Why Socrates Was Wrong about Books: How to Write Non-Fiction That Sells - Without Prostituting the Truth
This workshop is intended for authors - or academics who want to be authors. As such, it is a practical, "how to" session on taking what we know as academics and translating it into successful non-fiction books. I will be drawing off my own experience as a successful author who has taken arcane material out of the "ivory tower" and into the mainstream publishing world.
The first part of the presentation is theoretical. I will argue that academics should communicate knowledge to the general public, even if this means "popularizing" it. Socrates, of course, who was famously suspicious of writing, would not have approved; nevertheless, I will present two arguments for why we should write for non-specialists: (1) writing outside our peer group can transform in positive ways how we approach intellectual inquiry and dialogue, by forcing us to see the ethical need to explain, and not horde, knowledge; and (2) when we as academics take our knowledge to the public, we can rejuvenate "the book" in an age when the printed word is losing ground to digital technologies. The second (and longer) part of the workshop is essentially practical -- a survey of the four key stages in producing a successful non-fiction book, from the initial concept to the finished package.
Keywords: Writing Non-Fiction Books, Creative Writing
Dr. Michael Babcock
Associate Professor of Humanities, Department of Fine Arts, Liberty University
|
Ref: B06P0121