How to Write (In)credible Nonfiction: Find an Expert!

Guest Post by Lori Alexander

As the author of nonfiction picture books and chapter books, I’m sometimes asked by other nonfiction writers, “Do I need an expert to read my manuscript?” or “How do I approach an expert in the field?” or “How do I even find an expert???” These are great questions — and no cause for panic! In my experience, it’s not a requirement to have an expert reader, but it certainly brings credibility to a manuscript. It gives me peace of mind when I get the facts straight, so I try my best to find an expert reader for every manuscript.

For my first work of nonfiction, “ALL IN A DROP: HOW ANTONY VAN LEEUWENHOEK DISCOVERED AN INVISIBLE WORLD,” I used a mountain of books, letters, and websites to research the life of the 1600s Dutch shopkeeper who, without ever taking a science class, became the first person to discover microscopic life. One website was extremely helpful, with timelines and links to English translations of the hundreds of letters Antony wrote about his discoveries. When I dug into the “About” section of the website, I found it was created by an American professor and scholar on Antony van Leeuwenhoek. I sent an email of introduction with a polite request (and, of course, shared my joy for the topic and my excitement that kids would soon get to learn about this lesser known historical figure). He graciously offered to read my manuscript and review early sketches, to make sure both the text and illustrations were historically accurate.

My newest picture book, CACTUS QUEEN: MINERVA HOYT ESTABLISHES JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK, tells the true story of the woman who used unconventional methods to protect the place she loved the best—the Mojave desert—ultimately saving nearly one million acres though federal laws. For this book, I reached out to the visitor center at Joshua Tree National Park though their general information email, with a request much like the one I sent for ALL IN A DROP. My email was forwarded to an employee in their education department, who offered to read my manuscript and made thoughtful suggestions for the back matter. In addition, she put me in contact with the park’s archivist.

At one point in my historical figure’s journey to protect the desert, she made a photo album of the Mojave’s incredible flora and fauna. She took the album all the way to President Franklin D. Roosevelt to garner his support. This photo album from the early 1930s is stored in a climate controlled location at Joshua Tree National Park. On one of my research visits, the archivist allowed me a peek inside. Here’s me holding the album, gloves to protect the pages, and mask because it was 2021.

Here’s a few more DOs and DONTs regarding contacting expert readers:

• DON’T share a rough draft of your manuscript (unless you have some special arrangement and are writing the manuscript together). Experts aren’t editors or critique partners; they should be reviewing the final version of your manuscript.
• DON’T contact an expert ceaselessly. Limit yourself to one request and one reminder nudge only. If you don’t hear back, try a different expert.
• DON’T worry if an expert says no. I’ve had researchers turn me down because they’re in the middle of grant writing or too busy for other reasons. DO ask if they know of someone else who might be willing to take a look at your manuscript.
• DO give your expert a deadline that fits their schedule. Be sure to provide them ample time, especially for reading longer works.
• It’s nice to recognize your expert in the acknowledgements section of your book. DO be sure to ask their permission first, and double check their job title, university, etc.
• DO provide a copy of the final book to your expert as a thank you.

Have another question about contacting or working with an expert? Drop it into the comments or reach out to me through my website, lorialexanderbooks.com.

Happy reading (and writing!).

My bio:

Lori occasionally posts to IG: @lorialexanderbooks or Twitter/X: @LoriJAlexander

Peek into or purchase CACTUS QUEEN here.