Writer Tells All : Insider Secrets to Getting Your Book Published

by Robert Masello

• ISBN13: 9780805065510
• ISBN10: 0805065512
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 2001-04-10
• Publisher: Holt Paperbacks

Summary

In this frank, funny, and highly informative book, professional writer Robert Masello takes you through the whole publication process, step-by-step, from the moment of inspiration to publication day and beyond.

Author Biography

Robert Masello is the author of three novels and ten nonfiction books, including A Fri in the Business. He has taught writing classes at the Columbia University School of Journalism and UCLA Extension. He is currently executive story editor for the Aaron Spelling television series Charmed.

Table of Contents

Part I: Art
Mission Statement. Just how do you get from a half-baked idea to a fully baked book?	3	(4)
Confronting the Monster. Walk into any huge bookstore, and what do you see there? Competition...or opportunity?	7	(5)
Clearing the Hurdles. Three unforeseen obstacles to your success, and what to do about them	12	(3)
The Quota System. How to make sure you're making progress	15	(4)
Your Worst Boss. One you can't get away from, so you might as well make peace	19	(3)
Fact or Fiction. Two roads diverge in a wood, and you really have to take one or the other	22	(5)
The Hydraulic Theory. The more you talk, the less you'll write	27	(5)
``Why Don't You Write One of Those Sidney Sheldon Books?'' And other common advice from the clueless	32	(4)
Outlining Nonfiction. No battle was ever won without a plan	36	(8)
Proposing Nonfiction. No matter how arcane the topic, chances are you're not the only one interested	44	(7)
Proposing Fiction. People will always love stories, and somebody's got to tell them	51	(5)
Genre Snobbery. Elmore Leonard, Louis L'Amour, and Ian Fleming can't all be wrong	56	(4)
Title Search. Naming the baby is a big responsibility	60	(7)
Muzzling the Three-Headed Dog. If you can't cut down on the clamor in your head, how are you ever going to be able to write?	67	(8)
My Grandmother's Cadillac. A first draft can sustain a lot of minor dings and dents just getting where it's going	75	(6)
Part II: Commerce and Craft
Bagging an Agent. With transoms closing all over town, you need an agent to do your dirty work	81	(10)
The Perfect Agent. Some things you can expect, and some you can't	91	(12)
Submission and Acceptance. Let the bidding begin!	103	(10)
Art of the Deal. Advances, royalties, and other fun stuff	113	(9)
The Sea of Legalese. Clauses, riders, indemnifications, and other less fun stuff	122	(12)
The Editor Idealized. Maxwell Perkins, where are you?	134	(10)
The Editor in Practice. We all need a good editor, but that doesn't mean we have to like it	144	(5)
Revisionist Misery. Even genius needs tweaking	149	(3)
Blue Pencil, White Knuckles. A copy editor---and a lawyer---lurk in your future. (Be afraid. Be very afraid.)	152	(5)
The Cover Story. You've got about two seconds to catch a browser's eye---make 'em count!	157	(6)
Galley Slaves. Your first glimpse of the book it will someday be	163	(6)
Part III: Celebrity
Of Catalogs and Conferences. How your book is acclaimed in-house	169	(4)
The Song of Yourself. An Author Questionnaire is no place to be modest	173	(8)
The New Arrival. Building the shrine to hold your book	181	(3)
Publication Day. Keep the line free---the President may call	184	(6)
``You Want Me to Buy a Copy?'' Explaining to friends and family how and where books may be bought	190	(2)
The Critical Consensus. Accepting praise, and even pans, graciously	192	(7)
If This Is Tuesday... Making the most of your book tour	199	(8)
Talking Head. The perfect talk-show guest knows when to speak, smile, and split	207	(8)
Still Talking. Reading, signing, and selling directly to your avid fans	215	(5)
Hollywood Calling. If they insist on casting Tom Cruise, let them	220	(6)
Other Paths to Glory. New solutions---self-publishing? the Internet?---to old problems	226	(6)
``And Now for My Next Trick...'' Once you write one book, you may not be able to stop yourself from writing another	232	(5)
Index	237