,000 Words/Month When You Don't Have Time To Write

It's hard to find time to write every day, especially when some days, you just don't feel like writing at all.

We've all been there.

You wake up with good intentions and then other things come up and then you're just too tired to write.

Well, there's a thing that I do that, if I do it consistently, helps me to write at least thirty thousand words a month, even when I don't feel like I have time to write every day.

And that thing is that I always spend the first hour of the day writing.

As soon as I sit down to write, I make sure that the first thing I do is work on my latest book or writing project.

That way, no matter what else happens in the day, I've got my most important writing done.

Some days, I do it when I sit down to write, and other days I get up early and do it before I do anything else.

And the great thing about it is that, done consistently, that one hour of writing every day can end up being 30,000 words a month.

The math is simple. I can write at an average of 1,500 words an hour, which isn't difficult at all because it's only 25 words a minute.

So that 1,500 words an hour multiplied by 5 days a week is 7,500 words. And 4 weeks a month is 30,000.

It really is that simple.

And that hard.

The hard part is making sure you commit to doing it.

So even if you don't think you have time to write, dedicate your first hour of the day to writing and you can write a book a month, even if you have to get up an hour earlier every day.

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Write Any Book in 28 Days or Less. 
Laid out in an easy to follow style and suitable for writing fiction and non-fiction. Just follow the advice as you go through the course and by the end, you’ll have your manuscript written. And it only takes an hour a day.

http://ruthiswriting.com/links/writequickly.html

Finding Time to Write

Being a writer isn't hard.

But being a working writer who earns all their income from their writing is hard.

And one of the reasons it's hard is because it requires a lot of uninterrupted hours of work.

Unlike other careers, writing requires 100% focus and concentration. I can do other jobs while being somewhat distracted, but when I write, I need to give it my full attention.

Every day I feel like I'm bombarded with the desire to do anything but write and this is because of the deep attention I have to give my writing, so it can feel much easier to do other things.

So I have to make sure that I sit down and write every day, even though I don't always feel like doing it.

One of the ways to find time to write every day is to figure out what approach is the best way for me.

Different people work in different ways, depending on their life, job and other life commitments.

But the 5 best known ways of finding time to write are:

Monastic. This means totally cutting yourself off from everything while you write, including no phone calls, no texts, no internet and not even allowing others to speak to you at all while you're working. And if necessary, go away from home to write like Maya Angelou did. She always rented a hotel room for a few weeks and would go there every day to do nothing but lay on the bed and write. Many other writers have also hidden themselves away at hotels so that they can write including Tennessee Williams, Charles Dickens and Stephen King.

Split times. This means having some times when you write and the rest of the time for more shallow (or other) jobs. This works well for those who have family and other commitments who can't shut themselves off completely like a monastic. So you might carve out one part of the day, or the week or the month, that you use only for writing.

Set times. This means that you set aside a certain amount of time for writing and never waiver from it, like say, you write from 5am to 7am before you go to work every day.

Journalistic. This is how many writers work and it means grabbing whatever time you can for writing whenever you find a free slot in your day/evening. It's a moment to moment approach but sometimes it's all you can do if, for instance, you have young children.

So what this all means is that you need to find out which approach to writing works best for you rather than try and live your ideal.

In other words,  you may want to shut yourself off like a monastic and go to a luxury hotel and write every day, but your job, your kids and your spouse, means you can't do it and so the journalistic approach to writing is all that you can do.

But whatever your situation, make sure it works and that you get your writing done.

----------------------------

Write Any Book in 28 Days or Less.
Laid out in an easy to follow style and suitable for writing fiction and non-fiction. Just follow the advice as you go through the course, just one hour a day, and by the end, you’ll have your manuscript written.

http://ruthiswriting.com/links/writequickly.html