Customer Reviews

The Sell Your Novel Tool kit

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I dug into the "Sell Your Novel Toolkit" right away, pulling out information I needed immediately, then went back and read the entire book beginning to end. Ms. Lyon has done a superb job of packing all the tools a novel writer could need into her beautifully written "Toolkit." It's been my guide through each step of marketing my fiction. The amount of research packed into the appendices alone is worth the cost of the book.

It's very hard to complete a novel, and after you complete it and begin to think about how to get it published can become overwhelming. That one page query letter that agents and publishers read and judge your writing ability on is an education in itself. This book will help you craft that all-important letter.

Elizabeth Lyon's new book, Sell Your Novel Toolkit, provides a detailed roadmap for producing a well qualified query letter, synopsis and tips to manage that all important marketing strategy.

Ms. Lyon's Toolkit is written from the perspective of an accomplished, well-seasoned author who has experienced it all and learned from her own writing successes. Ms. Lyon's product is not only functional, but encouraging to the author who is already established, or entering the publishing environment for the first time.

The Toolkit has enhanced my abilities as a newly published author and I look forward to the next book.

This book answers virtually all questions about how to get there from here. The author offers the guiding principles and then examples for every step except actually writing the novel. She details the processes from creating the query and synopsis to the various alternatives for marketing the novel. It's a well designed view that shows the steps. What she doesn't do is minimize the fact that it's all work and to be taken seriously. Really want to sell that novel? Read this book.

Obviously an accomplished writer herself, Ms. Lyon seems to have a sixth sense about the quandaries we novelists ponder each night when we could be sleeping. Should I write a prologue? How do I keep track of crisscrossing submissions? Should I give up after the tenth rejection letter? Tool Kiit offers the steadying voice of an accomplished independent editor who has made it her life's work to delve into every detail of publishing, and she has come up with a workable plan of attack.

I've learned so much from Elizabeth Lyon. I keep my copy of the Sell Your Novel Toolkit within arm's reach because I find it indispensable whenever I'm ready to market my manuscript, no matter what part of the process I'm involved with. From Lyon's book, I've learned how to write a query that catches the attention of the recipient, how to write a synopsis, how to format, and what I need to submit. I've also learned what to do if I get a rejection and what to do if my manuscript is accepted. I feel that Lyon has a sincere interest in helping writers achieve their dream.

This book is pitched at new novelists, and provides a very readable, practical and comprehensive guide to all aspects of promoting that first novel in today's highly competitive market, including both methods of self-promotion and the use of agents. The sections dealing with the use of synopses will also assist first-time novelists to tighten up the structure of their work before approaching agents and publishers. A valuable marketing took for new novelists and those who have cause to advise them.

Thanks to Elizabeth Lyon's "Sell Your Novel Toolkit" book, I was able to complete a novel, write an effective query letter and synopsis that got much positive feedback from agents, obtain creditable agents, and ultimately sign a book deal with a major publishing company. I sincerely give Lyon's "Toolkit" book credit for my success, and recommend that ANY writer looking to be published purchase this necessity! It is the path that will guide your career through the journey to success!

I can write novels, but I can't produce a decent synopsis or query letter to save my life. This is the ONLY book I've found that provides a very easy to follow structure in writing the synopsis for your novel. I think the synopsis is very much a left-brained activity, and I found it difficult to summarize my 350 page story into one page. But the structure she provides you with WORKS. I think she actually put it together from one of the books in her appendix: The Writer's Journey which talks about the symbolic journey of the hero. (I actually already had this book but didn't read it until I found it referenced in this book, go figure.) It was an aha moment when I realized the synopsis should summarize the journey of the character rather than the sequence of events in the novel--very subtle but critical difference. She provides good info on query letters too and lots of examples, but to me, it's those 3 pages in chapter 4 that make the whole book worthwhile.

After finishing my first full-sized novel, I knew just what to do with it. But I figured I'd better consult with the "experts" before I get knee-deep into publication.

Ms. Lyon stopped me in my tracks in chapter one. She's a brilliant editor who has distilled decades of experience into a 300 page rudder for your writing life.

Her initial focus in the early chapters is to present the reality of how tiny your chances of success are if you just roll into publishing like any ordinary dope. You're probably not the one in a million brilliant writers who can just smile and have a $600,000 advance drop in your lap. It'll take years of practice, edits, elbow-rubbing and heart-ache to probably secure a $5,000 advance.

After she's done scaring you, she lets you in on a secret: persistent practice of good habits and a comprehensive knowledge of the publishing world will eventually land you a publishing contract.

The rest of the book is a vital toolkit for you to use in order to hone in those skills that she urges you to have. From basic editing of your book to massive sections about writing queries and synopses, she'll teach you what you need to know to stay in the fast-faced market of publishing.

If you've had a few rejection letters, don't drop out now. Start a fresh edit and pick up this book. You'll not regret it, I promise you.