The Practical Writer: From Inspiration to Publication [Paperback]

Therese Eiben (Editor), Mary Gannon (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2, 2004

Poets & Writers Magazine presents the one book that every writer needs on the journey from the writing studio to publication. An essential volume from an organization renowned for providing reliable advice, The Practical Writer is filled with valuable information that will help emerging writers make intelligent choices and professional decisions at every stage of their careers. Filled with the insights and expertise of authors and other publishing insiders, it covers a range of topics: revising a manuscript, choosing a title, applying for grants, conducting research, evaluating an agent, understanding contracts, working with an editor, finding a literary community, promoting a book, and much more. With The Practical Writer, writers will know how to make the most of every aspect of their journey.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

To the already bulging category of how-to books geared to the art and craft of writing, add this handy compendium from the crew at Poets & Writers. Conveniently divided into five easy-to-flip-to sections, this encouraging tome is intended to be a guide to all writers—essayists, poets, novelists and short-story writers—at various (early) stages in their careers. Those fresh out of MFA programs will appreciate considerations of craft by the likes of Gregory Orr and Jeffrey Skinner; in the same section, Julie Checkoway’s sly "Lingerie Theory of Narration" likens a writer’s agenda to that of a Victoria’s Secret catalogue adman. Aspiring writers eager to see their work in print may jump ahead to section two ("Initial Contact"), wherein Amy Holman offers advice on preparing submissions and Atlantic Monthly senior editor C. Michael Curtis explains how to read—or rather, how not to read into—the inevitable rejection letters. In section three ("Building Your Team"), agent Noah Lukeman, writer-cum-editor-cum-agent Betsy Lerner, Authors Guild assistant director Kay Murray and others share insights about finding an agent and negotiating that first book deal. The newly published are apt to appreciate "Meeting the Public," the fourth section, which suggests how to drum up publicity for small press titles and wow bookstore audiences with memorable readings. And finally, those with sights beyond publishing a novel can turn to "Jobs in the Field," and learn how to start a reading series or literary magazine, or simply reflect, as Robert Phillips does in the afterword, on why the journey has been worth it. Subscribers to the magazine will find much of the material familiar, as will anyone who’s read a writing how-to or two. But with appendices on grants, awards, conferences and residencies similar to the listings section in the magazine, the book proves itself both inspirational and useful.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Therese Eiben, editor of Poets & Writers Magazine since 1998, has worked as an editor for Time, Inc., and as a book editor. Her work has appeared in such publications as Fortune and the Alaska Quarterly Review. Mary Gannon is deputy editor of Poets & Writers Magazine. Her poetry has been published in the Paris Review, Antioch Review, and others. Poets & Writers Magazine began in 1973 as a 12-page quarterly newsletter. It has grown in size and reputation and today is published six times a year with a national circulation of 70,000.

Product Details

• Paperback: 366 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (March 2, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0142004006
• ISBN-13: 978-0142004005
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #775,420 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Information By People Who Know Witing, April 19, 2004

By 

Timothy Kearney (Haverhill, MA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Practical Writer: From Inspiration to Publication (Paperback)

I recently took a writing workshop and the instructor told us that if we are not yet reading POET AND WRITERS magazine, we should be. He found the magazine articles helpful when he first started writing because the articles in the magazine are written by both established and emerging writers as well as by professionals in the publishing field. He still reads the magazine and finds as a published writer, the articles are accurate about the writing life. Since he is already a published author, I believed his advice to be reliable. As a result of this workshop, I also met other writers who have been published in this magazine and make the same claim. When I saw the book THE PRACTICAL WRITER advertised in the magazine and realized it was a "best of" collection from the magazine, I thought that the book could be rather helpful.

Practical is the key word in the title. While the book does have some content about writing theory, most of the book deals with publishers and the writing world. Since I have yet to have anything published, I may not be qualified to say how helpful the articles in the book actually are, but it does give an aspiring writer a good introduction of all that is involved from beginning a manuscript to its completion. The book helps a person interesting in writing look at the possibility realistically. Each of the articles in the book was originally featured in POETS AND WRITERS magazine by contributors who have a working knowledge of writing and publishing.

The book is divided into five sections: Conceptions of craft, Initial contract with a publisher, working with professional in the field, selling a book, and jobs in writing. An article on writing by Robert Philips completes the book. The book also contains helpful information about grants and awards, writing conferences and residences and resources for writers.

For me, collections such as THE PRACTICAL WRITER help me set goals as far as writing is concerned. Fantasizing about writing is something many people do, and writing can be a cathartic experience, at least for me. Getting something to work on paper is a far different matter, and collections such as this work do help me to focus and try to produce something that is of quality and is also true to me. Hopefully it will help other aspiring writers too!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Digs Beyond the Initial Target....., April 22, 2004

By 

Julie Jordan Scott "Writer, Life Coach - Owne... (Bakersfield, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Practical Writer: From Inspiration to Publication (Paperback)

This book, a compilation of articles from "Poets and Writers" magazine hits the mark and much, much more. The book covers the process of writing from idea to conclusion to promotion of the finished product.

Successful writers know that simply producing a book is just the beginning. The chapters on "How to Give a Rousing Reading" and "Publicity for Your Small Press Title" are incredibly valuable.

In the words of one of the contributing authors, Robert McDowell, "Presenting your new book to the public is really no different than presenting yourself."

There are tons of resources which will prove invaluable to the active writer - the writer seeking professional success.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The nuts and bolts of getting your writing published, March 30, 2004

By 

Celia Redmore "Celia Redmore" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Practical Writer: From Inspiration to Publication (Paperback)

"The Practical Writer" is a collection of thirty-one articles by experts involved in the various stages of publishing poems, books and articles. Each piece concentrates on a different aspect of the writer's trade, from giving a lyric poem that final polish, to understanding rejection letters, to negotiating a book contract.

That there are thirty-one contributions is in itself a measure of the complexity of the writer's world. In addition to editors, writers must deal with agents and publicists, booksellers and literary organizations. There are readings to give, flyers to print, contracts to negotiate, and book tours to arrange. For people used to solitary work, that can be overwhelming.

Writers, as several of the contributors point out, are sometimes out of the loop as far as the `business' of publishing is concerned. Even though the industry revolves around them, the writers themselves may be unaware of what drives companies to accept one piece of work and reject another, or promote one book to best seller status while letting another languish on a back shelf.

Therese Eiben and Mary Gannon of Poets& Writers magazine have brought together a wonderfully knowledgeable and supportive group of people. "The Practical Writer" is full of solid, substantive advice. My copy promises to become one of those books whose spines will develop the "telltale creases" of repeated reading.