4.5 out of 5 stars
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How I discovered this book: I was aware of Susie Kearley on Twitter, and out of the blue she asked me if I would be interested in appearing in a feature she was compiling for Writers' Forum magazine, about making money out of writing. After the article was published Susie asked if she could add it to this book, so of course I said yes, and bought the book.
This is an honest and objective review, and I confirm that I do not have any financial interest in the book's sales. The author did not request this review; I chose to buy and read it.
In a Nutshell: Non-fiction, advice for feature writers, inspirational and helpful stories of success.
Keeping it current, this books starts with an introduction outlining publishing and book-buying trends during the year or so of government restrictions on movement, the cancellation of events and the closing of businesses, and about the emotional impact of being 'locked down' on writers.
The next six out of sixteen chapters are an essential guide to freelance writing for magazines/newspapers/anthologies, as well as information on launching a newspaper. I have no desire to go down any of these roads, but I found this part fascinating. If anyone is thinking of trying to earn from this sort of writing, I would advise you to buy this book immediately - Susie is an 'old hand', at freelance journalism, and it's packed with information about submissions, pay, and various 'tricks of the trade' that she has learned over the years. It's clear that she really knows her stuff, and it's a nicely written easy read, too - I was most impressed.
The next part is the first-person story of Peter Jones, a highly successful self-help writer and speaker. I loved this part, and was totally absorbed in his story.
In the second half of the book Karl Drinkwater talks about being a multi-genre, self-published author, Dave Sivers talks about crime writing, there's the aforementioned article in the Writers' Forum, and Susie delves into writing novels based on the classics, the injection of humour into stories, and talks about her own experiences.
In the second half of the book Karl Drinkwater talks about being a multi-genre, self-published author, Dave Sivers talks about crime writing, there's the aforementioned article in the Writers' Forum, and Susie delves into writing novels based on the classics, the injection of humour into stories, and talks about her own experiences.
At only £1.99 (or free on Kindle Unlimited) it's a great buy for anyone starting out either in the freelance journalism or the self-publishing world.
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