Writing Your Own Manuals and Folios

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

THE IMPORTANCE OF PLANNING

THE BASIC PLANNING PROCESS

PLANNING OUR OBJECTIVE

CREATING THE SKELETON OUTLINE

PUTTING MEAT ON THE BONES

FORMING THE BODY OF YOUR WORK

TIME TO CREATE THE BODY BEAUTIFUL

Introduction

In the publishing world, the most envied of individuals

must surely be that one in possession of some exclusive

best-selling product; an item only he or she can, or ever

will offer for sale to an eager, ever-demanding public.

Competitors' envy might quite justifiably be directed

towards that manual in which the publisher has sole

rights; perhaps a copyright purchased straight from its

author; maybe commissioned from the writer - sometimes

written by the publisher himself.

In the publisher's eyes, 'Copyright' confers exclusive

rights - to ownership, reprint rights, marketing, and

ultimately to profits.  For a title much in demand, the

benefits of ownership are obvious.  With no market to

share, the copyright holder attracts all enquiries in

respect of the title or titles concerned; pricing too is

a matter for the publisher to decide, without regard to

the pricing policy of his 'competitors' - no need to

worry that 'so-and-so's' price-cutting exercise will

affect the volume of his own sales, and no need for

concern that others will saturate the market before his

own marketing strategy is planned.

Quite simply, copyright in a manual, guide or folio, cuts

out almost all competition, except perhaps for those

titles of an almost identical nature.

Problems as may exist in respect of competition, can be

alleviated by seeking out the more elusive titles, as

opposed to following a seemingly 'safe' practice of

offering titles which in fact are merely variations upon

a theme, available from almost all of one's fellow

publishers.

In sole possession, the publisher may use his product as

a special inducement, to all buying copies of those

guides and packages not exclusive to his business.  The

most common of manuals and business packages can assume

interest renewed, when offered as part of that package

for which 'The Exclusive Formula' is the free gift to all

purchasers.  The publisher concerned is not actually

'selling' anything different to his competitors, nor is

he sharing that hungry market with them.

It's not though, just for reasons of financial incentive

that many publishers seek to obtain manuals and folios

exclusive to themselves.  Setting oneself above the crowd

allows the entrepreneur more than a modicum of pride and

prestige; even more so if the titles responsible for such

elevation are those he has written himself.

Sadly, there's an aura of mystery attached to the process

of writing, that frightens off all but the most ambitious

and adventurous of individuals.  'Sadly', because until

they put pen to paper, or finger to keyboard, there's no

way of knowing how very easy and intensely satisfying the

task of writing your own material can actually be.

Quite simply, once your objectives are planned, the road

to writing becomes a downhill task, the so-called mystery

is dispelled, and even the most sceptical of would-be

authors finds him or herself the owner of a new and

exclusive manuscript of which he or she is the writer.

But let us not kid ourselves that no-one finds the

process of writing arduous; even extremely boring;

perhaps even restrictive.  I'm not trying to convince you

that it will be easy in terms of the time and energy you

must devote to the creative task you have set yourself,

as much as assure you that no magic enters into the

proceedings.

So as not to infuriate fellow writers, let me clarify my

reasons for what I have said.  In writing business

manuals, we present no opposition to the likes of the

Archers or Cartlands of the world; their undisputed

talents will not be threatened by a sudden influx of new

names arriving on the scene.

Home publishers sell 'Information', the quality of which

is assessed by the value of 'what' is imparted; actual

literary techniques and choice of words assuming far less

importance.  That's not to say we mustn't be clear and

precise in what we say or write; it simply means that

anyone with a normal 'working' vocabulary can create

manuals destined to be held in high esteem by one's

competitors.

If still not convinced, arm yourself with half a dozen or

so titles picked at random from amongst those you

consider to comprise the best of your stock, and take

refuge in a quiet corner for an hour or two.  Now read a

few paragraphs from each volume, again selected entirely

at random.  From those which impress you most, consider

what factors may have been responsible.  Was it the

flowery language?  Perhaps the author's love of words;

the extent of his or her vocabulary perhaps?  Was it the

writers' ability to get specific points across to the

reader, easily, succinctly and clearly?  Might those

points have registered more easily in the mind of the

reader if they had been more cleverly presented? Indeed,

in terms of the information conveyed, did you really need

to stray from the point to admire vocabulary and

technique of the writer?  If this was the case, were you

really interested in the hard facts of what you were

reading in the first place? And finally, did it really

matter how well a point was made, as long as you

understood what the writer was actually saying?

If you were to select those manuals from which you

actually learned something, the chances are you would

make your choice without regard to styles of writing - in

other words it isn't the quality of the writing that

makes a title a best seller; it's purely and simply the

nature and value of the information itself.  Expert

writing will never compensate for poor quality

information, though let us not deny that it will greatly

enhance a manual already blessed with quality of content.

The first thing to convince yourself is that if you are

already in possession, or can avail yourself, of

information people want to me made aware of, you are

already half way to producing your book.  All that really

remains is to determine the most appropriate format for

the presentation of that material; this planning process

being the most important factor in determining the

ultimate value of your work, and not something you should

every consider lightly.

The Importance of Planning

There are some who commence the process of creation

without any pre-conceived idea or formula to guide them,

yet still they continue in the certain knowledge that no

subsequent amendments will be necessary to the words they

batter out onto the keyboard.  They know too that their

work will be much in demand, and will reward them well.

Such individuals are indeed highly skilled in the art of

writing, and to the great relief of the rest of us they

are also very few and far between.  For the vast majority

of writers, be they involved in creating novels,

articles, stories - or business manuals, not one word can

be committed to paper without first making a carefully

detailed plan of our prospective manuscript, paying

attention to its content, layout, title, sub-divisions

and many other essential components before we give even a

thought to writing styles, techniques, or actual choice

of words.

Without that planning process, essential information

committed trustingly to memory might be lost forever, or

else it will re-emerge at a point long after its most

appropriate point of inclusion in the overall manuscript. 

At this juncture the inexperienced writer may choose to

dismiss the point, in order to avoid the extra workload

involved in assigning the piece to its rightful position

- a sad decision, since what might have ended up a highly

informative, best selling manual will now show up for

what it is - an incomplete and hasty creation!

The moral then is: BEFORE YOU WRITE - PLAN WITH CARE.

The Basic Planning Process

The procedure for writing manuals and folios owes much to

the generally accepted principles of article writing;

which to state the obvious involves producing a

beginning, middle and an end.  Not too obvious a point to

be disregarded though, since these three components of

all articles have a different part to play, basically to:

Introduce, Expand and Clarify, and to Sum up what has

gone before.

Perhaps not surprisingly, a great deal can be learnt from

studying the work of those accomplished writers of

magazine articles, who also divulge their techniques in

the writers' press for the benefit for aspiring writers. 

Generally accepted as the gurus in the teaching of

article trends and techniques are Gordon Wells and John

Hines.  If writing your own manuals and folios appeals to

you, you can do no better than read books written by

these gentlemen.  The two I tend to favour are:

Gordon Wells.  'The Craft of Writing Articles'. Published

by Allison & Busby.

John Hines.  'The Way to Write Magazine Articles'. 

Published by Elm Tree Books.

The advice contained in these two excellent books will

guide you through the methods of article creation, and

also offer pearls of wisdom to add a touch of

professionalism to your work.

First Steps  -  Planning our Objective

First and foremost we must plan the bare bones of that

which we intend to create; rather as the dressmaker

creates her pattern, or the architect his plans.  Without

our objective, our work is doomed from the beginning. 

Often, for our purposes, our objective will be almost

identical to the title or working title of our

manuscript.  In the manual I am now writing, though I

will eventually call it 'The Exclusive Formula', my

working title and my subsequent sub-title is 'Writing

your Own Manuals and Folios'.  That working title sums up

the intended objective of my work, namely to offer the

publisher advice as to how to write his or her own

manuals and formulas, something which will hopefully

provide 'The Exclusive Formula'.

You needn't choose its ultimate title until your document

is complete, but simply giving it a working title, and

one which sums up your objective, will keep you on the

correct lines and stop you straying into the realms of

irrelevance.  Your working title may though lack the

'OOMPH' you wish your manual's ultimate title to strike

in the mind of the potential reader.

Creating the Skeleton Outline

Those who intend to go into this whole process of writing

their own titles would now do well to read John Hines on

the subject of 'Non-Linear Thought Patterns' detailed in

the book mentioned earlier.  An ominous title admittedly,

this is simply a diagrammatical method by which Hines and

his writer wife create the skeletons of the many articles

they write.  The objective being specified in the centre

of the diagram, then has lines radiating from it, each

line leading to a particular point the writer wishes to

make relating to that central objective or topic.  Each

of these secondary points may then lead to other points

relevant to the sub-topic.

By putting their thoughts to paper in this manner the

writers are able to be absolutely certain they have

included all that they wish to have included, as well as

having some means of identifying ideal breaks for new

chapters or sections, by means of the fact that often the

sub-sections radiating from the objective form an ideal

basis for such a chapter or section.  I wholeheartedly

recommend that you read John Hines' book and this subject

in particular.

Now, knowing I have taken you briefly through an

awesome-sounding process, which is in fact extremely easy

once you try it out for yourself, I can in all honesty

say 'If you don't like it, forget it!'  It is after all,

merely an alternative method, albeit an efficient one, of

listing the points you wish to make.

Whichever method we choose for deciding what will form

the basis of our skeleton, we really are doing nothing

more difficult than identifying and expanding upon those

components we consider our manual or folio needs.  So all

we do is jot down, independently of one another, all of

the relevant points that spring to mind, however mundane

they may seem - irrelevant and duplicated material will

show itself later, at which point it can be easily

deleted.  Much like John Hines' diagrammatical met hods,

if two points seem to have a close bearing or

relationship to one another then enter them in close

proximity in your jottings.

Putting Meat on the Bones

Your task is made easier if each point or combination of

related points is made on a separate sheet of paper, or

else on small pieces of card, for we now take each in

complete isolation and expand the point into words that

will explain and clarify what that point is all about,

and what bearing it has on our overall objective.  Do the

same for all of your individual sheets or cards, not over

concerning yourself with the actual wording if suitable

words seem reluctant to spring to mind.  Write it down in

plain English, if possible imagining that you were

expanding the point concerned for the benefit of a friend

or relative who has enquired as to your meaning.  This is

actually how your finished document should be perceived

by the reader - as friendly, clear, on an equal footing,

and not as something which tends to talk down to the

reader, or impress him or her with any potentially fatal

sense of superiority.

Forming the Body of your Work

The meat is now on the bones of your skeleton, ready to

be placed in that order which will form the body of our

manuscript.  Take each card or sheet of developmental

points and consider which order is best suited to

carrying out your objective. Remember as we said earlier,

each piece of written work has a beginning, middle and an

end, and allocating your pieces with this in mind will be

of great assistance particularly in your early days as a

writer.

If your points include no beginning, which I prefer to

have worded as an introduction, then simply write the

word 'Introduction' on another sheet ready for placing at

the head of your juggling of development points.  Your

ending may simply consist of a brief resume of what your

objective was and how you hope it has been accomplished.

Between your Introduction and final summary, must be

allocated all of the other points you wish to make and

which you have now expanded upon and clarified for the

benefit of your readers.  Juggle them around a little

until you are satisfied with their positions within the

overall body of your manual or folio.

The next procedure is to physically tape or paste

together, the individual sheets in that order you have

chosen for their inclusion in your work.  Now you have,

admittedly, a crude idea of what your finished work will

look like.  Now, type or re - type the complete thing in

its present order, making any amendments to wording or

grammar as spring to mind.  Paragraphs will most often

occur as a logical progression from that point where the

earlier, separated, points where joined.

Time to Create the Body Beautiful

Nothing of outstanding literary talent is needed to make

your work more professional.  It may indeed be that your

work is now complete with just a spell-check and proof

reading necessary to complete the entire manuscript - oh,

yes, and a decision as to what the title will be.  If you

can however think of a better, perhaps more concise way

of saying something, then by all means do.  If not don't

worry - remember it WHAT YOU SAY that counts, not

necessarily HOW YOU SAY IT.  Ambiguities and irrelevances

will be established by means of another check, either by

yourself or someone else you trust to give a constructive

criticism of your work.

Read your work in its entirety, then put it away,

preferably for at least a week.  Now read it again;

you'll be amazed at how differently you view your own

work with the benefit of eyes and mind refreshed.  You

will no doubt notice things you wish to change, delete,

sometimes things you wish to add.  Use the 'Cut and

Paste' technique again, cutting at those points where you

wish to remove or add material, make the amendment, then

paste or tape the work together again.  Any changes of

wording may be made quite easily onto the actual document

if you have wide margins or type in double spacing, even

if you write on alternative lines in a notepad.

If time allows, I often put my work away for another

period of at least a week, then review it again.  Of

course if you have the courage to do so, with good

friends and relatives to boot, you could have them carry

out your final proof reading with of course comments made

throughout.

They must understand though that you are not seeking

solely their approval of your work; constructive

criticism is what you require, and if they aren't

prepared to criticize any faults or inaccuracies in your

work as they perceive them, then don't ask for their

assistance.

Personally I'd rather proof read myself to the point of

complete boredom, than have a well-meaning friend or

relative tell me my work is perfect whilst knowing full

well that the spelling, grammar or whole thing is

atrocious.  Such problems I want brought to my attention,

not that of the world outside!

Finally, your work once you are satisfied with it, must

be typed either by yourself or someone recruited to

undertake the task on your behalf.  Use a good

typewriter, preferably a word processor, with a carbon

ribbon for extra clarity.  If you can afford to have it

typset so much the better, but with word processors and

the better typewriters now on the market, there's no

desperate need for the added beauty of professional

typesetting.

My next step is always to prepare a contents page, with

details of chapters included and the page on which they

commence.  Your copyright notice should also be included,

on the contents page if you wish.  After my list of

chapters and page numbers I simply add such as:

No-one now can now get away with lifting your work and

claiming as his own.

I turn now to choosing a title for your document,

preferably one which will attract browsers.  Look at some

of the great titles we find on manuals these days;

there's little alternative but to buy and discover what

it's all about, as with:

'Make œ150 in Ten Minutes', which was retitled by the

purchaser of the copyright, from what I had originally

titled rather unceremoniously 'How to Write Readers'

Letters and Fillers'.

Take as long as required to think up a good title, it

really acts as that first impression, which as they say,

lasts longest, and certainly in the field of publishing

accounts for the entire difference between your manual

selling, or being passed over in favour of something more

exciting.

You can remember, choose to include a sub-title which

will elucidate upon your 'Hype' title.  I have chosen to

include one in the title for this manual; without it

would you have known what 'The Exclusive Formula' had to

offer you?

Now I turn to creating the cover for my manuscript. 

Usually I simply apply rub-down lettering transfers that

spell out the title I have chosen.  Sometimes an

illustration will be appropriate, but that chosen must be

extremely clear or else it will detract from the look of

the cover, and may even cause an unfavourable reaction as

to the quality of what's inside the covers.  Well I know

you can't judge a book by its cover but .....?

And that really is it!  With the exception of producing a

sales leaflet for your new title, you have now provided

yourself with something exclusive to your business;

something to make you the envy of your competitors if

indeed you have any now; and perhaps most importantly

something you have written yourself  - it's a great

feeling, isn't it, holding that final product in your

hands?