Before and After the Book Deal
A Writer's Guide to Finishing, Publishing, Promoting, and Surviving Your First Book
-
- USD 11.99
-
- USD 11.99
Descripción editorial
Everything you’ve ever wanted to know about publishing—but were too afraid to ask—is in this funny, candid guide featuring advice from 150 contributors, including Anthony Doerr, Roxane Gay, and Rebecca Makkai.
“Anyone who’s trying to get a book published or is in the process of being published should consider this guide required reading.” —BuzzFeed
There are countless books on the market about how to write better but very few books on how to break into the marketplace with your first book. Cutting through the noise (and very mixed advice) online, while both dispelling rumors and remaining positive, Courtney Maum’s Before and After the Book Deal is a one-of-a-kind resource that can help you get your book published. Discover words of wisdom from over 150 contributors throughout the industry, including:
• Bestselling authors Anthony Doerr, Roxane Gay, Lisa Ko, R. O. Kwon, Rebecca Makkai, and Ottessa Moshfegh
• Cult favorites Sarah Gerard, Melissa Febos, Mitchell S. Jackson, and Mira Jacob
• Agents, film scouts, film producers, translators, disability and minority activists, and and editors
Together, they offer advice and share intimate anecdotes about even the most taboo topics in the industry, answering common questions ranging from the logistical to the existential:
• Are MFA programs worth the time and money?
• How do people actually sit down and finish a novel?
• Did you get a good advance?
• What do you do when you feel envious of other writers?
• Why the heck aren’t your friends saying anything about your book?
The definitive guide for anyone who has ever wanted to know what it’s really like to be an author, Before and After the Book Deal will help you find a foothold in the publishing world and navigate the challenges of life before and after publication with sanity and grace.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This witty, quirky guide to writing books as a profession, from novelist Maum (Touch), manages to be both funny and informative. Loaded with anecdotes and advice from her own career and from writer friends and acquaintances of hers, it provides a comprehensive guide to writing and selling books, from getting started and making time to write, to understanding book deals, to managing one's emotions post-publication. Maum's approach is eclectic and subjective, which makes the book uneven in places. Her opening section on the craft of writing offers little that hasn't been said elsewhere; similarly, her section toward the end about whether writers should pursue an academic job unsurprisingly warns against the dangers of adjunct or visiting professor status. At best, however, Maum gives an insider's take on the path to becoming a published writer. She explains why one shouldn't feel bad about not earning back an advance, how destructive checking sales figures on Amazon can be to the writer's ego, and how to manage the various woes of book tours, among other subjects. Maum's book should prove invaluable to new writers seeking advice and support in navigating their first publication.
