This department is not about popular nonfiction as a
literary genre. It is about learning to research and write
nonfiction material for outlets such as blogs, magazine
articles, and books. The career emphasis is upon freelance
writing. More...
There are two distinctly different
approaches to building a successful career writing
popular nonfiction. The most suitable approach
depends on the kind of writing career you want
to develop.
First, there is the kind of writer who is
employed by a firm that has a need for creating
informal reports and documents for non-specialists—a
staff writer. Staff writers often collaborate with
others on an assigned project. Some do the research,
some take care of obtaining permissions and
other legal documents, and others do the actual
writing. The career outlook for staff nonfiction
writers is very encouraging, especially in the
light of a burgeoning business of commercial online
blogging. Preparation for a career as a staff
writer follows the traditional lines: grammar
and composition, research methods, relevant computer
skills, and so on.
The second approach applies to individuals who
want to be self employed as a freelance nonfiction
writer. At first thought, it might seem that
the path for preparation would be virtually
identical to that of a staff writer. This is
quite true for the essentials of grammar and
composition.
The real difference between the occupations of a
staff writer and a freelance writer becomes very
apparent when it is time to earn the first bit of
income. Whereas the fledgling staff writer must assemble a
writing portfolio and work on perfecting all
the bits and pieces of a job résumé, the path for a
freelance nonfiction writer is simple in concept,
but exceedingly difficult in practice—selling
their nonfiction.
The primary purpose of a piece of nonfiction, such as a
magazine article, book, newspaper column, or blog,
is to inform the reader if certain facts.
Technical manuals and scholarly works are examples of
pure nonfiction—they include
facts and only facts. In the case of scholarly works,
the facts are supported by authoritative sources and
more facts. The requirements for pure facts and references
are relaxed for the popular nonfiction genre.
This genre is intended for the general public and lesser
academic types. Virtually all well-prepared nonfiction
books, articles, and blogs are examples of popular
nonfiction, and the market for freelance authors is huge and
insatiable. 
