A year ago, I was knee-deep in short stories about haunted houses and twisty mysteries. After retiring from an insurance career, where I worked in economic sanctions compliance, I was ready to focus full-time on fiction. I even swore I was done with sanctions forever. Then something funny happened.
One day, seemingly out of nowhere, I thought, Maybe I should write a book on economic sanctions.
So, I did.
Since then, I’ve published ten nonfiction guides (plus workbooks and bundles), all focused on sanctions compliance. It’s been a surprising and rewarding pivot—and one that many writers might want to consider.
If you’re a fiction writer, you may already have what it takes to write nonfiction. Here’s how I made the switch—and why you might want to try it, too.
Everyone’s an Expert in Something
You might not feel like an expert. I didn’t. Even though I’d spent ten years at my company as the go-to person for all things sanctions and had trained plenty of others along the way, the label “expert” always felt a little lofty. But the truth is, if you’ve spent time learning and applying a skill—whether at work, as a hobby, or out of personal passion—your knowledge has value.
Do you knit intricate patterns without a second thought? Are you a Facebook wizard? Have you mastered e-book formatting? Someone out there would love a guide on what you know. Don’t worry if the market already has a few books on your topic—your experience and your way of explaining things will be different. That uniqueness is your selling point.
Find Your Niche
Sanctions isn’t exactly a topic with mass-market appeal, but it is something compliance professionals and small businesses often need help understanding. Most of the available content was dense legalese or dry government guidance. I kept wishing for an approachable, plain-English guide—so I wrote the one I wanted to read.
To find your own niche, consider what you search for online. What do friends or colleagues ask you about? What problems have you solved at work or in your personal life? Have you created a system or workflow that made your job easier? That experience could help others.
Also, think about who might need your guidance. Other professionals in your field? Hobbyists? People trying to get started with a skill you’ve already mastered? That’s your potential audience. Write to them.
Start Small
Your nonfiction book doesn’t need to be 300 pages long. In fact, it probably shouldn’t be. My guides average about 70 pages. That makes them quicker to write and easier to update, and I can price them lower to make them more accessible.
Instead of cramming everything into one giant volume, I broke the content into smaller books—each focused on one topic, such as understanding sanctions, building a compliance program, or conducting a risk assessment. This approach helps readers get just the information they need without wading through chapters they don’t.
The same could work for almost any topic: a series of short books on website building, conquering social media, writing a press release, or publishing your first novel. Think bite-size and bingeable.
Why I Chose Self-Publishing
Economic sanctions are a moving target. They change constantly depending on global politics. Traditional publishing timelines simply can’t keep up—by the time a book goes to print (two years or so down the line), the guidance might already be outdated.
That’s why I chose self-publishing. I released my first guide through Amazon KDP, and later expanded to IngramSpark to reach a wider audience. The process was faster than I expected, and the control it gave me—over timing, pricing, and updates—was well worth it. I recently released second editions of several titles to keep them current.
If your topic is time-sensitive or niche, self-publishing could be a great option. If you’re already part of a professional network or active online group, you likely have a built-in audience.
Blending Writing Worlds
Writing nonfiction hasn’t replaced my love for fiction—it’s just added a new layer to my writing life. The skills I’ve developed in storytelling have helped me write clearer, more engaging guides.
If you’re feeling stuck or burned out creatively, switching genres can refresh your enthusiasm. You don’t have to stop writing what you love—but you can expand what you offer.
There’s probably something you know that others would love to learn. Don’t be afraid to explore it. You don’t need to be the world’s foremost authority. You just need your unique knowledge and viewpoint and the willingness to share what you’ve learned.
Heidi Hunter is a writer of short mystery, crime, and horror stories, drawing on her earlier career as a financial investigator specializing in Medicaid fraud and elder exploitation. Later, she spent a decade in economic sanctions compliance for an insurance company, which inspired her shift to nonfiction. She’s a member of Sisters in Crime and the Short Mystery Fiction Society.
You can follow her self-publishing journey on her blog at hollyhyattauthor.wordpress.com or explore her nonfiction guides at amazon.com/stores/Heidi-Hunter/author/B0DK5R55BF.
