Customer Reviews

From Pitch to Publication: Everything You Need to Know to Get Your Novel Published

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I found this book both fascinating and enormously helpful.It covers everything from doing market research before writing a book, through how to make a submission and on to understanding royalty statements and beyond. Wonderfully readable and peppered with anecdotes it shows how the publishing system really works. Definitely 5 big stars for this hugely informative book!

FROM PITCH TO PUBLICATION: Everything you need to know to get your novel published by Carole Blake published by MacMillan
This book is mainly written about publishing in the UK. I was interested in reading it since my books are sold not only in Canada, but also in the US and the UK. One thing I learned is that writers all over the world are cut from the same cloth (odd cloth as it may be). Something else I learned is Agents and Publishers are also unique and it takes effort for writers and agent/publishers to communicate effectively no matter which country they reside in. We are not on opposite sides; we want to publish books and earn our living doing what we love.

I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to write a novel. The humour is dry and educates as much as the down to earth advice. From Pitch to Publication has universal strategies on market research, editorial preparation, submissions, and publicity and much more. This well-rounded publication winds up sage advice with a quote from writer Maeve Haran on "Ten vital things nobody (especially your editor or agent) will tell you The list had me laughing out loud. (Making me relieved and disturbed at the same time since I was alone in the house.) Humorous or not, they are wise words and the perfect ending to a wonderful book.

I know I will keep my copy and refer to it over and over in my writing career. (I have yellow post it notes all through it and already the pages are dog-eared.) It truly connects the world of writing, and offers keys to doors that to many writers appear to be locked.

Thank you, Carole, for taking the time to entertain and inform us. Is there another book in the works?
Written by Cynthia Faryon/Author

This book is widely revered as a masterpiece of its kind - invaluable in the extreme, comprehensively knowledgeable, hugely informative, in addition to being the ideal literary vade mecum for anyone hell-bent on getting their unpublished work published. Hey, and so it is - and so it should be too. Because Ms Blake is only joint managing director of top London-based literary agency Blake Friedmann and she obviously knows what she's talking about . . .

'Or does she?' whispered a tiny voice from the bottom of Ms Blake's slush pile. 'Consider, if you will,' the voice persisted, 'Selection Criterion #1 on p. 7 of the book where Ms Blake bitterly complains that "I am regularly offered novels that are 50,000 or 60,000 words."' The voice gave way to a wheezing laugh. 'Oh dearie, dearie me! Well, there's DEATH IN VENICE, THE GREAT GATSBY, and A CLOCKWORK ORANGE in the trash can for starters.'

The laughter became a tad more hysterical: 'And on Page 9, you'll find, Ms Blake promulgates Selection Criterion #3: "Is the world that I have created in the novel one my readers will want to spend time in even before they know the story or the characters?" Uh oh! In the trash can with A CLOCKWORK ORANGE again (that unpublishable Mancunian's nothing if not persistent), swiftly followed by BRAVE NEW WORLD, 1984, and THE GRAPES OF WRATH.'

For a time no sound could be heard in the room other than the tumultuous trashing of unpublishable typescripts by the score.

'So,' said the tiny, slush pile shrouded voice as Ms Blake collapsed with Repetitive Strain Injury: 'I wish you better luck with Ms Blake and all her house than Thomas Mann, Scott Fitzgerald, Anthony Burgess, Aldous Huxley, George Orwell, John Steinbeck - or I ever had, though I confess to finding it mighty reassuring to enjoy such exalted company for once in my life, thanks to Ms Blake.'

Agent, Carol Blake, leads readers behind the scenes and into the mindset of the international publishing industry, offering a compelling overview of the methods and motivations of agents, editors, authors, booksellers and promoters.

This was an extremely helpful book. It explains everything you need to know about publishing a book in a simple, well organized manner. It focuses on the UK market and isn't especially specific to the US; but nevertheless, it is a must read for any writer. It was enjoyable, informative and easy to read.