TITLE: Your Novel Proposal: From Creation to Contract
AUTHOR: Blythe Camenson & Marshall J. Cook
Your Novel Proposal is an invaluable tool for anyone who has reached the point in their writing career when it's time to delve into the world of novel submission. Whether you are beginning the search for an agent or going directly to editors and publishers with your manuscript, this book will guide you through the process.
The book is divided into three main sections. In Part One: The Approach, the authors discuss publishing options, how to conduct the search for agents and editors, drafting the all-important query letter, and making your pitch. Part Two: The Package, deals with putting together a professional submission package that will make agents and editors take notice and provide them with exactly the information they require. Part Three: The Result, covers handling wait times and rejections, working with agents and editors through the acceptance and publishing process, and the technical side of having a book published. It closes with an appendix of resources for writers.
The subtitle sums up the meat of this book: "The complete guide to writing query letters, synopses and proposals for agents and editors." The authors present easy-to-understand instruction on what agents and editors are looking for, and, perhaps more importantly, what they are not looking for. There is much good advice in these pages, as well as insights into how the publishing industry works, and thoughts from many authors and industry insiders on the process of publishing.
The real treasures of the book, however, are the sample documents. One can spend any number of words explaining how to write a synopsis, but there is nothing like a real-life example to really drive the points home. The examples provide a starting-point, something one can modify and model on when writing one's own documents.
I can't recommend this book highly enough if you are serious about presenting yourself and your work in a professional manner. It should be on every aspiring novelist's bookshelf.
Copyright ©2007 by Sherry D. Ramsey. All rights reserved.
TITLE: Word Work: Surviving and Thriving as a Writer
AUTHOR: Bruce Holland Rogers
Word Work is a book I've wanted for a long time, ever since I started reading Bruce Holland Rogers' inspirational and insightful "Staying Alive" articles in Speculations magazine. I was not disappointed when I finally got a copy of the book in my hands and read it.
The book is comprised of those articles, gathered together, edited slightly for clarity in book form, and arranged in eight parts. The various sections of the book take the writer, aspiring or otherwise, through the many stages, dreams, dangers, highs and lows of the writing life. Throughout, the author is plainly a writer who embraces all aspects of that life, and is willing to share his own strategies and encourage others to find what works for them.
This is not a book about marketing, or grammar, or how to find an agent. It moves beyond those practical considerations to look at how best to actually live life as a writer, with all that entails.
Part One of the book is titled "Getting Started," and considers such questions as the difficulty of beginning, how to achieve discipline, and why we procrastinate and what we can do to counter it. Part Two, "Writing As If It Mattered," looks at the place writing has in your life, what it means to you, and how you can fulfill your own aspirations--not someone else's. As they progress, the eight sections of Word Work look at deadlines, writing workshops, reviews, other people, failure and success--all the facets of living as a writer. Throughout, Rogers provides insight into what he has learned, how it might work for other writers, and how to build on his experiences to fashion a writing life that's right for you. His suggestions are practical and reassuring--no, you're not the only one who has ever struggled with these questions, and yes, you can deal with them.
Word Work appeals to both the head and the heart, and Rogers' thoughtful and energetic style is both easy to read and thought-provoking. I highly recommend it to all writers and aspiring writers.
Copyright ©2007 by Sherry D. Ramsey. All rights reserved.
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