Advice to the Research-Challenged

Whether you write fiction or non-fiction, bad facts make readers put your article or book down before they finish it. But over-researching wastes time you could spend writing and tempts you to include unnecessary facts that bore the reader. So how do you find the right balance?

Unlike many people, I love doing research. But I learned long ago that inefficient research wastes valuable writing time. Here are some tips on researching that use examples from my experience while writing In God We Trust (FaithWalk Publishing, 2006).

1. Have a general idea of where your book is going before you start the research. In God We Trust was my response to the ongoing argument over the meaning of the First Amendment’s religion clauses. As I listened to both conservatives and liberals, I became concerned that neither side was painting an accurate picture for the general public. The object of the book is to give laypersons the information they need to draw their own conclusions about what the First Amendment means and how well the Supreme Court has applied it.

2. Tailor your research to the book’s goal. I could have researched and discussed the country’s religious history from the time the Pilgrims reached Plymouth, but that would have overwhelmed my audience with more information than necessary. So I limited my historical research and discussion to the years during which the Constitution and the Bill of Rights were written and adopted.

3. Select your sources, then use them wisely. Depending on the topic, libraries, books, magazines, interviews, location visits, and the Internet can all be helpful resources. Interviews and location visits wouldn’t have worked for me, but I made extensive use of the Harold Washington Library in downtown Chicago and of the Internet. I focused on original sources such as the Supreme Court’s written opinions and James Madison’s notes on the discussions in the House of Representatives. Internet research is tricky unless you use sites you know are reliable. Otherwise, use the Internet as a starting point but confirm your information from more dependable sources.

4. Don’t be afraid to go back and supplement your research. After I started writing, I realized I needed to address two federal laws that Congress adopted in an attempt to overrule the Supreme Court. So I found them and read them.

5. Or to leave some of your research on the cutting room floor. Although I believe in researching efficiently, it is better to err on the side of too much rather than too little. Some of the Supreme Court cases I read were decided on other grounds that avoided the First Amendment issues, so I didn’t use them.

Learn to research efficiently, and you might discover you enjoy it.

Kathryn Page Camp

So you wrote a book? So you self-published? Now it is time to market it! by Katherine Flotz

I wrote my memoirs and those of my husband’s titled “A Pebble in my Shoe”. The stories are part of the history of WWII and are worth remembering. After the writing, re-writing, editing, etc. Pannonia Press of Palatine, IL. published it. This is the imprint owned by another author, Elizabeth Walter, who could not find a publisher for her WWII memoirs. We were on our own paying for the cost of printing.

The next step was to market the book. Many friends of mine, also survivors, purchased the book. Naturally, the family and relatives became customers. It was then necessary to start looking to the local libraries and book clubs. The Crown Point library purchased books for their book club. An informative article appeared in the Crown Point Post Tribune and resulted in some sales. The YMCA book club members purchased copies.

I approached Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.com to carry my book. The book was accepted in their inventory.

As customers were reading the book, and passing copies around to their friends, we received inquiries about speaking engagements. Contacts led us to schools, where the English and history teachers asked us to speak. These events always led to sales. Our requirement always included the purchase of books for their school libraries. Don’t forget your own church or neighboring churches of all faiths. They usually have women and men’s clubs who look for speakers. Sales are usually good.

I contacted bookstores in the Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin areas to arrange for book signings. Many of the smaller bookstores take books on consignment. In vacation towns in Wisconsin, I was very successful in repeat book signings because new people come to the towns each year.

If you have a book that is of interest to people, word of mouth is a good marketing tool. The marketing and promotion of your book is best served by your personal contact with your customers.