Blogger: Wendy Lawton
Last weekend marked the running of the Kentucky Derby. As soon as everyone heard that Nyqvist had won the Derby, the word trifecta kept popping up. Could he possibly win the Triple Crown— the Derby, the Preakness and the Belmont— the trifecta of thoroughbred horse racing? Rather than the normal betting jargon, The Urban Dictionary defines trifecta as the perfect group of three. That’s what we’re going to talk about today— no, not horse racing, we’ll be talking about a nonfiction trifecta.
Before I begin to outline the “perfect” nonfiction trifecta let me just say for the record:
- For every rule there is an exception. The exceptions are thoroughly delightful because they make those of us who try to make sense of this publishing game look like complete mouth-breathers and they make the unwitting recipient look like a genius. They keep us forever humble and grateful.
- We’re talking mostly prescriptive nonfiction here, not memoir, not cookbooks, not travel, etc.
- We’re taking the quality of the writing out of the equation here. I know, I know—it’s really all about the writing, but we need to remove that variable to look at these three elements.
So, we’re going to talk about the trifecta for a nonfiction project. In trying to come up with a way to describe it, I’d say it’s topic + author + platform. The perfect project would be a book on a compelling topic to which the author has devoted his life, possesses the necessary credentials and already has a following for that particular topic. It’s “perfect plus” if the author is the one the media would call if they needed an interview on that topic.
Simple, right?
It sounds cold-blooded and calculating and we freely admit that the perfect package rarely comes along but I think by recognizing the elements it helps us explore the subjects for which we may be a perfect match.
For instance, let’s say you are a board certified cardiologist who has specialized in nutrition for heart health and weight loss. You developed a diet and all your patients began to have unusual success. The buzz started and even the media began to beat a path to your door. The set-up for a publishing trifecta? Absolutely. It’s called the South Beach Diet.
Or how about this scenario? You’ve spent a lifetime as a productivity guru and your seminars are popular all across the country. What if you synthesize your philosophy down into Seven Habits and promise success? It worked for Stephen Covey.
Admittedly, those are the uber-successes but in examining the elements we can apply it to our own projects. Your project needs to be a combination of your passion + you + the people who are already following you. That’s the trifecta.
Can you come up with more examples of a nonfiction trifecta? How about some of those glorious exceptions? And what can you do if you only have two of the three?
Scooby on this one. Sorry.
This is a tough one for me, Wendy. I feel called of God to teach and write. And I often wonder, “Why me, God?” Yes, I know the usual answer about ordinary fishermen changing the world. And I picture Peter looking heavenward and saying, “Why me, God?”
The writing comes easily enough. It is the ideas behind the writing that puzzle me. “Why do I hear things from you, Lord, that others don’t? Why use me? Why don’t you speak the ideas to them and leave out the middle [wo]man?”
And I hear, “Carry on.”
So I blog, write the book and teach. My work has a shadow-like resemblance to your trifecta, Wendy. And I say with Wesley, “‘Tis mystery all.”
Shirlee, anyone who reads your work can have absolutely no doubt as to the answer to your question, “Why me, God?”
* You have a talent for making the complexities of faith blindingly clear, and a sincerity that engenders absolute confidence that your words are flowing from your relationship with Christ.
* In other words, “You da MAN!”…well, you know what I mean.
I agree, Shirlee. I always look forward to reading your words.
Awwww, Andrew. That’s high praise from the guy I consider “da MAN!”
How about Rick Warren? He started his preaching in homes. He grew a huge church and wrote multiple best-sellers and people love to hear him speak. If I hear “Purpose Driven,” I think of Rick Warren.
Yes. Especially since he already had a huge platform. And from that he created a recognizable “brand.” He’s the one the media call.
Critic Joseph Wood Krutch from NYC
fled to the desert to cure his TB.
In that landscape austere
penned “The Desert Year”
and inspired such writers as Edward Abbey.
* Joseph Wood Krutch is quite an exception; an English professor at Columbia, he had to spend a year in Tucson, and wrote “The Desert Year”, a description of the life he saw outside his window, changing with the seasons.
* It was a success; he gained respect as a naturalist and defender of the wild desert, and inspired most of the late-20th-century ‘desert writers’, such as Abbey.
Might be encouraging to consider that Krutch was 58 when “The Desert Year” was published.
I love the “exceptions,” Andrew. When someone pulls away from the bright lights (NY critic) to write what comes from the heart. Reminds me of Sarah Young as well.
And in rhyme as well. Impressive. 🙂
I’m going to take a guess that perhaps Priscilla Shirer is getting to that place of the trifecta. She’s well-known (author), speaks to large audiences (Platform), as well as an NYT author. She’s sought after for her insight and influence (expertise). Of course, I don’t know how well all of her books sell, but she may be achieving what’s needed for the nonfiction trifecta.
*If you only have two of these three, it would be a very intentional effort to achieve the third aspect. I’m thinking, depending on the area of expertise, this might be the most difficult (becoming a heart surgeon, anyone?). The platform, though it’s hard to build, can probably be done more easily than the others. But that’s just my opinion. 🙂
*This is a thought-provoking post, Wendy!
I think Priscilla Shirer is a good example. I’m not familiar with her backstory, but I bet she first began speaking to women in her church or small group and her ministry blossomed from that point.
*Looking beyond the publishing world I’d say my current trifecta is God, family and friends. It’s hard to imagine life without them.
I’m with you, Lara. God, my family and friends are my trifecta too. 🙂
I think you’re right. PriscillaShirer. And yes, a platform can be built if God gives the increase. There is one other thing that overcomes all, though.
I love her Bible studies! She has boys too, it is always fun to hear from a speaker who has a patch of your own world in their life.
For what it’s worth, I have a personal anti-trifecta. When Barb remarks on how visibly ill I now am, my reply is –
“At least I’m not slow, soft and ugly.”
Not just that, you seem to have almost photographic recall– I’m always amazed at the examples you can offer. And your creativity is thriving, so while you may be struggling in body, you are outpacing the rest of us in mind.
Wendy, in the midst of a new physical low…the last 72 hours have been hideous…you’ve caught and held my soul, so I could catch my breath.
* There are no words to express my gratitude for your grace.
“by recognizing the elements it helps us explore the subjects for which we may be a perfect match”
>>>I’m not sure if “us” in the quoted sentence is B&S agency or the collective us as writers, i.e. what non-fiction topic a writer should be looking for?
>>>Let’s see, degrees in civil engineering, 42 years in civil engineering design, expert in the design and construction of sewage pump stations, small stream flood control, parking lot layout and design, and a host of other development issues. You think I should try to forget about writing that history book that’s been burning in my brain for the last 15 years?
>>>After all, who in their right mind would come listen to a USA history talk by civil engineering? What organization in their right mind would book such a speaker?
David, actually, there are those who would welcome your background. Engineering – particularly civil engineering – and history go together really, really well.
* First, it’s the oldest branch of engineering, and thereby commands some understanding of how design evolved to meet needs and maximize capabilities.
* Second, civil engineering requires perhaps the most developed ability to explain things to a lay audience. Few electrical engineers will ever have to explain how a tunneling diode works to anyone…but there will be public officials and taxpayers wondering just why a sewage plant costs what it does.
* I was a regular presenter at the American Concrete Institute’s conventions, and nearly always had a history presentation to give. These attracted the largest audiences to which I ever spoke.
* Go for it, David. Write that book. You have a lot to offer. We will be cheering you on.
It’s a small audience clamoring for a biography of Duff Abrams, Andrew. And an even smaller one, I take it from the OP, wanting to read a U.S. history book from a student of that history rather than an expert in that history.
David, Duff Abrams is a hero…I worked in seismic design for reinforced concrete structures, and his pioneering work on the properties of concrete, and the bond between rebar and concrete, was the groundwork that made it all possible…literally everything that was done since the late 1980s in modern seismic design can trace its roots back to Abrams.
* The dude saved a LOT of lives by helping us to understand how concrete’works’.
* Write it, David.
* I mean, who would have thought that the biography of an early-20th-century racehorse would have gotten Laura Hildebrand to the NYT bestseller list?
I’d sign up for a course on the history of flood control along the Mississippi River! It’s a sad, yet fascinating situation when the Army Core of Engineers has to blow up a levee to actually save a town from flood waters and destroys thousands of acres of farmland in the process.
*BTW, my husband is a civil engineer and I agree with Andrew. Write your book.
The engineer in you should be a huge help in building a nonfiction book– in creating a book that makes sense. And as to who would come to a history talk given by a civil engineer, it would depend how you create your “persona.” My brother is an engineer– now a director in Silicon Valley– but he is known around the Bay Area as a San Francisco historian. He has written three books on San Francisco, is a regular guest on KGO radio and he speaks at museums and forums around the bay. His day job does not come into it.
Wendy is talking about me in her last question. I have the passion, I have the writing ability but I don’t have the enormous platform.
Fortunately, Oswald Chambers has a very large platform and so my biography of Mrs. Oswald Chambers–who is responsible for anyone reading Oswald’s work anyway– sold a couple week ago.
I have sixteen months to get ready for the book’s launch. Mrs. Oswald Chambers has her own Twitter account and FB account. I’ll soon have her using those words to fill them.
I’ve continued making connections with others attached to the Oswald Chambers platform and will continue writing blog posts to increase my visibility.
We shall see.
The real answer is my every-day prayer: “this is your project, Lord, not mine. Do with it and me as you will.”
It’s been astonishing so far–the research serendipities do not end and I’m thrilled to be writing the book.
God is good.
It all belongs to him anyway.
Congratulations, Michelle! That’s wonderful news for sure. I have a feeling God directed your passion for writing toward a great story and those who will help you further its course.
Happy dance!!
I’ve always thought Mrs. Chambers was an unsung hero. Who better than you, Michelle, to sing her praises!
God is good, indeed.
I love this, Michelle.
And Michelle is too humble. The publishers were lined up to bid for this book. I think Michelle is right, it will be the Oswald Chambers platform that she will tap.
–That’s another thing to consider. If you plan to write to a subject that already has a large following, be sure to become a contributing member of that community. We’ve seen Sarah Sundin and Tricia Goyer do this with WWII vets and students and Julie Klassen with regency/Austen aficionados with great success.
Yay! Congratulations!!!
I love all the examples listed below. When I think of Priscilla Shirer, Beth Moore comes to mind. When she started out, social media wasn’t around. And I love her stories of traveling the weekends, speaking, staying in not-so-great places. It’s sweet to see the platform that has grown.
Yes. And Beth Moore build this platform one reader at a time because, as you mention, there was no online platform building opportunity.
I do agree with most of this. But, like Michelle Ule, I have the passion and the words but not a large enough platform.
I believe it comes back to the “who you know” idea. Thing is, I know God (not that any human can fully, but…you get my point!). I do believe that in His time all good things happen.
I “know” Wendy Lawton.
I “know” a few publishing gurus.
But, unless those who I know are on line with the ONE whom I know, even the platform won’t really matter. IN other words, God leads each of us to the correct person at the correct time and His plan comes together.
Simplistic? You bet. But then again, isn’t His sovereignty simple by nature and complex in understanding?
Just a thought.
Nobody yet has mentioned the magic workaround for no platform. Want to guess?
–It would be stellar writing. If you have a compelling topic that you are passionate about and you are the perfect person to write it for one reason or another, just add exquisite writing to the mix and you have your own trifecta.
1. Timely and compelling topic
2. Perfect writer for the project
3. Superb writing
equals its own trifecta!