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Nonfiction Book Writing

Draft your book with the help of a professional book packager and agent

Course is closed.
Nonfiction Book Writing

DURATION/TIME
12 weeks
Thursdays
January 11 - March 29
7-10 pm

LEVEL
Intermediate

LOCATION
New York (Soho)

PRICE
$610 ($575 for )
more info

Course Details

Even experienced writers can balk at having to fill hundreds of pages with tens of thousands of words. Learn how to manage the tricky process of writing a nonfiction book from an instructor who has overseen the development of nonfiction titles of all kinds: how-to, memoir, lifestyle, trivia, food, science, art, personal essays, business, and humor, to name a few.

Find out where to start, how to stay motivated, how to write for a specific audience, and how to establish the perfect tone. You'll receive guidance on these topics while receiving invaluable feedback on your writing by an industry professional and your peers.

The class will be a combination of lectures and weekly manuscript workshops. Lecture topics include: Who's going to read my book? How do I manage the roller-coaster of a long-term project? What do I do with my finished pages?

In this class, you will learn:

  • How to research your topic efficiently and effectively
  • How to create a comprehensive structure for your book
  • How to find and sustain the right voice
  • How to distinguish your book in a crowded marketplace
  • Insights into the publishing industry that can affect how and what you write

By the end of this class, students can expect to have:
A working draft (75-100 pages), a full outline, and a plan for the completion of your book

Admission Requirements:
Please submit a one to two page description of your book idea as well as a brief work history.

Instructor Bio

Christa Bourg's Courses

Nonfiction Book Writing – New York (Class starts September 11)
Nonfiction Book Writing: Advanced – New York (Class starts September 22)

Christa Bourg
Christa Bourg is a professional book packager and agent. Her work involves developing books for major publishers (a book packager is to publishing what a producer is to the movies: if she believes in your book, she can make it happen). She has worked on numerous books in nearly every nonfiction category, including humor, business, lifestyle, memoir, food, art, parenting, home, reference, etc.

Some recent titles include Dress Your Best, French Cats Don't Get Fat, The Dysfunctional Family Christmas Songbook, The Great American Citizenship Quiz, Haiku U., Latin for All Occasions, The Booklover's Repair Kit, I've Got Your Back, At Home With Art, The Junior League cookbook series, and many more. Christa is also a freelance writer, editor, and proposal doctor. She is currently co-authoring a book entitled The Education of a Very Young Madam, which will be published by Scribner in 2007.

Testimonials


This class made the daunting process of crafting a book proposal so much more manageable. Weekly writing assignments kept me on track moving forward. And regular in-class feedback helped hone and shape my idea into a solid, marketable proposal. -- Jessica DuLong

"I took Christa Bourg's class, and without exaggeration, it changed my life. Thanks to Christa's teaching skills as well as the friendly group dynamic that came out of workshopping our proposals, I was inspired to write a complete, polished proposal for my book, Becoming A Bad Girl: My Pursuit of Wicked Women. As a result, by February I had signed on with the Zachary Shuster Harmsworth literary agency, and I'm well on my way to finding a publisher. Thank you, Christa & mediabistro! -- Joyce Hanson, author

"Christa Bourg is an excellent and dedicated teacher. Her class was well structured, and in that time she was able to guide us through each section of our proposals and workshop them thoroughly with us. In addition to her own comments and editorial help, Christa encouraged a really helpful class atmosphere and the support and interest from the group was incredibly useful. I came out of the class feeling confident in my proposal and happy that Christa not only prepared us with an informed and realistic picture of the publishing industry but also gave us tools to help us navigate the business." -- Elise MacAdam

"Christa Bourg's class really brought my book project to a new level. She gave everyone in the class equal time to develop and workshop their material. Then with her expert knowledge, she coached all of us into a better, more enlightened, place in our writing. Without Christa my manuscript would still be gathering dust in a forgotten file drawer." -- Lisa Peterson

"Writing a book is a huge undertaking, and being part of a group of people that are all making the same commitment makes it much more enjoyable -- and less daunting. During the class, I had an opportunity to workshop a piece that will be published soon in a magazine, and the feedback and structure improved my work significantly!" -- Judy Kamilhor

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