Many writers—and readers—prefer factual material over fictional. The options for non-fiction writers are limitless: The universe is literally at their fingertips. From the endless reaches of space to the intricate machinery of the tiniest cell, and from an in-depth examination of history to projections for the future, any subject is fair game for the non-fiction author. The two broadest categories are long form and short form. From there the categories subdivide endlessly.
Long form. The most obvious kind of writing is books. They have been with us for centuries. Books are available in all formats, from print or digital to audio, and may even include video, interactive, and virtual reality elements. They can be written to instruct, to inform, to inspire, to entertain, or to persuade. An author may write to share knowledge, to grow a business, or to fill a need within a subject area. Marketing a book usually requires author participation in the form of speaking, book tours, or, at minimum, an online presence.
Short form. Within the realm of freelance writing, short non-fiction pieces are usually written as news items, articles, essays, feature stories, profiles, opinion pieces, how-to’s, and a myriad of others. Short shorts appear as sidebars and fillers. The market for these are newspapers (local to international), magazines, house organs, and specialty publications. In most cases, the author sells directly to the publication. Some writers get their start by writing without pay. Many entrepreneurial authors use blogging to establish themselves as writers; others write online for others.
Creative non-fiction. This is a relatively new category. This form was once classified as personal essay. Memoirs tend to fall within this category as the facts of one’s life often need to be enlivened with descriptive, and sometimes invented, details to engage the reader.
Business Writing. This kind of writing varies widely depending on the nature of the business and the role of the writer in relationship to that business. It could involve anything from writing ad copy to producing detailed reports, bios of key players in the business, product description or instructions, procedures manuals, or minutes of the annual meeting. This writing was once originally done in house, but now outsourcing is often the norm.
Special Fields. This category could go on endlessly, but the most common would be education, science, medicine, technology, self-improvement, health, and the like.
In short, anything you could possibly be interested in writing about probably has a readership and a business, publication, or website about it. You can freelance, sell to publications or businesses, self-publish and sell directly to the consumer, work part-time, full time, on site, or virtually. Your opportunities are limited only by your imagination.
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