Great to know I'm an average working writer by today's standards. ( )

there is a lot of practical, useful advice here for someone who is looking to become a professional novelist. some of it may be a bit biased, but it felt thought out and honest. the tone is light and accessible.

it was also fun to find that she interviewed a poet that i knew as a kid; that was a fun surprise.

(i have no interest in or intention to become a novelist and so the information here was not useful for me.)

Brilliant, funny, brutally honest. If you're at all anxious or confused about the querying and publishing process, I would highly recommend as it's full of a comprehensive breakdown and lots of practical tips not only for surviving publication, Submission, querying, and writing, but for keeping your shit together whether things are going badly or very well (both have challenges and pressures and disappointments).

In addition to her own input there is a lot of detail from editors, other writers, and many useful anecdotes from all sorts of publishing staff, eg publicists and booksellers.

I found this book by listening to the Track Changes podcast, a podcast series of 10 episodes or so that will dismantle the trade publishing world and discusses your favorite (lol) industry in depth. ( )

As an aspiring author, I feel this book was a perfect reference manual. I found it to be informative, humorous at times, and with the guest writers that appear, it's a helpful guide to get you from beginning to end. It truly covers everything you need to know. I would highly recommend it to anyone who is about to embark on the writing/publishing journey. ( )

https://parnassusmusing.net/2020/01/14/heres-the-deal-getting-to-know-author-cou....

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