The Insider's Guide to Getting Published: Why They Always Reject Your Manuscript and What You Can Do About It [Paperback]

John Boswell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 1996

Written by one of the most successful agents and packagers in the book publishing industry, The Insider's Guide to Getting Published is a look at everything an aspiring writer needs to know to jump-start a career as a successful author.

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Main Street Books; 1st Main Street books ed edition (December 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385479360
• ISBN-13: 978-0385479363
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,294,487 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Tough Love Writing Course, January 4, 2008

By 

Peter L. Winkler "Word King" (North Hollywood, California USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Insider's Guide to Getting Published: Why They Always Reject Your Manuscript and What You Can Do About It (Paperback)

Originally published in 1986 as "The Awful Truth About Publishing: Why They Always Reject Your Manuscript and What You Can Do About It" (a title that may have been too hard for aspiring writers to take, despite the softer subtitle), Boswell's book is a concise, accessible guide taking the neophyte writer through the various stages of writing and pitching their book, always with a realistic view of the publishing environment writers will operate in. Boswell also includes valuable copies of query letters and the proposal for the book itself, so you have concrete examples to learn from. Best of all, he never sugar coats the hard truths about the long odds against writers, as when he explains why you must reconsider your proposal or the idea it embodies if you are rejected 10 times by agents or editors.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You can learn a lot from this book!, January 20, 2001

By 

Richard H Frishman "Rick Frishman" (New York) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Insider's Guide to Getting Published: Why They Always Reject Your Manuscript and What You Can Do About It (Paperback)

Very well wwritten and worth buying. There are some good tips and you can learn a bunch about the publishing world- take a shot.

Rick Frishman Pres PLANNED TV ARTS (NYC) ... co author GUERRILLA PUBLCIITY & GUERRILLA MARKETING FOR WRITERS (Writers Digest Books)...

15 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book will outlast a jar of mayonnaise, April 27, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: The Insider's Guide to Getting Published: Why They Always Reject Your Manuscript and What You Can Do About It (Paperback)

A "how to" book may seem an unlikely choice for a review submitted with the sole intent of winning 100 bucks of Amazon books credit. However, you must love books and maybe have even thought about writing one, otherwise you would not have landed here. Push your virtual shopping cart to the aisle marked "Boswell" and grab this book. The book, originally published in 1986 under a different title, defies the author's assertion that a "jar of mayonnaise will most likely have more staying power" on the sales shelf than most books. Boswell offers practical and humorous guidance gained during a long career as a publisher and an author. He debunks the romantic image of the editorial meeting and offers valuable advice about the nuts and bolts of getting published. This book is for you if you want common-sense advice (beware: ego-deflating too) and a blueprint for your writing dreams. Push your cart a little faster. This book may not be released again until the next century