Fiction: The Art and Craft of Writing and Getting Published [Paperback]

Michael Seidman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 19, 1999

This complete manual on writing fiction in all genres takes readers through each phase -- from story idea to manuscript to submission -- with a step-by-step guide to the editing and publishing process (including negotiating a contract with or without an agent), and an informative section on writer's conferences and workshops.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

The field of how-to-write books is crowded, but if you want to beef up your collection, this is a good choice. Author and editor Seidman writes about the practical aspects of the craft in a straightforward and clever way. As an editor, he is well versed in what publishing houses are looking for, and he is also familiar with the major stumbling blocks authors face when submitting work. Seidman's first section on writing includes many good hints and exercises for getting work into shape. Part 2, on networking, discusses writers' groups, conferences, and professional readers and how to use them. Part 3, "The Business of Publishing," is a guide to the business end of writing. The section on contract negotiation alone is worth the price of the book. Recommended for public libraries.ALisa J. Cihlar, Monroe P.L., WI
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Pomegranate Press (March 19, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0938817469
• ISBN-13: 978-0938817468
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,247,501 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Indispensible, May 1, 1999

By 

Keith Snyder (Rego Park, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fiction: The Art and Craft of Writing and Getting Published (Paperback)

Michael Seidman is my editor at Walker & Co. He's an opinionated, stubborn, argumentative person, and the book world needs more like him. If you want another book full of conventional wisdom and stuff you've read before, go buy something else. If you want one thoughtful, experienced person's honest appraisal of writing and publishing, buy this book. You may disagree with parts of it, but you'll never suspect you're being BS'd. This is the truth to the best of Seidman's knowledge, including his observations of both the creative and business aspects of the writing life. The book business will probably seem less arbitrary after you've read FICTION: The Art and Craft of Writing and Getting Published.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The trip from the writer's mind to the the reader's hands., May 3, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Central Coast, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fiction: The Art and Craft of Writing and Getting Published (Paperback)

FICTION was given to me by a somewhat biased writer, a writer that is on the AOL board that is monitored by Mr. Seidman. (Okay, my sister gave me a copy autographed by Mr. Seidman and I can be bribed but it takes more, but not much more, than $14.95 to buy or rent me!)

I read it on a recent trip by rail across the U.S. I found it very informative on the industry; he makes it clear that we might think of writing as an art but we are producing a product for an industy.

I enjoyed the exercises and found them good practice and a delightful way to pass the time of a long train trip.

I do not think that I have ever read a book that combined such practical information on writing with the information on the publishing industry. I find myself working on the exercises, rereading portions of the book almost everyday. For practical information and no small amount of inspiration I find this book invaluable. I highly recommend this book to everyone that is interested in writing, interested in publishing, interested in books, how they get from the writer's mind to the reader's hands.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Incisive, Positive, Constructive Book, March 2, 2000

By 

Barbara J Brown (East Lansing, Michigan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fiction: The Art and Craft of Writing and Getting Published (Paperback)

This is a concise, intelligent piece of work written in three clearly defined segments; the most intensive being the first part which deals directly with the art of writing in the real world. There is then a short, centrally located segment which is about networking that makes plain good sense look quite simply like a brilliant idea. The Third and last section deals in no uncertain terms with the Business of Publishing, and make no mistake, the guy who wrote it has more than 40 years experience in the field, so each page he presents to us is not only useful, it's a no fooling around, fact-filled leaf within a series of only hundred and some business oriented pages that complete this valuable text. The book then is punctuated with an ending comprised of short, comprehensively helpful lists. Do yourself a favor and don't miss it.