Customer Reviews

HOW TO WRITE A CHILDREN'S BOOK IN 30 DAYS OR LESS!: Stop Procrastinating and Start Writing Today

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

Obviously this author has taken seminars on "How to Write Catchy Titles That Will Get People to Buy Your Book." (In Two Hours or Less.)

I was very excited to get this book, it had many good reviews on Amazon and I was looking for what the title suggested, a 30 day plan for writing a book. What a joke.

This is a very small book that is very "short" on information and advice. It took me about 30-45 minutes to read. (There are 95 pages with huge margins and triple spaces between each small paragraph.)

It is written at about a fifth-grade level, and might have some use in that type of classroom setting. There is nothing new here for the adult who has any education whatsoever, especially any college English classes. I just kept saying "duh" as I read each page.

Her credits at that back of the book say she has written two children's books, and I guess two "How-to" books, including this one. That's some kind of expert advice.

And incidentally, the 30-day plan isn't mentioned until page 63 as part of a BONUS SECTION! It includes such useful tips as, "grab your coffee and snacks," "do the laundry," and "go to the park." Gee, why didn't I think of that?

This book is for you if you have absolutely no education, no imagination and the idea of getting a snack for yourself before you sit down to write gives you an "Ah ha" moment.

I was expecting a book that would address the issues of children's book writing that many beginning authors face including working through plot glitches and character development on the small scale( particularly picture books). This book gave the bare bones basics about book writing. I felt very cheated. There was more information about putting together a poster board with you future wishes than writing technique. It just goes to show that anyone can write a book in thrity days-- it just doesn't have to be well written or informative.

I received this as a gift from a friend who is encouraging me to write a kiddies book I have had up my sleeve for ages but never have the time to put pen on paper.... What I should have done is taken 2 hours to write a 'How to write a children's book in 30 day's or less' book and wait for any desperate soul to buy it and laugh my way to the bank. I am truely sorry my friend wasted good money (hard earned cash) on this. The best I can do to compensate is to write this review and let others know that this is a self published waste of time and your money. Everything that was valuable was in the title and that you got for free... so STOP procrastinating and start writing and dont buy this book.

I believe those who gave this book positive reviews must be friends with the author. This author published this book through a self-publishing agency. A publishing house did not invest in the publishing of this book. IT IS HORRIBLE! I have read many books on writing children's books, novels, creative writing, etc. This is the worste, by far. I learned absolutely nothing. It was a waste of 30 minutes of my life. That's how short the book is. DO NOT BUY THIS! IT IS ABSOLUTE JUNK! No wonder she had to go the self-publishing route. I'm sure no one wanted to publish this.

This book is very obviously self-published. There are typos all over the place, even on the back cover, the word 'marriage' is spelled 'marraige'! Goodness, not a good first impression! Was this book a rough draft? Did the author truly edit it thoroughly? About the material itself: it's poorly organized and has no educational value, the sentences, paragraphs and "chapters" are very short, nothing is elaborated on- I read the whole thing in about an hour and a half! There's info in there that hints about oneday getting on Oprah and how to write a press release for purposes as such. C'mon, if that is of value to me before I'm even published, then that at least, that information should go at the end of the book. Finally, the very last few pages of the book was devoted to the 30 day idea with quick passages as "make some coffee, do your laundry, then write for 30 minutes, you're done for today." Then you're on to the next day! What?? I spent actual money on this? Another annoying factor was that the text was justified on both margins which made the spacing irregular and hard to concentrate on. The author also very much pushes the idea of SELF-PUBLISHING (she capitalizes it whenever she mentions it, it's really quite funny) and although that may be the right way for her (maybe it was the only way, [marraige]), I highly doubt that anyone wanting to know real, productive tips on writing for children care to read about that in the middle of the book. Like I said, this book is poorly organized and has very, very little useful material, not worth buying.

-UPDATE- I wrote that review in March of 2003. Notice the dates of the other reviews... okay, I guess maybe there's the possibility that all the other people from similar states bought the book (and read it in an hour and a half) in the months of September & October - many on the same day no less - however, I can't help but believe that maybe these reviews are from the author's friends. I'm not trying to be mean here, but the book was just not worth good money. Honestly, it really was not. She needs to revise it into a second version and add some depth this time, some real useful information, take out the Oprah stuff, (etc.) and give her readers some sincere writing from her heart on how we can write from ours...

This book is just a terrible, useless, complete waste of money. There are so many great writing books out there. I've read many. This is by far the worst of the bunch. Don't buy it.

Caterina Christakos has written an excellent motivational book that sparks readers to take the steps necessary to stop worrying and start writing. The author touches on the key ingredients that prevents all of us from fulfilling our dreams - fear of failure, procrastination, and lack of self-confidence. By dispelling these negative beliefs and behaviors, the author is able to engage the reader into moving forward towards the goal of writing. This book enabled me to visualize myself as a successful writer and eliminated many of the silly fears that stifles many dreams. By simplifying the process into manageable steps, the author successfully engages the reader into action. I also loved the easy and informal "feel" of the book. It gives you enough information to get started, provides lots of reference sources and lists many of the steps needed to be successful. The book is an excellent way to get you to stop procrastinating and get writing! This book has inspired me to "put on paper" the children stories that I have created for my children. I would highly recommend this book to anyone thinking about writing children's books. You'll love it!

I am not sure listening to a person who has only 2 books is a great investment of time. Only 2 books ahead of you!

I have always respected and been amazed at the process
of writing a book, and frankly- overwelmed by the idea.
The way the author has given this process a light,
humorous, and fun approach combined with direction that
has taken the "work" aspect out that I was dreading!

Thank you for putting more "fun" into my future of
writing!

I found this book to be quite enlightening. The author gives the reader an insight into the direction one needs to go in order to successfully sit down, put their ideas in succession, and write a story that will actually interest and keep their audience wanting more.