| The Writer Within You, A Step-by-Step Guide to Writing and Publishing In Your Retirement Years
By Charles Jacobs
Caros Books, 2007
321 pages, $19.95, paper
ISBN: 978-0-9793636-0-3
http://www.retirement-writing.com |
Review by Patricia L. Fry
As I told Charles when he asked me to write a testimonial for this book, it could be marketed to a general writing audience—not just retirees. I like this book. It’s good-looking, it covers a wide range of writing/publishing topics, the tone is friendly, the narrative is easy to follow AND it has an index. Those of you who have been reading my book reviews know how much I appreciate seeing an index in a reference book.
Retirees with an interest in writing will love this book for its value and reading ease. Jacobs gives information and resources for novel writing, writing a nonfiction book or memoir, publishing, marketing and even freelance writing. If you’ve ever wondered how to get started writing articles for magazines, ads for companies or material for the Web, you’ll find the answers in this book. The author even goes into some of the basics such as, how to find the discipline to write, coping with rejection and overcoming writer’s block. He covers important issues such as conducting research, contract negotiations and how to work with the IRS.
I especially appreciate Jacobs’ "Words of Wisdom" blocks that appear frequently throughout the book. He quotes experts and professionals such as Dan Poynter; Mary Karr, author of The Liars Club;Donald Maass, author of Writing the Breakout Novel and Peter Bowerman, author of the Well-Fed Writer series. He also includes my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book in his list of "Books for Writers" and recommends my Web site, http://www.matilijapress.com as being helpful to writers and authors. I didn’t know this when I requested a review copy of this book.
If you’re interested in writing for publication, but need some guidance, I think you’ll find this an important reference book for your office library. It’s a substantial tool, not just for retirees, but for anyone who wants to succeed within the publishing field.
–Patricia Fry is President of SPAWN and author of The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell your Book and How to Write a Successful Book Proposal in 8 Days or Less. Her Web site is http://www.matilijapress.com/.
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