Customer Reviews

The Successful Writer's Guide to Publishing Magazine Articles (The Successful Writer's Guides Series)

5 star:		(42)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This is a love letter to the author. My highlighter is on overload with this book. I stopped to "bubble" and out popped an article along the lines of Reminiscence Magazine about my mother-in-law's recipe box. Another one on weddings from the minister's point of view, maybe for Bride. Anyway, I wanted to tell you that I got a check in the mail for an article I submitted, and the only reason I dared to submit it was because of you. You challenged me, encouraged me, and I did it. I am now a PAID, published author! This is a dream come true. I want you to know that you make a difference in the lives you touch. Anyone even thinking of writing will feel the same after reading this book. Thank you.

How-to writing books can be a powerful form of procrastination for writers. I know. Perhaps if one hunkers down with Wanda Wonderwriter's newest tome, or "How To Be Published For Millions Next Thursday" one will find magical secrets for success. Ah, the stuff of dreams! Eva Shaw's guide to publishing magazine articles is different. It's like having a pro -- upbeat but realistic -- right at hand. Shaw writes for busy people -- rather than superfluous time-gobbling pages that keep you from your keyboard, she provides the nitty gritty you need most to compete in the magazine writing marketplace today. If she offers a workshop in your area, consider signing up. You're likely to leave with pratical tools of the trade, an enhanced "can-do" spirit, more ready and able to write for all you're worth.

This book is a must for anyone intersting in writing magazine articles and selling them. Dr. Shaw writes as if she is sitting down and talking to you directly. She goes over magazine writing terminology,ie; blitz, fillers, spec. She also advises timelines for submissions, how to approach an editor, how to gracefully handle a rejection by submitting another idea. Thre is a breakdown of different types of articles, query writing musts, and research tips and reference guides. The author does not however lure you into believing that this is an easy job. She constantly stresses that persistence and organization is the key to writing and publishing successul articles. I took Dr. Shaw's on-line magazine writing class and having this book is like an on-going class where one is constantly getting personal instruction.

I wanted to like this book. I really wanted to like this book. Eva Shaw has written good books; as an example, check out "Writing the Nonfiction Book". That one was tight, polished, and useful. The Successful Writer's Guide to... I can't even finish typing the title; the book is just that bad. The content is in the book, but so inaccessible. Dr. Shaw knows her business, and her approach to success will likely work for the aspiring writer. The sad reality is that this book makes the reader work for every bit of useful information, and not in the way that is productively challenging. Rather, the book presents constant obstacles in the form of comma splices, sentence fragments, and incoherent verbal trips around the block that had this reader constantly going back to the chapter title and headings to find orientation. This book reads as though Dr. Shaw typed it in a stream-of-consciousness drive to finish it over a weekend. To think that an editor saw this book before publication strains credulity and insults the editorial profession. Another reviewer wrote that these liabilities are inexcusable in a book about writing, and I agree wholeheartedly.

Eva Shaw knows how to write. She also knows how to be successful in the writing business. Readers new to her books would benefit from reading one other than this as an introduction to her work. The Successful Writer's Guide to Publishing Magazine Articles proves the thesis that anyone can succeed at writing and get published, but uses itself as its own shoddy proof of the low barriers to entry in the business.

I never return books. But after reading the first two chapters of The Successful Writer's Guide to Publishing Magazine Articles, I dug the packaging box back out of the recycling bin. After skimming through the rest of the book, I was rummaging through the trash for the packing slip. The writer may have good advice but I just couldn't get past the dull, flat writing and the disorganized content to find it. As another reviewer commented, it's inspiring to know that if the author of this book could get published, there's hope for the rest of us. Disappointing to say the least.

Weak points include: numerous mistakes in grammar (this is inexcusable since it is a book about writing!), an incoherent progressiveness (she jumps back and forth between topics instead of clearly building them one at a time, which leaves the reader with a frequent feeling of deja vu), the terms are not always defined as you meet them (sometimes they are defined a few chapters later), and there are frothy parts. As a reader, I was disappointed. But if you can get past the sloppy editing (which is very distracting), you will find some gems of wisdom and some indispensable practical advice and pointers! Strong points include: clearly outlined tips, the various differences between beginners and seasoned writers (scattered throughout the book), several ideas to get you started, and many highly inspirational and encouraging phrases.

Overall, I recommend that you get the book! After reading her book, you may be disappointed as a reader. But you will certainly be a better (and busier) writer if you follow her advice.

Why did I give it only 2 stars? Because I expected more (even indefinite articles were sometimes left out!) from a woman who has written thousands of magazine articles. Maybe it was her editor's fault. Regardless, I hope she will revise it and release an updated edition.

A friend was given Eva Shaw's book and I happened to browse through it because it was the only reading material on the coffee table. Although I'd never really thought of trying to publish anything, the steps outlined in the book were so explicit that the text just seemed to dare me to write something and publish it; so I did. Her encouraging book seeks to engender tenacity and a knowledge of the all-important steps involved in publishing; research, an appropriate query letter, editing, and tenacity. I was so excited by this challenge that I thought of a topic, wrote a query and sent it off the next day. Just this month, I saw my article in print, with my name highlighted at the top of the page!

Others have noted the sloppy editing, and I agree. But the info here is invaluable for someone who already know how to write for magazines, but needs to be more savvy with the marketing.

As a freelance journalist I can assure you that she tells you like it is. The key is to know thy markets and to be savvy about your skills, and Eva Shaw gives good suggestions on both topics.

I have followed her advice and it has definitely improved my sales.

Dr. Shaw manages to inspire without fluff. Clever anecdotes may be useful in trendy self-help books, but Shaw realizes that if we're buying a book like this, we probably want just the facts. She provides thought-provoking examples that spark the imagination, but generally sticks to extremely practical information. Although I'm not quite finished with the book, I already feel much more equipped to branch out as a writer. She shows that there are numerous publications you can write for that you may never have thought about, and she tells you very simple terms how to handle queries, editors, and other situations that are often fearful to those of us just breaking into the business. Unlike so many other writing books I've read, this one could be a textbook in a college class. I only wish all how-to books got to the point like this one does!

Even after reading previous reviews about the sloppiness of this book, I purchased it anyway because the reviewers found the content very helpful. But when I opened the book, I couldn't get past page 10-- no matter what gems of wisdom lay within, the mass of typos and incoherence make it impossible to justify finding those gems. The fact alone that Dr. Shaw has managed to sell thousands of articles convinces me that I can break into this field. The reviews at the front of the book laud her enthusiastic teaching style, which she may very well have in person, but on the page she just stinks. Even her examples of "queries that sold" contained weak and redundant sentences, such as "Please consider this topic, and thank you for your consideration." Wha? There are so many books on this topic, I recommend skipping this one. Any good advice is probably found elsewhere.