As a writer, the first thing you need to decide is, which do I write? Non-fiction or fiction? Well, much will depend on what ideas you have, but there are definite advantages to both styles of writing. Some writers find non-fiction books much easier to write – there are tons of subjects to cover and there is always a new spin on a subject to be found. Others find it easy to write fiction and then there are those who have non-fiction stories, true stories that they find easier to write into a fiction book. To help you make up your mind, these are the advantages of writing non-fiction and fiction books.

The Advantages of Non-Fiction

Some of the very best authors out there started life writing memoirs or journalistic stories. George Orwell, for example, published his first book as a memoir about poverty in two very famous cities while Mark Twain published a book of essays that he penned while he traveled the Middle East and Europe – that book outsold any other book he wrote during his lifetime.

Some of the biggest advantages are:

1. It is much easier to publish non-fiction

Studies show that more short stories in the non-fiction genre are read than those in the fiction category – mostly those found in magazines and newspapers. It is very easy to get these published whereas fiction is very difficult.

2. The pay is better

Not many publications will even contemplate paying for a fiction story, unless it is to give you a free copy of the magazine whereas plenty will pay for non-fiction pieces, offering quite competitive rates at times.

3. It instills discipline in you

If you are writing for a publication, then you have a deadline to meet and nothing instills discipline in a person than a looming deadline!

The Advantages of Fiction

Many authors choose to write their personal experiences into a fiction book while others have a wealth of fictional stories in their minds, just waiting to break free.

Some of the advantages are:

1. Fiction lasts longer

Most people don’t remember a non-fiction book, but they will always remember a fiction one and we usually remember the author too.

2. Bestsellers pay more than bestsellers in non-fiction

Best selling fiction authors, the likes of JK Rowling, Jilly Cooper, and James Patterson will always sell more books than non-fictional authors like Tim Ferriss and Tina Fey and they will always make more money.

3. Your imagination gets to go wild

If you have a wild imagination, one that is very active and creative, then you can let it loose with a fiction book. Many people mistake creative non-fiction books for fiction, but they are not, they are still non-fiction and that means having to stick to the facts. That means spending hours researching, carrying out interviews, remembering everything. Fiction is not by any means a lazy way of writing, after all, there is still a lot of stuff to remember to keep your story consistent, but a fiction author can let their imagination take over. Who cares if they write about sparkly pink unicorns with rainbow hooves? It's not real, it doesn’t matter, and anything goes.