Customer Reviews

How to Get Your Book Published: Inside Secrets of a Successful Author

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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This is truly an inspiring, extremely practical and entertaining guide to becoming a published author! Having this book is like "money in the bank" -- follow its instructions and you will certainly find print. Even more, you will learn to think and work like a prolific wordsmith who can turn ideas into profit. This book is thorough and is good for beginners, dreamers and veterans of the writing trade (or profession). It covers everything from getting a good idea to selling it to traditional publishers. It also includes meaty portions on self-publishing and the current trend of publishing on the internet. Bly gives detailed advice about Print-on-Demand and the marketing of eBooks.Throughout the guide, he relates many of his own personal experiences on the road to publication. Readers will chuckle at some of his stories. They also will be inspired by the personable approach he uses to shed light on the book-publishing process. I was so pleased with the book, I purchased several copies to give away to friends who wanted to become authors.

This is power packed book full of the type of information an embryo writer is looking. One of the biggest questions asked is where do I start? This book addresses that question and much more. It takes a person through the whole process, how to start, sell, and market. There are lists of potential agents, editiors, and publishers. I highly recommend this book to future and current writers. There is something here for all.

Three years ago I bought Bob Bly's book ("How to get Your Book Published") and followed his advice. His practical step-by-step instructions guided me in finding my niche and writing my book proposal (he provides templates which are simple to use) and after submitting to 4 publishers 2 of them sent me book contracts (and I got an advance with an option for my next book). My book is now avialable and was published by a well respected publishing house in the psychology field. If you are serious about writing your non-fiction book and do not want to self-publish then this is the book for you.

I truly believe that if it were not for this book my dream of being a published author would not have been possible. Feel free to check out my book (right here on Amazon).

Lisa B. Moschini

I would highly suggest this book to anyone looking to improve thier book proposals. Bob Bly is the author of 50 books, regularly writes for Writer's Digest and has enjoyed a lucrative career as a copywriter. He knows what makes book proposals work. In simple, strait-forward intruction, he spills everything he knows so that the rest of us can get published. If you want a book with no "fluff," only practical tips that make a REAL DIFFERENCE in your writing career, don't hesitate. Grab this book up right now.

I got a tip from a friend that published a book to buy this book and follow it word for word. She got her book published so I will to! I just started reading it and it's easy to read, speaks to a wide audience and tells you like it is. Very helpful!

Robert Bly's book is a wonderful introduction to publication. The text is logically written without a lot of fluff. He clearly details each step from idea conception to press releases and marketing. The appendixes are filled with valuable information: contacts, sample forms and formatting, edited pages of his own proposals. He includes some excellent details like how many words fit on a manuscript page versus how many fit on a typeset (book print) page and how many pages make a book. He does an excellent job encouraging new writers to truly evaluate their ideas -- is it really a book or just a series of magazine articles? Please note this book is only for NONFICTION writers.

The book is definitely DATED. Options in self-publishing and print-on-demand have greatly improved since the writing of this book. He has very few references to web publishing and nothing about blogs or ezines.

Overall Rating: Good for a beginner, but there are better books. I recommend Susan Page's Shortest Distance Between You and a Published Book and Michael Larsen's How to Write a Book Proposal

I didn't expect this book to be much fun to read, but it's easy to read, not heavy on theory or preachy: it's down to earth, practical advice. You get a feeling how this guy does it. Whatever he does, he wants to write about it: when Bly watches TV, he's there with a notepad - really! He wrote a book on Star Trek trivia. Even if you're not a writer, this is a fun book to read.