Writer Tells All: Insider Secrets to Getting Your Book Published

By Robert Masello

A witty and candid firsthand account - for writers by a writer - on how to write, sell, publish, and promote a book.This invaluable book is written by a working writer - not a professor, not a publisher, not an editor, not an agent. Robert Masello is a writer who speaks his mind with absolute candor on everything aspiring book authors need to know. He explains the publishing process step by step -what to expect, how it works, and what authors can do at each point to keep things going smoothly. Equally important, Masello has a lot of fun doing it. His book is filled with sometimes hilarious anecdotes fromhis own experiences in the trenches of publishing.Writer Tells All covers many topics along the way, both large and small, including the things every writer needs to know: choosing a book topic (fiction or nonfiction), writing the proposal, selecting an agent, understanding book contracts, finding an editor, losing an editor, following the production process from manuscript to bound book, using your own savvy and contacts to maximize the effect of marketing, and publicizing the finished product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0805065512
• ISBN13: 9780805065510
• Release Date: April 2001
• Publisher: Owl Books (NY)
• Length: 244 Pages
• Weight: 1.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.5" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Great book for the midlevel unpublished writer

Covers some salient points for the midlevel unpublished writer: (1) What to look for when selecting an agent; (2) Understanding how publishers make their money; (3) Breakdown of your contract with a publisher; (4) Why you shouldn't write in a cafe; (5) Average money for a first time novel; and (6) Marketing yourself in many ways.

Clever and Motivational

I would dare say that this is a book that anyone would enjoy, whether you aspire to be the next JK Rowling or not. Very witty and entertaining!

Funny and Informative

Writer Tells All is an incredibly charming and helpful book! I kept reading parts of it aloud to my husband and friends. The author's retelling of his appearance on the Today Show (page 210) is so funny that it alone is worth the price of admission. Basically Masello's genius is to take us into his confidance--hey, we're all in this together--and then spill all, from advice to anecdotes. The guy is great company and is both encouraging and realistic about writing. I just wish I could write as well as he can!

An essential writer's survival guide ...

For any writer dreaming of entering, or trying to survive the world of publishing, WRITER TELLS ALL is a must read. In a witty and charming voice, Masello dispenses honest, no-nonsense advice tempered with good humor and often-hilarious anecdotes. From getting an agent to working with a publicist, the author debunks myths, delivers the real story, and offers ways to make the most of your relationship with your publisher. Funny, honest, and filled with valuable information, no writer should be without a copy on his or her shelf.

The BEST Book on Writing

I've read many books about getting published, and this is the best. It provides candid, practical advice from an author who's obviously seen it all. And it's tremendously entertaining--you don't have to be a writer to enjoy it.