The Expert’s Guide to Fact-Checking Your Nonfiction Book
The Expert’s Guide to Fact-Checking Your Nonfiction Book
Nonfiction authors face an extremely unfair challenge. Even the most carefully drafted book-length manuscripts are bound to have some errors, and while a thorough review for factual accuracy is standard practice for many magazines, most book publishers don’t pay for fact-checking. That sticks the author with the bill if they do take the important step of hiring a fact-checker… or the prospect of many sleepless nights if they don’t. Luckily, there are strategies that can give any author increased peace of mind without wasting their time or money. Veteran fact-checker Brad Scriber worked at National Geographic for decades, served on the National Fact-Checking Advisory Board for the Knight Science Journalism Program at MIT and has taught fact-checking to hundreds of journalists. In this intensive seminar, he’ll share what he’s learned from two decades spent reviewing the sourcing for award-winning writing on a wide variety of subjects — and he’ll show you how to make a fact-checking plan tailored to your own book. You will learn how the fact-checking mindset differs from the writing mindset, and how to evaluate and organize your own sourcing. And you’ll gain an understanding of how to review your own manuscript with a fact-checker’s eye, as well as how to decide when it’s necessary to call on outside help, and how to prepare for that.
This class has two components:
One 90-minute live seminar. (Students who can’t make the live session can also watch a recording of the full seminar.)
Following the seminar, all participants will have the opportunity to put lessons learned into action by submitting an annotated, self-checked excerpt of up to 500 words and receiving a personalized review from the instructor on their sourcing.
Cost: $198
Note: We are also offering 1/2-price seats ($99) for anyone who would like to sign up to attend the live seminar only. These 1/2-price seats do not include the personalized review.
This is the right class for you if…
You have a nonfiction manuscript ready or in the works.
You have a book deal, a manuscript out on submission or you plan to self-publish.
You care about getting the story right and you want to sleep soundly as your pub date approaches!
After this class you’ll be ready to…
Head into your full fact-checking process with confidence.
All Narratively Academy classes are conducted online and accessible to students anywhere in the world.
Your Instructor: Brad Scriber spent nearly two decades as a fact-checker for National Geographic magazine, including a year running the research department. He served on the National Fact-Checking Advisory Board for the Knight Science Journalism Program at MIT. He has taught the fundamentals of fact-checking to hundreds of journalists in dozens of countries in seminars and trainings hosted by KSJ@MIT, the Poynter Institute, the National Association of Science Writers and others. He knows how much work goes into a well-researched piece of nonfiction writing, and he is eager to help you tell a powerful, resilient, true story.
Registration Details: Seats in this class are limited and available on a first-come, first-serve basis. All purchases are final and nonrefundable. After signing up, you’ll receive an email receipt confirming your purchase. Prior to the start of your class you’ll receive an invitation to access the virtual classroom and view all class materials.
Questions? Email us at academy@narratively.com.
MORE: Check out all of our upcoming Narratively Academy classes here.