Many writers, especially in their formative years, dream of becoming a novelist. And who can blame them? The prestige of tackling long-form fiction has a distinctive allure that draws many writers to pen their own “Great American Novel.” Fiction makes for an ideal exercise in creativity and imagination. It hones a writer’s craft in plotting, characterization, and his grasp of story arcs. Long fiction is a staple of required reading in colleges and universities. A writer cannot go wrong in choosing to write fiction.

However, a writer must take into account that the tempo of our digital age contributes to the changing tastes of readers. Moreover, nonfiction accounts for half of all the trade books published. Adult nonfiction revenues continue to widen the gap between fiction and nonfiction across the publishing industry. This proves that nonfiction is an avenue that budding writers should never overlook, as it provides plenty of opportunities to explore interesting topics and allows them to carve a niche that will distinctly mark them as a highly original author. Granted that you can write an idea that fills a gap in the marketplace and with the right timing, you can publish nonfiction.

Still not convinced? Consider these other reasons why you should write creative nonfiction.

1) More publishing opportunities

Magazines, newspapers, journals, and periodicals publish more nonfiction articles than fiction. You can start building a portfolio by writing and submitting to your publication of choice. A writer’s market is available for you to find different publications ranging from trade to consumer magazines as well as book publishers from small to large presses. Publications for fiction are limited and very competitive.

2) Nonfiction saves you time and effort

Time is a considerable investment in writing a full-length novel. The great thing about nonfiction is that it always comes with a proposal and marketing plan along with a few sample chapters even before your whole manuscript is finished. Publishers are interested in reading your idea first to see if your nonfiction has a potential audience and if it’s worth the financial risk. With novels, you often have to finish the whole manuscript and you either submit a few sample chapters or the whole manuscript.

3) The Internet provides even more opportunities

Now is a great time to be a nonfiction writer, as the Internet has opened up more avenues for publishing nonfiction. You can write and earn from blogging. You can write and self-publish e-books. However, be sure that your writing provides a solution or offers invaluable information to your target audience. Moreover, traditional magazines and newspapers now have their online editions where you can pitch and send articles.

4) Establish your market

On account that the Internet has opened self-publishing and print on demand opportunities, many people continue to pen novels. Take time to peruse online bookstores and see how many new authors are producing novels at a rapid rate. You can take advantage of going the other way around. By writing informative nonfiction pieces, you get a good chunk of the reading market in need of the information that you intend to provide.