Writer Tells All: Insider Secrets to Getting Your Book Published [Paperback]

Robert Masello (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 10, 2001 | ISBN-10: 0805065512 | ISBN-13: 978-0805065510 | Edition: 1st

A witty and candid firsthand account -- for writers by a writer -- on how to write, sell, publish, and promote a book.

This invaluable book is written by a working writer -- not a professor, not a publisher, not an editor, not an agent. Robert Masello is a writer who speaks his mind with absolute candor on everything aspiring book authors need to know. He explains the publishing process step by step -what to expect, how it works, and what authors can do at each point to keep things going smoothly. Equally important, Masello has a lot of fun doing it. His book is filled with sometimes hilarious anecdotes from his own experiences in the trenches of publishing.

Writer Tells All covers many topics along the way, both large and small, including the things every writer needs to know: choosing a book topic (fiction or nonfiction), writing the proposal, selecting an agent, understanding book contracts, finding an editor, losing an editor, following the production process from manuscript to bound book, using your own savvy and contacts to maximize the effect of marketing, and publicizing the finished product.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Robert Masello's Writer Tells All starts at the very beginning of the writing process--"Starbucks should be your reward, not your office"--and follows through to the (often) very bitter end. Most books, says Masello in this humorous introduction to the business of writing a book and getting it published, seem to be "published in the dead of night, distributed under the tightest security, and publicized at a pitch that only dogs can hear." Masello discusses book proposals, first drafts, agents, editors, contracts, publicists, book tours, and royalties. He dispels the myth of the autographed copy (contrary to popular belief, publishers do take signed returns from bookstores), divulges the secret to knowing whether there's a check included with your royalty statement (hint: feel for staples), and discloses the dreary truth about book signings ("you'd make more money babysitting"). He braces his readers for those charming conversations with talk-show hosts who "have spent more time combing their hair than they have preparing for your interview," and he revels in the glory that having a publicist invites. "There's something absolutely wonderful about having someone whose job it is to say nothing but good things about you," he writes. "Even your mom may occasionally have her doubts, but your publicist? Never." --Jane Steinberg

From Publishers Weekly

In Writer Tells All: Insider Secrets to Getting Your Book Published, Robert Masello, who has already written 13 other books, including A Friend in the Business, delivers exactly what his title promises, and he does it in a spirit of camaraderie and good fun. Although Masello's enthusiasm can make his prose long-winded, he covers everything from the idea of writing a book, to getting an agent and working with an editor, to promotion and sales. Writers who dream of being published will find the insights from Masello's many anecdotes well worth the effort.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Holt Paperbacks; 1st edition (April 10, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805065512
• ISBN-13: 978-0805065510
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,178,629 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not bad at all, June 26, 2003

By 

Clive Young (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Writer Tells All: Insider Secrets to Getting Your Book Published (Paperback)

It's an old cliche but I wish I'd had this book a few months ago when I was negotiating my first book contract. There is a lot of good info in "Writer Tells All," covering the high and low points of writing a first book.

Some reviewers have railed against this title, saying that it's yet another 'you can do it' book, but I didn't find that to be the case. I already write for a living, so I tend to find those 'go for it' books to be boring and pointless for me--of course I know I can finish what I write; I do that every day. Instead, I found that this book did a great job of exploring the minute details and experiences that I've come across, and answering a number of questions that I had.

While this book is relatively lighthearted, it's not a lightweight book--there's a lot of useful and legitimate info, from how to come up with a decent title, to how to deal with all the people who want free copies of your book (I haven't even handed in my manuscript to my publisher yet and I've already had more than 70 people as for free copies; as you might expect, I found his advice very useful).

Due to the format of using many small chapters, I was able to quickly dig through it and find a section on what how to approach whatever was bugging me at the moment. Of particular importance to me, was that it evenly divided its attention between fiction and nonfiction--books of this sort seem to always focus on fiction, which is useless to me with my current project.

Some web reviews I read of this book were pretty harsh, noting that it doesn't provide massive factual examples--say, a 15-page example of a book proposal, for instance. Frankly, that would stop the flow of "Writer Tells All" dead, plus there's entire books out there about how to write a book proposal. On the other hand, I did find that the book sometimes promises more than it can deliver (the aforementioned chapter on titles could have used some more name-generating ideas, for instance). Also, the writing style meandered quite a bit, often merely to throw in a few gags. While I make as many stupid jokes as the next guy, it sometimes felt as if the points were there to illustrate the humor, as opposed to the other way around.

Nonetheless, I dug "Writer Tells All." Unfortunately for the author (but excellent for me), I found my copy for $2 while browsing a street seller's table in New York City. As a result, I can honestly say, "Writer Tells All" was worth every penny and then some.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Truth About Being A Published Writer, July 15, 2002

By 

Mark D Burgh "Music, Writing, Art, Film, Hist... (Fort Smith, AR United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Writer Tells All: Insider Secrets to Getting Your Book Published (Paperback)

Many of the writing books out there are touchy-feely sprouty books that are meant only for personal encouragement. They spare people the truth about writing: it pays little, makes little difference, and changes your life for the better far less than it complicates matters. Robert Masello tell the truth. Way under the best-seller list radar is where most writers live and work, whether they write one book or one hundred.

If you are planning to be a writer, this is book you MUST read, as Robert Masello bursts all the bubbles, and shows you a realistic view of the world of publishing. All too true is story of two writers fighting over whose book will face out on a shelf.

Writer Tells All is probably the most accurate portrayal of the writing and publishing business in America today. Read it and weep. Then sit down an write a novel about it.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Funny and Informative, February 2, 2002

By 

Robert S. Ackerman (New York, NY, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Writer Tells All: Insider Secrets to Getting Your Book Published (Paperback)

Writer Tells All is an incredibly charming and helpful book! I kept reading parts of it aloud to my husband and friends. The author's retelling of his appearance on the Today Show (page 210) is so funny that it alone is worth the price of admission. Basically Masello's genius is to take us into his confidance--hey, we're all in this together--and then spill all, from advice to anecdotes. The guy is great company and is both encouraging and realistic about writing. I just wish I could write as well as he can!