Susan Shapiro

I guess this book actually does what it sets out to do and that is give a lot of sound advice to budding authors who want to get their work published. But it's a bit of a bore and certainly very repetitious. Susan is apparently a well published author and has a formula which presumably works ...in terms of getting a book published and selling some copies. But ...that's the root of the boredom....it's formulaic. Basically, my take-aways are 1. Get yourself a good agent, 2. Do what the agent tells you to do 3. Write short pieces in well known magazines so that you have some sort of track record and some evidence that there is a market for your subject. 4. Read widely across the genre that you are writing in. She runs through a whole set of different genres: non fiction autobiography, non fiction biography, comedy writing, poetry, graphic art books, kids books, Sci Fi and horror and the variations on these themes, Fiction....for kids, young adults, Adults. But it's always the same formula: "How not to approach an agent....first. I found this got a bit repetitive and predictable . But maybe people DO write to an agent when they have finished writing a book and have no idea that this agent doesn't handle that kind of book, etc. etc.
I think if I was writing a book that I would actually go back and read the relevant chapter very closely. But, on the other hand, I have written a book which was translated into three languages.....and got paid for it..... but nothing that Susan Shapiro wrote was relevant to the rather technical manual that I wrote. Nor, I suspect, was her book relevant to most of the stuff that I read.....which is non-fiction technical or scientific in nature. Frankly, I'm not interested in her efforts to get off drugs or her negative experiences with five different guys. Though, to be fair, I guess these are the sort of books that become best sellers. And, when Amazon sends me a great special on "best sellers" I usually just delete it because I'm hardly ever interested in "best sellers".
There is a lot in this book that is going to be relevant to authors ...especially authors in the USA (the really big market). In fact, with all the name dropping of authors she had worked with and people in the industry I was a bit overwhelmed. Clearly, there is a LOT of competition out there and writing is not for the faint hearted.
Here's a few gems that I noted whist reading:
"You need an agent to find you a top publisher, negotiate the contract to get you a higher fee than you’d get yourself, pay you what you’re owed after their 15 percent commission, and intervene if there are problems with your publisher. "
"Chapter Breakdowns: To let a publisher know your book’s content, you should pen detailed lines on what each section will cover. Again, this shouldn’t read like a rough outline of post-it notes to yourself. Use anecdotes, quotes and specifics that flesh out the prose. Make sure every chapter has a clear purpose that builds on the last section and leads to the next"
"Read many short bios on the last book page to see what they usually include and how concise they need to be.
"Sample Pages: This is the most important part. In my experience, brilliant sample material could sell a book without some of the other elements. It’s customary to use the first two chapters, on average about 25 pages." .......Suggest who will buy your book.... for example the target group is a father facing a midlife crisis........ write a list of who might buy this: Male Readers. Parents. People Who Are Divorced. Baby Boomers. And don’t be general, add details such as how there are 76 + million Baby Boomers, and it’s the largest sector of the population and an unusually self-reflective group. .........In each case, say what your book has in common with the comparable title you list, and how it is different. Do not trash any other book, even if you didn’t like it or feel yours is way better. Be positive or at least neutral,
Even if you’re proposing a political treatise, show flashes of lively writing, dazzling dialogue and riveting scenes, peppering in the kind of idiosyncratic details that stay with readers.
The quickest route to rejection is sending someone a manuscript in a genre they don’t work in. If you Google well, you will learn that Oliver is not interested in science fiction or historical novels, romance, erotica, young adult, middle-grade, fantasy or screenplays.
"You probably won’t sell a novel with a proposal, treatment, summary or a few chapters, or even half the book, the way nonfiction can often be sold. You’ll have to finish the whole shebang.......Publishing three novels and reviewing thousands over the years, I’ve found the average fictional project from mainstream publishers is 230 pages double-spaced (how technophobes like me calculate length) or about 60,000 words (how the rest of the world counts). My own first (comic, non-award-winning) novel took thirteen years from start to publication....... (Google: “Bestselling award-winning novels” with your subgenre.) Consider this your homework and prerequisite research, to see what’s already out there, what’s possible and what you might be able to add to the field. ........I never met anyone who sat alone at home, finished a book of fiction they submitted and received a call saying, “We love it and will send you a lot of money."
"I was disappointed having a small publisher. “Focus on the end game,” a colleague advised. “Write for love. This book will do good in the world.” .....And then, a magazine editor who read the book offered me a monthly column paying $ 1,000 each, which I did for five years, ultimately making more money than my larger advance would have. I was so glad I’d kept an open mind, took my editor’s advice and compromised".
"There is no one surefire way to sell your manuscript. If you ask twelve debut authors how their projects saw print, they’ll probably share thirteen different paths. .....Often an agent will contact writers after reading a piece they admire in a big newspaper or magazine.
And a few nice thoughts: “Stay away from negative people, they have a problem for every solution.”—Albert Einstein. “The highest form of wisdom is kindness.”—The Talmud
OK...a little bit boring and I'd recommend any potential author to just focus on the genre section that they are writing for. But very practical and helpful. I give it three stars.

"… (meer)

This conversational, high-energy book is an inspirational and practical how-to for writers wanting to break into freelance writing. (I freelanced a decade ago, and read the book now as a refresher.)

Shapiro opens with a universally approachable writing project (the short, “humiliation” personal essay) and, through it, explores the freelance process: coming up with the idea; drafting the piece; getting feedback and revising; finding markets; querying/pitching and submitting; and payment and promotion. She then outlines other types of approachable projects (locale-related (different from “travel”); opinion; humor; and service how-to’s) and notes where these other types require tweaks to the process already explored.

It’s a bit noisy and hectic, with abundant references to Shapiro’s life and writings. Approximately 40% of the book is her students’ published essays, dozens of which are reprinted in full and dozens more collected into lists with weblinks. It’s helpful to read the published examples to see such different and effective writerly approaches, but without any accompanying, instructive annotations from Shapiro, they feel a little promotional.

For me, the most helpful takeaways were Shapiro’s positivity, her advice to make pieces temporally relevant (to tie them, even marginally, to current events) and her excellent referrals to markets and contacts.

(Review based on a copy of the book provided by the publisher.)… (meer)

There are so many things I love about this book. It is loaded with helpful and thought-provoking information, and it’s a pay-it-forward gift (so-to-speak) from someone who’s paved the path to success with lessons and advice she’s learned along her journey.

Some of the many jewels I found in this book are the cover letter examples, writing exercises, and mistakes to avoid. These are incredibly helpful and memorable. The Glossary and Index are also helpful in navigating this info-loaded handbook.

One of the pros of this book is also a con (in my opinion.) There is so much information with very little white space on the pages. So much wordage can be overwhelming. I wish there were more illustrations or breaks on the page. This might not be important to other readers and writers, but it helps me tremendously. I like having a stopping point or a section of rest where I can reflect on what I’ve read. Such as looking at a diagram, chart, or drawing that illustrates something in the previous paragraphs.

I would rate this book higher if the facts and information were presented and displayed a bit differently. Still, it’s and instructive, enlightening, and inspiring guidebook.

#LackingWhitespace… (meer)