The destination is clear: Become a nonfiction author. But the trail? Not so much. You might be inclined to bushwhack your way to the summit, alone and disoriented (like I did), but I’m here to show you a better way.
🗺️ The Author’s Backpack is an interactive, start-to-finish guide that will help you take the first steps toward publication—and carry all the tools you’ll need to tackle challenges along the way.
Get the first chapter for free, and meet me on the trail when you’re ready.
“I’ve been tempted to write a nonfiction book for years, and this guide makes me feel empowered to actually do it! Mike breaks down the process in concrete steps, starting (thankfully!) at the very beginning with brainstorming book ideas. He provides oodles of useful advice and honesty about the endeavor, all in a fun and lighthearted tone. It’s like hearing the real book publishing talk from a supportive friend who’s been there.” — Carina Storrs, independent science writer and journalist
The Author’s Backpack has everything you need to navigate your way to becoming a nonfiction author. Here’s how it works:
1️⃣ I’ll give you the first chapter of the guide for free. It’ll help you choose or refine your book idea, and give you a feel for what’s inside the rest of the pack.
2️⃣ If you like what you see, you can tighten the straps and hit the trail. We’ll kick off with a 30-minute Trailhead Talk, where I help you figure out your unique path to publication.
3️⃣ You’ll get the full guide, delivered as an interactive Google Doc you can type right into as you go through exercises and work on your book.
4️⃣ We’ll check in a month later, with a 30-minute Trail Junction call, to see how you’re doing and where you might need to reroute.
Hi, I’m Mike De Socio. Trust me when I say I used to be where you are now. When I first decided I wanted to write a book, I had no idea where to start. I thought I could just call up Simon & Schuster, and bingo-bango, get myself a book deal. (Reader: This is not how it works). It took me a while, and a lot of stumbling around in the dark, before I figured out the steps I needed to take.
Five years later, I have a literary agent, a publisher and a nonfiction book to my name. (And wouldn’t you know: It’s being distributed by Simon & Schuster).
But getting here wasn’t easy, and even as a seasoned journalist, I had to learn a lot of new skills. Now I’m here to guide you on your unique path to publication.
Before you can do any of this fun stuff, you’ve gotta decide what your book is going to be about. In this chapter, we’ll dive into some important questions about your book idea. We’ll make sure your book is really a book, not just a longform article. And we’ll talk about whether there’s a market for your nonfiction book
In this chapter, I’ll walk you through how reporting for a book is different from reporting for an article. We’ll talk about approaching sources and building trust. And I’ll give you my best tips for conducting a successful book interview
Scenes and characters are what’s going to drive your book’s narrative. In this chapter, we’ll talk about what they are, why you need them, and how to write them. By the end of this stage, you’ll have some practice writing this way, and ideas for how to get even better.
In this chapter, we’ll focus on crafting a winning book proposal—the document that will get you an agent and publisher. I’ll share the structure from my own successful template, and help you understand the weird mix of sales and narrative writing you’ll need to master here.
This is the most dreaded part of book publishing. In this chapter, I’ll demystify the process of finding an agent, and teach you how to send them query letters. And, because it’s unavoidable, we’ll talk about how to handle rejection and keep up your motivation
In this chapter, I’ll walk you through everything that happens after you get an agent. We’ll talk about how to get a book deal, how to work with editors and how to survive the actual publication (!!) of your book when the time comes.
“I’m a major over-thinker, so having someone with experience walk me through a process step by step always feels helpful. Mike’s guide is no filler, full of clear, actionable guidance. As a professional ghostwriter moving from newsletters to book projects, I found this guide SO helpful for tackling my first client book proposal. Everything in the backpack has or will come in handy for me, I’m sure. It’s a worthy investment!” — Katrina Eresman, freelance writer
Totally. The entire first chapter of the guide is focused on fleshing out your book idea. You don’t need to have anything written yet. In fact, if you’d don’t even have a book idea, that’s fine too—I’ll help you brainstorm.
Nope. I’ll help you understand if your book idea is really a book, or would be better as a magazine article (or something else entirely). No need to have it all figured out.
Not quite. The guide is designed for nonfiction books specifically. That said, some of my other resources, like my Guide to Getting an Agent, can apply to fiction, too!
A big part of this guide is about helping short-form writers like you learn the skills of long-form. So yes, you are ready! And this guide is designed just for you.
Unfortunately, that’s not in my control. I can prepare you with the best resources and templates I’ve got, and give you a solid game plan for getting an agent and publisher. But ultimately, I cannot guarantee those outcomes.
How long have you had this dream of becoming an author? Or walking into a bookstore and seeing your book on the shelf?
Throw on The Author’s Backpack, and I’ll help you get there.