For the hundreds of thousands who buy writers’ guides every year, at last there’s one that tells the ugly truth: writers who can’t get published are usually making a lot of mistakes. This honest, often funny, book shows them how to identify their own missteps, stop listening to bad advice, and get to work. Drawing on his experience as founding editor of MacAdam/Cage, Pat Walsh gives writers what they need—specific, straightforward feedback to help them overcome bad habits and bad luck. He avoids the optimistic, sometimes misleading directions often found in publishing how-to books and presents the industry as it is, warts and all. Here is the first guide that tells writers just what the odds against them are and gives them practical tips for evening them.
78 Reasons Why Your Book May Never Be Published and 14 Re...
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Book Description
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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Walsh mercilessly presents the cold, hard facts about why authors don't get published: " You think too highly of yourself," "You missed your first-chance glance" and "You scare away agents," along with 75 other dispiriting reasons. This tough-love approach aims to enlighten writers committed to their craft and discourage those who are all talk and no work. A founding editor of the literary publisher MacAdam/Cage, Walsh has spent a good deal of time reading lousy submissions, and he points out some common errors made by novices. His advice can sound more like an editor's exasperation (say, with writers who can't take criticism) than helpful tips. Walsh also describes the bottom-line world of publishing, which, he says, views books as products rather than cherished works of art. He provides basic information about agents, auctions and promotion. What saves this manual from being hectoring is the author's humor and clear-eyed awareness of the difficulties involved in getting even an outstanding book published. On a more positive note, he recommends that rejected authors cultivate patience and flexibility (i.e., learning from mistakes). Many readers may simply skip to book's end to get to the scant good news. Agent, Amy Rennert.(May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
What writer wants to read about all the reasons he or she might not be published? The serious one, according to Walsh, and that's just who he's addressing in this handy guide to the pitfalls writers need to avoid if they hope to see their work in print. Aiming his advice at writers who have already completed a novel, Walsh runs through some common missteps, such as sending out first drafts, refusing to revise, or approaching agents without doing the proper research. Walsh is not a pessimist but rather a realist; he concludes on a hopeful note, suggesting that if writers are practical, persistent, and have a good book, they just might get published. One of the founding editors of MacAdam/Cage, Walsh offers his advice in an acerbic but straightforward manner. An excellent primer on the realities of today's publishing world. Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
42 of 49 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I'm not big on long reviews, but this book definitely caught my attention. So here goes...
I feel pretty mixed about this book. On the one hand, Walsh offers a seemingly realistic view of the publishing field. On the other, as a "how to" book, Walsh falls far short on the giving advice beyond the surface level, something I was looking for from the founding editor of an independent publisher.
On the plus side, I found Walsh's book to be witty, funny and matching my experience with the publishing world -- that getting published involves "...an unholy amount of work and a great deal of time." I appreciate his focus on writing well and completing your book (I've read some book proposals recently that were absolutely horrendous).
My take-aways from this book included:
1. Finish your book.
2. Write well.
3. Don't self-publish
4. Stay out of the slush pile.
5. If you don't have an agent, forgeddabouhdit.
While I agree with the first two points, I found myself less willing to take Walsh's word on the last 3...
On the negative side, Walsh seems to miss following his own logic.
1. Early on in the book, he tells a story of a misguided young woman he met who (erroneously, Walsh seems to think) believes that getting published is more about who you know, and then proceeds to make that exact argument throughout the rest of his book (that is, if you don't know an agent, you'll never get published.)
2. The ONLY writer who can acceptably write anything along the lines of "I was too lazy to look this up" is Dave Barry, who is writing for laughs. Walsh uses this phrase several times throughout his book, which I find inexcusable. Walsh seemed to be attempting to come across as personable here, but he failed. If you're too lazy, don't write.
3. In discussing both the self-publishing industry, Walsh give it short shrift and did not seem to do his homework here, either. Equating self-publishing with vanity publishing is an overgeneralization, and ignores the excellent work of Dan Poynter (author of "The Self-Publishing Manual") and Tom and Marilyn Ross (authors of "The Complete Guide to Self Publishing").
4. Walsh makes the same mistake with those people who are disguntled with the publishing world. Since, as Walsh says, "..it is in the publishing's industry's best interest to reject you, discourage you and ignore you.", then it does not follow that people who critique the publishing world are engaging in "counterattacks" or are "paranoid". Perhaps some of those authors who cannot get published (such as Paul Linden, of Columbus, OH, who's writings on bodymind topics are lightyear ahead of his time)hold valid critiques of the publishing industry.
5. Walsh must go to public libraries and bookstores that stock very different materials from the ones that I go to. Walsh contends that most of today's published material is excellent. I find that many of the books that I read from these sources are (in Walsh's words) "overpriced, overhyped crap".
6. Walsh's advice for finding an agent (without which, he says, your book will go unpublished) seems to be opening up an independent publishing group, and wait for an agent to approach YOU. Ingenious? Yes. Practical for the rest of us? Hardly.
7. Finally, I thought that Walsh's book could do with one more run through by his editor. Some of his sentences came across as unclear. I'd caution about technical jargon, too. (Just what IS a "purple sentence", anyway?)
Pat Walsh's should be praised for wanting to write a book that describes an editor's experience. Such a book would be an important contribution to the field of writing.
This book, however, is not it.
I feel pretty mixed about this book. On the one hand, Walsh offers a seemingly realistic view of the publishing field. On the other, as a "how to" book, Walsh falls far short on the giving advice beyond the surface level, something I was looking for from the founding editor of an independent publisher.
On the plus side, I found Walsh's book to be witty, funny and matching my experience with the publishing world -- that getting published involves "...an unholy amount of work and a great deal of time." I appreciate his focus on writing well and completing your book (I've read some book proposals recently that were absolutely horrendous).
My take-aways from this book included:
1. Finish your book.
2. Write well.
3. Don't self-publish
4. Stay out of the slush pile.
5. If you don't have an agent, forgeddabouhdit.
While I agree with the first two points, I found myself less willing to take Walsh's word on the last 3...
On the negative side, Walsh seems to miss following his own logic.
1. Early on in the book, he tells a story of a misguided young woman he met who (erroneously, Walsh seems to think) believes that getting published is more about who you know, and then proceeds to make that exact argument throughout the rest of his book (that is, if you don't know an agent, you'll never get published.)
2. The ONLY writer who can acceptably write anything along the lines of "I was too lazy to look this up" is Dave Barry, who is writing for laughs. Walsh uses this phrase several times throughout his book, which I find inexcusable. Walsh seemed to be attempting to come across as personable here, but he failed. If you're too lazy, don't write.
3. In discussing both the self-publishing industry, Walsh give it short shrift and did not seem to do his homework here, either. Equating self-publishing with vanity publishing is an overgeneralization, and ignores the excellent work of Dan Poynter (author of "The Self-Publishing Manual") and Tom and Marilyn Ross (authors of "The Complete Guide to Self Publishing").
4. Walsh makes the same mistake with those people who are disguntled with the publishing world. Since, as Walsh says, "..it is in the publishing's industry's best interest to reject you, discourage you and ignore you.", then it does not follow that people who critique the publishing world are engaging in "counterattacks" or are "paranoid". Perhaps some of those authors who cannot get published (such as Paul Linden, of Columbus, OH, who's writings on bodymind topics are lightyear ahead of his time)hold valid critiques of the publishing industry.
5. Walsh must go to public libraries and bookstores that stock very different materials from the ones that I go to. Walsh contends that most of today's published material is excellent. I find that many of the books that I read from these sources are (in Walsh's words) "overpriced, overhyped crap".
6. Walsh's advice for finding an agent (without which, he says, your book will go unpublished) seems to be opening up an independent publishing group, and wait for an agent to approach YOU. Ingenious? Yes. Practical for the rest of us? Hardly.
7. Finally, I thought that Walsh's book could do with one more run through by his editor. Some of his sentences came across as unclear. I'd caution about technical jargon, too. (Just what IS a "purple sentence", anyway?)
Pat Walsh's should be praised for wanting to write a book that describes an editor's experience. Such a book would be an important contribution to the field of writing.
This book, however, is not it.
18 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Pat Walsh, 78 Reasons Why Your Book May Never Be Published & 14 Reasons It Just Might (Penguin, 2005)
There are a certain number of people on the planet who have the seemingly innate ability to cut through mountains of crap and get to the point. There are a certain number of people on the planet who also don't give a flying damn whether they're going to hurt your feelings or not. It is a rare, rare thing for these two traits-- one normally seen as positive and one negative-- to come together in a single human being. If it were, we'd have a lot more secretaries on the planet and a lot fewer CEOs.
Pat Walsh is one of the few, and 78 Reasons... is all the proof any human being should need of this. Walsh, an editor for MacAdam/Cage, started from the basic thesis that well over 90% of the manuscripts that land on his desk every year range from being not quite good enough to being complete messes, and set out to tell the world how to at least whip them into enough shape that he might have something to work with when writing your rejection letter.
The problem with this book is the same problem that plagues most any "how to write" book worth its salt: its likely audience will be swift to give a new scent to the definition of "preaching to the choir." I'm going to guess that most people who read this book and take it seriously will be those who are already doing (or not doing, as in the case of rainbow stationery and envelopes full of glitter... my god, to people really do that sort of thing?) at least half the things Walsh writes about. Those who actually embody all seventy-eight points of horror in one living, breathing, writing abomination are most likely already so convinced of their literary genius that they feel they don't need to read a book like this, because they know it all. Ah, the wonders of Murphy's Law.
This book should sit beside Natalie Goldberg's Writing Down the Bones on your bookshelf; Goldberg for what do do while still working on your manuscript, Walsh for what to do once you've actually got a manuscript in hand. ****
There are a certain number of people on the planet who have the seemingly innate ability to cut through mountains of crap and get to the point. There are a certain number of people on the planet who also don't give a flying damn whether they're going to hurt your feelings or not. It is a rare, rare thing for these two traits-- one normally seen as positive and one negative-- to come together in a single human being. If it were, we'd have a lot more secretaries on the planet and a lot fewer CEOs.
Pat Walsh is one of the few, and 78 Reasons... is all the proof any human being should need of this. Walsh, an editor for MacAdam/Cage, started from the basic thesis that well over 90% of the manuscripts that land on his desk every year range from being not quite good enough to being complete messes, and set out to tell the world how to at least whip them into enough shape that he might have something to work with when writing your rejection letter.
The problem with this book is the same problem that plagues most any "how to write" book worth its salt: its likely audience will be swift to give a new scent to the definition of "preaching to the choir." I'm going to guess that most people who read this book and take it seriously will be those who are already doing (or not doing, as in the case of rainbow stationery and envelopes full of glitter... my god, to people really do that sort of thing?) at least half the things Walsh writes about. Those who actually embody all seventy-eight points of horror in one living, breathing, writing abomination are most likely already so convinced of their literary genius that they feel they don't need to read a book like this, because they know it all. Ah, the wonders of Murphy's Law.
This book should sit beside Natalie Goldberg's Writing Down the Bones on your bookshelf; Goldberg for what do do while still working on your manuscript, Walsh for what to do once you've actually got a manuscript in hand. ****
20 of 23 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
There are a number of books about getting books published, and sometimes I think I won them all and have read them all. As a matter of fact, I sometimes wonder if I spent as much time writing as I do reading about writing, I'd be published by now. What I usually find is that I get one or two good tips from the writing books. I also find a good deal of contradictory advice. For example, one may say join a writing group and another will sing the praises of small groups. Some espouse keeping journals, others do not. Most will say that getting published is hard, but not impossible, especially for the person reading the book. Of course there are no stats available that say how many people who actually read these books are ever published.
One newer book that I have found informative and hopefully helpful is Pat Walsh's SEVENTY EIGHT REASONS WHY YOUR BOOK MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED AND FOURTEEN REASONS WHY IT JUST MIGHT. The author is the founder of an independent press and has come across very manuscript possible. He also tried his hand at fiction before beginning his career in publishing. While Walsh believes that writers have to have a story to tell and have to be true to the vision they have for their work, he knows that desire and talent are not enough. He mentions the importance of persevering, listening to good critical advice, not being blind as to the work's greatness or perceived greatness, and knowing the subject matter well. Much of what he says about writing can be found in other sources, but he says it in a serious but humorous manner that sounds intimidating but after thinking about it is just plain and practical truth. He is frank, but eh does have the best interest of writers at heart. I found his information about publishing most helpful. Writing may be an art, but getting a book published and getting the published book sold is a business and writers need to understand the business aspect of publishing.
On the back cover of they book, Betsy Larner, author of another great book about writing and publishing THE FOREST FOR THE TREES suggests buying copy of this book for every struggling writer. I think her advice is on target. SEVENTY EIGHT REASONS is an honest book about writing, but ultimately affirming. I don't know if it will discourage people who are not that serious about writing, but it will remind those who are serious how difficult writing a book that is publishable can be, and how much more difficult it will be to see the finished product on a bookstore shelf, but for me books that are honest about the challenges of writing make me more determined to complete my book and hopefully will help me complete a better finished product.
One newer book that I have found informative and hopefully helpful is Pat Walsh's SEVENTY EIGHT REASONS WHY YOUR BOOK MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED AND FOURTEEN REASONS WHY IT JUST MIGHT. The author is the founder of an independent press and has come across very manuscript possible. He also tried his hand at fiction before beginning his career in publishing. While Walsh believes that writers have to have a story to tell and have to be true to the vision they have for their work, he knows that desire and talent are not enough. He mentions the importance of persevering, listening to good critical advice, not being blind as to the work's greatness or perceived greatness, and knowing the subject matter well. Much of what he says about writing can be found in other sources, but he says it in a serious but humorous manner that sounds intimidating but after thinking about it is just plain and practical truth. He is frank, but eh does have the best interest of writers at heart. I found his information about publishing most helpful. Writing may be an art, but getting a book published and getting the published book sold is a business and writers need to understand the business aspect of publishing.
On the back cover of they book, Betsy Larner, author of another great book about writing and publishing THE FOREST FOR THE TREES suggests buying copy of this book for every struggling writer. I think her advice is on target. SEVENTY EIGHT REASONS is an honest book about writing, but ultimately affirming. I don't know if it will discourage people who are not that serious about writing, but it will remind those who are serious how difficult writing a book that is publishable can be, and how much more difficult it will be to see the finished product on a bookstore shelf, but for me books that are honest about the challenges of writing make me more determined to complete my book and hopefully will help me complete a better finished product.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
That truthful friend
In this book, Pat is like that one friend who tells you when your butt does look bad in those jeans. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Emma
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good Advice for Writers
As someone who has been publishing short stories in small circulation magazines for years, I thought I might pick up this book and see if there was any advice I hadn't picked up... Read more
Published 10 months ago by Evan the Dweezil
5.0 out of 5 stars
Who is a Writer
Pat Walsh is a very frank individual who lays out the pit falls of future writers, he is not claiming the podium to be the only person to advise writers. Read more
Published 10 months ago by yonder
5.0 out of 5 stars
Everyone needs to read this book, not just writers
This book, like The Elements of Style, should be read by anyone who wants to become civilized or who just enjoys a good sentence. Read more
Published 10 months ago by JENNIFER SPERRY
5.0 out of 5 stars
Spot On
A man once told me: "The difference between an editor and writer is, a writer knows what works and what doesn't work, while an editor only knows what doesn't. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Drew Samson
2.0 out of 5 stars
Repetitive. Repetitive.
Same points drilled over and over again.
Seems to be written by a very angry, anal retentive, frustrated writer full of piss and vinegar. Read more
Seems to be written by a very angry, anal retentive, frustrated writer full of piss and vinegar. Read more
Published on January 20, 2011 by Bookman
1.0 out of 5 stars
Nasty
Would you choose to be operated on by a surgeon who is demeaning and condescending to his patients and whose bedside manners leave much to be desired? Read more
Published on January 14, 2011 by Phillips
5.0 out of 5 stars
Want to get published? This is it!
While I would love nothing more than to write point and counter-point to some of the reviews on here who clearly had unmet expectations regarding this book, I'll err on the side of... Read more
Published on May 16, 2010 by N. D. Whitney
1.0 out of 5 stars
DOG IN A MANGER.
At the beginning Walsh reveals he failed as a writer, then spends the rest of the book dissing writers. Walsh is the dog in a manger. Read more
Published on April 18, 2010 by James B. Johnson
5.0 out of 5 stars
Writing and the delicate art of balance
Based on many negative reviews I expected that this book would be hostile and condescending. I read it anyway and was pleasantly surprised to find Pat Walsh not to be as obnoxious... Read more
Published on January 22, 2010 by Alan F. Sewell
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