I bought this book from Bob at a writers conference in 2001, and have already got a copy of the follow-on version, "The Novel Writers Toolkit," from Writer Digest Books. I've read nearly every reputable book on writing, and Bob's is clearly the best.

Why? Because he focuses as much on the importance of What you are writing about as he does on How you write it. About one third of the book is about what it means to be a writer; the second third is devoted to the process--from what he calls the "original idea" to how that idea gets converted into a story. The final third of the book tells you how to market your book to agents and publishers.

Although he pulls no punches on how difficult it is to become a published writer, Bob makes it clear most writers just don't spend enough time up front thinking about their original idea and why anyone would be interested in it.

As an agent once said to me, "give me a meticulously written manuscript with a mediocre story, and I can't help you, but give me mediocre writing with a great story, and I'll get you published."


A guide for "do as I say not as I do"   June 12, 2002
 4 out of 4 found this review helpful

There is a great deal of very good, basic information contained within this book. However, the typographical errors and the use of a repeated phrase over and over were distracting. As an example, on page 133 a sentence reads "My phone calls to his office went go unanswered". That is just one example.

The author also repeatedly tells the reader not to "beat it to death", and then goes on to use that phrase until it has been...sorry...beaten to death.

I found numerous instances where information was given and then in the next chapter, the same information would be repeated, sometimes paraphrased, sometimes not. Even with the information being good to know, reading it once is usually sufficient.

On the whole I did gain knowledge from the book although I now wish I had checked it out at the library instead of purchasing it.


Superb   September 19, 2001
 10 out of 10 found this review helpful

For the new writer or someone who has been at the keyboard for years, this book takes one from the very beginning, the seed of the idea, through writing the book, marketing it, getting published, dealing with agents/editors, and surviving in the strange world of publishing. It reads like a journey as the author wrote it over a decade of writing for a living. Best book I've ever purchased for down to earth, basic instruction.